Changes planned for annual Mini Monster Bash event

Helping ensure popular event is enjoyed by everyone

By

November 1, 2011

With approximately 500 people attending the City of Spruce Grove’s annual Mini Monster Bash this past weekend, changes are already being planned for next year to help accommodate the high turnout and ensure this popular event can be enjoyed by everyone who wants to participate.

This year the number of people who showed up at the Mini Monster Bash exceeded the capacity of the Elks Hall and unfortunately this meant some people were unable to go through the 12 activity stations.

“We apologize that people had to wait in long line ups or eventually didn’t get into the venue,” said Tim Duhamel, General Manager of Community and Protective Services. “We are going to review the event and determine how we can better manage it in the future.”

The City’s priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants, so organizers closely watched the number of people to ensure the capacity at the Elks Hall was not exceeded and the event complied with fire code regulations.

Organizers will now go back and determine how this event can be better managed in the future. Some of the options may be to change the venue or format of the event.

This is not the first time the City has made changes to the event to help it run more smoothly. At last year’s Mini Monster Bash, people had a difficult time maneuvering through the activity stations, so this year’s format involved team leaders who helped lead groups of children through each station.

“We are continually looking for ways to improve this event,” said Duhamel. “We are certainly going to learn from what happened this year and look at how we can improve Mini Monster Bash for next year.”

The City’s Halloween event was previously held at the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre on Halloween night. Due to declining attendance numbers, three big changes were made to the event in 2010 – a new name, a new format and a new venue. Once these changes were introduced, attendance numbers have increased each year.