Ahoy there! Pirate ship sets sail at Tickety-Boo

I started working with Tickety-Boo in 2016 – the coffee shop and play kingdom opened in August with a successful launch event. Even then there was talk of a second section in the play kingdom, as there was space at the rear of the building.

Fast forward to 2017 – as a venture, Tickety-Boo has become a great success. This had led to a bronze award win at the Devon Tourism Awards.

The need to extend the play area, add more seating and create rear access to the play area became pressing. So it was all hands on deck (literally) to make a pirate ship, and fit out the area. I peeked in from time to time to watch progress; the boat being built, the walls being painted, the carpet going in. All the time mentioning the need for a launch event.

This week I had a phone call from Stuart, the owner of Tickety-Boo. With the onset of the Christmas holidays, he had decided to open the new section as it was ready. In the event, there was no time for a launch. But we had to do something to officially open it. So I drove to Ottery St Mary to take photos, borrowed some children (with the permission of their mum) and persuaded Stuart  to pose in the ship. Sadly I didn’t have time to get him a pirate hat!

The photos went straight up on Tickety-Boo’s Facebook page and immediately the likes, shares and comments started mounting up (there are currently over 200 likes on that post). Customers had been aware that the extension was being worked on, and word spread fast. Perfect timing for the Christmas holidays. In the end, a soft launch did the job just fine.

Facebook

Facebook has proved a really successful platform for Tickety-Boo. The Facebook community is edging towards 2,000 with no hard push or adverts, just relevant content including competitions and menu updates. The community is very engaged, making comments, tagging people and sharing posts. Comments are almost always positive, and reviews always good, with a 4.9 rating. Tickety-Boo doesn’t need hard sell, its success is down to a combination of hard work, customer service and a real commitment to the local community.

Go check out the pirate ship if you have little ones. It’s a beautiful thing (and the cakes are amazing!).