If you operate an attraction, family entertainment center (FEC), or theme park, revenue management could be your secret weapon for unlocking higher profits, without raising prices across the board. While this strategy has long been used in the hotel and airline industries, it’s increasingly proving valuable in the attractions space.
Why? Because every guest visit represents an opportunity not just to drive revenue, but to do it more efficiently. With the right revenue management strategy, you can sell the right ticket, at the right price, to the right guest, at the right time.
In this article, we’ll break down what revenue management really means for attractions, explore practical pricing and upselling strategies, and share real-world examples of how top venues are boosting profitability.
What is revenue management?
Revenue management is the practice of using data to make informed pricing and product decisions. For attractions, that means analyzing demand, forecasting trends, and adjusting prices or offerings to maximize profitability.
At its core, revenue management is about balance. You’re not just trying to sell more tickets, you’re aiming to sell them more strategically. That includes pricing tickets based on demand, bundling experiences, rewarding loyalty, and using real-time data to improve guest spend without compromising the experience.
Read more: Revenue vs Profit: Are You Really Running a Profitable Venue?
Revenue management strategies for attractions
Let’s look at four of the most effective revenue management tactics that any venue can implement, from small indoor play centers to large-scale amusement parks.
1. Demand-based pricing
Demand-based pricing means adjusting your ticket prices based on factors like the day of the week, seasonality, or booking demand.
Example: A water park charges higher prices on weekends and public holidays when demand is highest, while offering lower rates during off-peak days.
How to implement demand-based pricing:
- Use historical data to identify your peak periods and set pricing tiers accordingly.
- Offer early bird discounts to encourage advance bookings.
Increase prices gradually as demand rises for a particular date.
Read more: Dynamic, Variable and Static Pricing: What’s Best for the Attractions Industry?
2. Time-based pricing
This strategy adjusts prices based on the time of day. It's especially useful for maximizing underutilized hours and balancing guest traffic.
Example: A trampoline park offers discounted sessions in the early morning when attendance is typically lower.
How to implement time-based pricing:
- Introduce “twilight” tickets with lower entry costs for guests who arrive later in the day.
- Offer off-peak pricing during weekday hours to drive traffic outside of busy weekends.
Read next: Ticket Pricing Strategies: How to Drive Revenue and Keep Guests Coming Back
3. Inventory control: Optimize ticket availability and capacity
Managing inventory (how many tickets are available and when) is a crucial part of revenue management. Limiting or expanding availability based on demand helps control guest flow, avoid overcapacity issues, and create urgency.
Example: A climbing center caps weekend group bookings at certain times to preserve guest experience and encourage early bookings.
How to implement inventory control:
- Use your venue management software to set capacity limits for different time slots or experiences.
- Create scarcity by capping inventory for high-demand sessions, encouraging early purchases.
- Allocate a portion of tickets to last-minute buyers at a premium price.
- Adjust available tickets in real time based on weather, staffing, or guest flow patterns.
Controlling ticket inventory not only helps protect your guest experience—it’s also a powerful lever for boosting per-head spend and managing operational efficiency.
4. Upselling and bundling tickets with experiences
Rather than just selling a basic ticket, create packages that include add-ons like food, merchandise, or exclusive experiences. Bundling encourages guests to spend more while feeling like they’re getting added value.
Example: A go-kart venue offers a “Racer’s Package” that includes extra laps, an arcade card, and a drink.
How to implement upsells and bundles:
- Create family passes with built-in savings on tickets, meals, and more.
- Offer fast passes, meal deals, or birthday bundles that increase average spend.
- Train staff to offer strategic upsells during booking or check-in.
Read more: Maximize Revenue with Smart Upselling: A Comprehensive Guide for Attraction Venues
5. Membership and subscription models
Encouraging repeat visits is a great way to boost lifetime value. Memberships or subscriptions provide recurring revenue and incentivize loyalty.
Example: A theme park introduces a monthly membership offering unlimited weekday visits and discounts on food and retail.
How to implement memberships and subscriptions:
- Offer annual or seasonal passes with exclusive member perks.
- Create tiered loyalty programs with rewards for frequent visitors.
- Promote limited-time offers for memberships during peak booking periods.
Read more: 10 Membership Benefits Ideas To Attract and Retain More Members
How attractions can optimize revenue using data and technology
Venue management software
Optimizing revenue isn’t just about driving more ticket sales, it’s about making smarter, data-informed decisions at every stage of the guest journey. That’s where the right venue management platform can make all the difference.
A comprehensive solution like ROLLER brings together all the tools you need to run your business efficiently, deliver exceptional guest experiences, and uncover new revenue opportunities, all in one centralized system.
Here’s how:
- Online bookings: Let guests easily book tickets, parties, and memberships from any device, increasing conversions and reducing reliance on phone or in-person reservations.
- Point of sale: Streamline operations with a fast, intuitive POS that supports upselling, minimizes wait times, and speeds up food and beverage transactions.
- Memberships: Unlock recurring revenue and improve guest retention with flexible membership options and rewards programs.
- Guest surveys: Collect real-time feedback through automated post-visit surveys to identify service gaps, enhance satisfaction, and drive return visits.
