Halloweek Business Results

How do you run a pop-up business?

Pop-up businesses are those that are active only for a few hours or days, and are usually set up for an event or a holiday. The week before our Fall Break, the whole Academy participated in our first Theme Week this year: Halloweek. The intended business: a Haunted House and several Escape Rooms.

Students received a budget during the week and in their groups/rooms, they were meant to decorate, reshape, and yes, even destroy their rooms to get the desired look and feel. Then, we would open for a couple of days so the public could enter with a paid ticket and enjoy the attractions. Each room was given up to 100 EUR to spend. By the end of the week, around 670 EUR were spent. The result: over 430 EUR of profit! Profit is revenue (the money gathered from sales), minus the total costs. That means, that the students sold over 1100 EUR worth of tickets and snacks with over 120 customer, in only 2 days!

Not only were they successful in making money, but I believe they also learned how to deal with customers, with workers and co-workers (good and bad ones), handle a budget, work under time pressure, be responsible with their shifts, and even how to hold a hammer! On the business side, certain students worked in production, marketing, and finances. I believe many customers were truly happy with the result, this supported by the amazing feedback we received. Students, parents, and staff members alike had a fun (and scary) time!

See more pictures here.