Department Store Santa and Grotto

Over the years we have developed some great relationships with large department stores across the UK and have worked with Daniel Department Store for over six years. They are based in Windsor and have a large grotto set-up, which gets bigger and more impressive year on year. We also have Santa’s that are requested each year by Daniel Store to work on their grotto, as they are fantastic performers.

Though in 2020 the Christmas season was a lot different to previous years, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which created new challenges for Envisage Agency and Daniel Store to conquer.

How did our Santa Agency overcome the new challenges?

As the government tier system was implemented across the country, it was imperative we understood the guidelines, as the safety of everyone involved is the highest importance, especially during a worldwide pandemic. We worked closely with Daniel Store, making sure that government guidelines were being followed, such as social distancing, hand sanitising stations and face-mask policies.

We also briefed the Santa’s on the new guidelines in addition to their regular briefing of what is required from them during there time at the store. This was important so that they new what the rules were and how to perform safely.

Meanwhile, we also improved the amount of Santa’s we had in reserve and other contingency plans, for the worst-case scenario’s such as one of the Santa’s becoming unavailable. This was important to the client so the grotto could carry on functioning and making Christmas special for all their guests.

To wrap it up…

Having a great relationship with Daniel Store made it even easier to liaise with them regarding the health and safety surrounding their event. In the end the event was cancelled on some of the planned dates, due to the tier 4 restrictions – though the dates that could run went smoothly, where they received fantastic feedback on their social media platforms. Santa was happy and safe behind his Perspex screen and still able to share the Christmas spirit.

If you would like to hire a professional Father Christmas performer for your store then give us a call or complete the contact form below.