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Post by Corissa on Jul 2, 2015 14:24:48 GMT
Thinking about flow and space use, I realized that parents, especially visitors, are very likely to leave the building as soon as they pick up their kids. Once they leave the sanctuary and walk all or most of the way to the main lobby to get their kids from their classes, they are near the front door. How likely is it they will turn around, go back into the sanctuary, and walk to the far side of the sanctuary to mingle? I think they are much more likely to just leave.
One of the strengths of our current location is that parents have to walk through the fellowship area after they pick up their kids. Their kids see the food and stop. The parents are noticed by other regular attenders who engage them in conversation. It makes for a friendly, welcoming experience for families.
In the new space, parents, especially visitors, will likely head out of the sanctuary to get kids right after the service and completely bypass the fellowship area on the north side of the room. How can we encourage them to make the long walk back to the fellowship area?
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Post by Nathan Ovitt on Jul 3, 2015 4:54:02 GMT
That is a really good question, and something for serious consideration. Does it make more sense to set up hospitality in the front foyer? If so, does that change needs with the kitchen/cafe setup?
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Post by Elizabeth on Jul 3, 2015 23:50:36 GMT
If they know there is good food, the kids will drag their parents to where it is. (At WBC, my Sunday School class had the best snacks in the building. We had to lock the door to keep marauding kids from coming in before we were finished.) We should consider allowing or even encouraging people to exit through the Worship Center door. That reminds me, have we thought about coat racks or hooks? They take up space and look ugly, but they free up a lot space in the chairs. If we want to consider them, then that tends to be the last place people go before they leave the building, at least during inclement weather, which is most of the time around here.
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Post by Corissa on Jul 4, 2015 0:50:46 GMT
If they know there is good food, the kids will drag their parents to where it is. I think that will work for established families. I am more concerned about visitors. One thought I had was to keep something in the hospitality area for visiting kids. It would have to be something that wouldn't go bad. Maybe a selection of prepackaged treats that were only for visitors? There could be both healthy and non-healthy things; stuff for little kids and for older kids. Then, when the parents picked up the kids, the teacher could, very intentionally, hand the parent a "coupon" for the treat and say something like, "It has been so nice to have Sally in class today! We would love for your family to join us in the cafe. There are opportunities to meet people, snacks & drinks for everyone, and this coupon entitles Sally to her choice of a special treat that we reserve just for kids here for their first time." (Something better worded, but that idea...) I just don't know if this would be too weird or too difficult to manage. |
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Post by Corissa on Jul 4, 2015 0:56:31 GMT
Another thought I had was to make sure we have some people from the Welcome Team stationed in the lobby as soon as the service ends to catch families (and couples, and singles for that matter) that are leaving without partaking of the Hospitality spread, and make sure they at least have a contact with someone before they go. I don't know if it would be feasible (or desirable) to put some snacks out there too, but that could also slow people down on their way out the door. Maybe even just a bucket of mints or hard candy. I know my kids love to stop and grab that kind of stuff when we leave restaurants. It might slow them down just enough to get caught in a conversation!
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Post by lauren on Jul 4, 2015 1:22:10 GMT
That is a really good question, and something for serious consideration. Does it make more sense to set up hospitality in the front foyer? If so, does that change needs with the kitchen/cafe setup? I agree that this is an important question, though I don't have any suggestions yet. All things considered, I don't think it's a good idea to set up hospitality in a shared space, and it's essential to have it all near the kitchen. |
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