I went to the Zoo and saw some penguins, a monkey and Santa…

We have worked with some wonderful and interesting clients over the years and working with a local Zoo is a definite a highlight of ours. Situated in Atherstone, Twycross Zoo is home to a menagerie of animals, from big and small mammals, invertebrates, and primates – it has also for the last few Christmas seasons been home to Santa David.

The award-winning conservation site also has an award-winning Education Department that host a Winter Wonderland spectacular with a sack full of fun and magic. You can see Santa feeding penguins, dancing with Elves around Mrs Claus’s kitchen and singing along with the donkeys.

How did we find the right Santa for a Zoo?

When booking with us, the client attached their requirements and specifications on what kind of Santa they were looking to book on to their event. This included an authentic, real bearded, outgoing, and confident Santa.

The Santa department opened castings to start their search for the perfect Santa who fit the brief and were available for the requested dates. We know each Santa that works with us on a personal level, so this helps us choose applicants to present to the client for selection purposes. The client selected Santa David, who is well established actor and Santa having worked with us for over 6 years. He has featured in roles such as BBC’s Peaky Blinders and each year grows his impressive white real beard for his role as Santa (now that’s dedication!).

We booked David on to the event, providing him with a full brief so he knew exactly what was required of him, this included scheduling and activity details. We arranged a training day for David to attend, so he had chance to meet the team and walk around the event to gather his bearings.

The day started with ‘Breakfast with Santa’, this was held inside Mrs Claus’ kitchen with the little helpers. Once everyone finished their plates, it was then time to feed the penguins and walk with the Donkeys. At the end of the day, and after all the fun it was time for ‘Dinner with Santa’ and which provided Santa great opportunity to hand out presents to all of the guests.

How well did Santa and the team do?

The client was very impressed with the service provided, from quote stage to the performance by Santa. They received fantastic reviews and feedback from their event, resulting in them booking Santa for next year already!