- Analytics: Access easy-to-understand dashboards with data on sales, attendance, and guest behavior to identify trends, improve performance, and optimize pricing strategies.
- Multi-venue management: For operators with multiple locations, ROLLER enables centralized control and reporting, ensuring consistency while scaling efficiently.
By harnessing the power of data and automation, attractions can create more personalized, efficient, and profitable guest experiences.
Use AI and predictive analytics
Smart analytics can help you respond to guest behavior and external factors in real time.
Example: An amusement park uses AI to adjust prices based on attendance numbers and upcoming weather forecasts, maximizing bookings while balancing capacity.
Predictive tools can also flag high-demand days well in advance, allowing you to increase prices, staff accordingly, or promote premium experiences.
Track and optimize guest spend patterns
Understanding how different guest segments behave helps you create more targeted offers.
Use data to:
- Identify your highest-value visitors and offer tailored packages.
- Track which add-ons or bundles perform best at different times of year.
- Send personalized follow-ups to guests based on past purchases or interests.
Read next: Your Guide to Boosting Revenue through Data-Driven Decisions
Real world examples
These venues are leading the way when it comes to implementing smart revenue strategies including leveraging upsells, flexible pricing, and guest experience technology to boost profitability and streamline operations.
Battle House Laser Tag: Boosting average cart size with online upsells
Battle House Laser Tag, dramatically increased its average cart value by integrating upsells directly into its online checkout flow using ROLLER. Guests can now pre-select premium upgrades like advanced laser guns during booking, which has helped the venue reduce confusion, speed up pre-arrival processing, and increase revenue before guests even walk through the door.
Read more in the full case study.
SkyWheel: 50% increase in online sales through smarter checkout
SkyWheel saw a 50% increase in online sales after switching to ROLLER’s progressive checkout. With a more intuitive, date-led booking experience, SkyWheel was able to streamline purchases for high-demand, time-based experiences like sunrise flights.
They also introduced photo package add-ons to their checkout, boosting average order value and giving guests a convenient way to personalize their visit.
Read the full case study for more information about how they did it.
Airborne Trampoline Park: $1M+ in additional food & beverage revenue
Airborne Trampoline Park transformed its operations using ROLLER, particularly when it comes to food and beverage sales. By adding QR code ordering and integrating orders with a kitchen display system, they streamlined service and reduced staffing costs. This strategy alone contributed to over $1 million in annual F&B revenue.
They also used data from ROLLER Analytics to identify slow weekday mornings and launched a discounted “Toddler Time” package, successfully boosting sales during that low-traffic period.
Read the full story for more details.
Conclusion
Revenue management isn’t just about raising prices, it’s about making smarter pricing decisions that align with guest demand and business goals. By using a combination of strategic pricing, bundling, memberships, and technology, you can increase revenue while delivering a better experience for your guests.
With tools like ROLLER, it’s easier than ever to implement these strategies and gain full visibility into what’s working, so you can focus on growth, not guesswork.
Ready to take your revenue strategy to the next level? Book a demo to see how ROLLER can help.
Frequently asked questions about revenue management
What is revenue management for attractions?
Revenue management is the practice of using data and pricing strategies to maximize how much money a venue earns. It involves adjusting prices based on demand, time of day, or guest behavior to ensure you’re selling the right ticket, at the right price, to the right guest, at the right time. Just like hotels or airlines, attractions can use revenue management to fill more spots and generate more revenue from every guest.
How do theme parks use dynamic pricing?
Some theme parks use dynamic pricing to adjust ticket prices based on real-time factors like demand, weather, or competitor pricing. This strategy, similar to what airlines and hotels use, helps maximize revenue by increasing prices when demand is high and lowering them when it's low.
However, true dynamic pricing, where prices change frequently based on live data, is less common in attractions. Many parks actually use variable pricing, where prices are set in advance based on predictable factors like the day of the week, season, or time of day. While dynamic pricing can be effective, it requires clear communication with guests to avoid confusion or frustration over fluctuating prices.
Want to understand the difference? Read our full guide on dynamic, variable, and static pricing for attractions.
What are the benefits of revenue management for leisure venues?
The benefits of revenue management for leisure venues include increased profits, better crowd control, and improved guest satisfaction. By adjusting pricing based on demand, venues can make more money during busy times and attract more guests during slower periods. It also helps operators make smarter decisions about staffing, promotions, and ticket availability—all while giving guests more flexible pricing options.
How can attractions increase guest spending?
Attractions can increase guest spending by offering upsells, bundles, and exclusive experiences that add value to a guest’s visit. This could include food and drink packages, fast passes, VIP access, or merchandise add-ons. Many attractions also boost spend by using smart checkout systems that suggest upgrades at the time of booking—making it easy for guests to choose options they may not have considered otherwise.
What software helps attractions with revenue management?
Attractions use venue management software like ROLLER to help with revenue management. This kind of software can track guest behavior, analyze sales patterns, automate pricing changes, and create promotions that respond to real-time demand. It also helps manage upsells, ticket bundles, and memberships—all in one place—making it easier for teams to increase revenue while improving the guest experience.
