Case Study
How Pretty Princess Parties Makes a Magical Experience for Attendees Nationwide
In 2013, Jodi Polasky was a 22-year-old fresh out of college in Duluth, Minnesota. She was working with the Boys & Girls Club when she came up with an easy idea to brighten her mentee’s day: She would dress up as a princess. When she saw how overjoyed her mentee was, she decided to bring that same excitement to more families.
That simple idea soon blossomed into a thriving events business. Polasky has now hosted children’s entertainment events like The Fairytale Ball in 36 cities nationwide. At each one, classic fairytale characters act, sing, and speak with the attendees — usually children smiling ear-to-ear.
But launching her events business didn’t start at happily ever after. When her business grew quickly, Polasky was quickly overwhelmed by the manual logistics involved. “It was a complete mess,” Polasky said. “I knew there must be a better way.”
Photos by Misty Pelican Photography
The challenge: Manual processes that slowed down a team of one
Polasky was — and still is — the only full-time employee at Pretty Princess Parties. That means there are never enough hours in the day. This was especially true when Polasky was managing all of her events without an event management platform.
In Pretty Princess Parties’ early days, Polasky would receive checks from customers and mail each of them back a paper ticket. “Checks would bounce, or people wouldn’t show up,” Polasky says. She knew it was time for a change.
Polasky searched online for ticketing options before deciding on Eventbrite, which she was confident would provide the best experience for her and her customers. Ever since, the technology has reduced Polasky’s workload so she can focus on what matters: creating memorable moments for customers, and helping kids meet their fairy tale heroes.
“Eventbrite has given me a ton more time. None of this would be possible without a good ticketing platform like Eventbrite.”
– Jodi Polasky, owner and founder of Pretty Princess Parties
Photos by Misty Pelican Photography
Saving time to focus on the attendee experience
Polasky has a lot on her plate: she juggles ticket sales, marketing, and bookkeeping — not to mention hiring and managing performers. Before Eventbrite, things were bound to fall through the cracks.
“I was having such a hard time keeping track of all the checks and the taxes,” Polasky says. Now, Eventbrite has removed the hassles associated with booking, payments, and taxes. For example, when Pretty Princess Parties holds events in different states, Eventbrite adds the appropriate taxes for each state, reducing unexpected expenses and keeping her in line with local laws.
With the time she’s saved, Polasky is able to focus more on the attendee experience. “I now have time to meet with our performers before a show and make them princess perfect,” Polasky says. “Our quality has improved, which allows us to then sell more tickets.”
“Parents love to bring their kid to something they’re going to remember. Pretty Princess Parties is that experience.”
– Jodi Polasky, owner and founder of Pretty Princess Parties
Photos by Misty Pelican Photography
Attracting new customers through social media
When Pretty Princess Parties first started, Polasky relied on word-of-mouth to attract new customers. Now, Polasky manages a detailed marketing strategy that focuses on social media.
“Social media influencers have been incredibly powerful for growing our brand,” Polasky says. “We partner with people who already are trusted in local communities — often mommy bloggers — to connect with potential attendees. Influencers give your event credibility.”
Once influencers drive potential customers to Pretty Princess Parties’ social media pages, Polasky relies on Eventbrite’s social media integrations to spur parents to buy in the moment.
“With Eventbrite, we’re able to get people to purchase in the first look and make it easier for customers to click and buy.”
– Jodi Polasky, owner and founder of Pretty Princess Parties
“I’ve found that you lose guests at every step,” Polasky says. “The more they have to click, the more they second guess their purchase.”
With Eventbrite, Polasky can feature a “Get Tickets” button prominently on her Facebook Events and Instagram profile. Parents can then buy tickets directly on those social platforms without leaving the app, reducing their clicks and driving ticket sales.
Photos by Misty Pelican Photography
Professionalism at every step of the process
Polasky loves how Eventbrite has helped her maintain a professional brand through every step of the customer experience.
“You lose people if you don’t have a strong introduction and photo,” Polasky says. “If people don’t know what’s going on, they’re not going to buy a ticket.”
With Eventbrite, it’s easy to upload photos and feature compelling descriptions of the parties on her web pages. The Pretty Princess Parties brand is front and center, so parents know exactly what type of magical experience will await if they buy tickets.
“Eventbrite makes it super easy to tie it all together. I don’t have to pay a team, and I can do a lot of work by myself because Eventbrite makes it so simple.”
– Jodi Polasky, owner and founder of Pretty Princess Parties
Eventbrite also helps Pretty Princess Parties’ customers stay happy after they purchase. If plans change, people can request refunds or transfer tickets directly through the platform, instead of needing to reach out to Polasky. This process is more professional for the customers — and makes life easier for Polasky.
Photos by Misty Pelican Photography
Creating an experience worthy of a princess
Thanks to Eventbrite, Pretty Princess Parties has been able to expand across the country. Today, the company hosts events in large convention centers, collaborates with other princess entertainment companies, and their largest event, the Fairytale Ball, has received over 700 five-star reviews.
“Eventbrite has helped us go from one city to across the country. Our numbers aren’t even in the same hemisphere anymore. We’re so astronomically far ahead of what we could have done before.”
– Jodi Polasky, owner and founder of Pretty Princess Parties
Within a year, Polasky has grown her company exponentially and brought her fairytale magic to families across the country. It’s a real-life happily ever after.
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