CHANGES TO EVENT BOOKINGS

Now that we have been open for in store gaming again we are looking to make a few changes to allow us to keep offering a welcoming, safe environment for people to come and have fun in our space.

A lot of the changes are in our processes for simple things like how we keep the area clean and tidy, how we manage the terrain room and how we manage the space.

It is this last aspect that will have the most noticeable impact for our customers.

The biggest change is that starting Saturday, May 28th we are going to start charging a $5 booking fee to reserve a space in the store...

But, before we get in to how that will work, we wanted to reiterate our commitment too everyone who uses our space at the moment and assure you that gaming in the store will continue to be available free of charge!

The fee is only for booking space ahead of time, if you want to come in to the store for drop in gaming, there is absolutely no cost, on top of that, we are setting aside a large portion of the upper mezzanine for drop in gaming, this area will not be available to be reserved*, even if the rest of the store is fully booked, it will remain open for drop in gaming.

*Whilst we are committed to keeping space open for drop in gaming, occasionally we do run some fairly large events and so if the entire space is needed for a specific event, we may need to reserve that space too.

HOW IT WORKS

If you already reserve space for your weekly game of 40K, your D&D group, or you occasionally book for an epic game of Twilight Imperium, the system for booking is going to feel very familiar. You will still contact the store in the same way, the questions about what type of game you are playing, how many people, if you have a preferred area will all be the same, but you will be asked if you would like to pay by card over the phone, or pay in store when you come for your booking (We will also be implementing a new reward level where you can use your loyalty points for table reservations too!)

Then, when you arrive, the main till staff will check you in, take any outstanding payment and direct you to your table, which will be set up and have a reservation on it.

And it’s as simple as that!

FAQ

Hopefully these are some answers to questions that may come up, but if you have any other questions feel free to email us at events@sentrybox.com and our events team will get back to you with an answer.

Why are you starting to charge a fee, I never had to pay to play at the store in the past?

Over the last few years we have committed to making improvements to our event space, new flooring, adding a second washroom, upgrading the back room, custom built miniatures tables, Roll Mat storage, new lighting, new terrain, the list goes on.

Whilst we are obviously hopeful that this $5 fee will go towards off setting some of those costs, our primary motivation is to try to offer a better service to the people who reserve the space, and a more consistent expectation for people who don’t.

Cutting down on the number of reservations we get who don’t turn up, and allowing us time to set up the area in advance should make the booking process a better experience all around and actually adding a dedicated portion of the space that is only for drop in gaming will hopefully improve the drop in experience too.

I have been running a league for {insert you favorite game here} how much am I going to have to pay to reserve all of those tables?

If you are a community organizer and have been organizing games at the store, hopefully we have spoken to you in person already, if we missed you we would like to reaffirm our commitment to community building! The best thing to do is email events@sentrybox.com with details of what you would like to do any we will work with you to make sure that you and your community are fully supported!

If I make a reservation, choose to pay on arrival and the store is empty when I arrive do I still have to pay?

Yes, you are paying to guarantee the space, if the store is empty and it turns out you could have just dropped in to play, we appreciate it could be frustrating but we still ensured that that space was reserved for you. Honestly, we have no idea how popular reservations are going to be, or how busy we will be but we need to be consistent in our application.

Can I change my reservation, or get a refund?

If you need to amend your booking you need to contact events@sentrybox.com 24 hours in advance of your booking and we will work with you to find a space that works or issue a credit on to your customer account. We will not accept any changes or reservation on the day of your booking and it will be treated as a no show for your booking, repeated no shows may result in you no longer being able to book a space, so please do your best to reach out to us ahead of time.

How far can I book in advance/can I set up recurring bookings?

Booking through the store will be available up to two weeks in advance, if you think you need to reserve some space further in advance or set up a recurring booking, you should email events@sentrybox.com and our team will work with you to find something that works.

My D&D group uses two tables pushed together, do I have to pay twice?

No, whilst we would be assigning you what is technically two slots from our available reservation space, you are still only going to have to pay $5, its a little bit more admin work on our end, and it obviously costs us money, but we wanted to keep it consistent and we would much rather you were comfortable around two tables pushed together rather than all squeezed around one table to try to save $5.

How will this interact with Store Run Events, if I come in to play on Monday Night to play board games do I need to pay now?

No, nothing is changing for store run events, all that is happening is that the store will book out that space ahead of time so it will not be available for booking. Whilst there will be a slight change that if part of the space is not being utilized other groups may be able to book space or turn up for pick up games, other people will be allowed to either reserve it or use it for drop in gaming, we will not suddenly be charging for Monday Night Gaming or if we are hosting a demo event for example that will still be free to attend.

Some events do have entry fees, such as our monthly X-Wing tournament but all such events have that listed in their descriptions, if you have any questions on if something you see on our calendar is a paid event, please email us at events@sentrybox.com.