Ho, ho, ho! Working in grotto management

When it comes to the world of grottos, Christmas is never far away. We spoke to Matthew Wise, director of a company which designs, manages and operates grottos in over 200 shopping centres, to find out more.

What does grotto management actually involve?
Great Grottos provides the staff, tools and expertise required to operate destination Christmas grottos to a professional standard. This involves staff, toys, costumes, online ticketing, insurance and photography. Paramount to this is the recruitment and training process. Our staff manage the grottos; our role is to support and direct them.

 How did you start your career in grottos?
Many years ago I was selling wrapped toys to a failing grotto. I  took over the management and turned things around.

What sort of roles operate on a year-round basis?
Our costume manager spends all year washing, folding and packing over 1,000 costumes. We’re our dry cleaner’s favourite customer. A team of eight people wrap presents for children continuously and their children visit to test out prospective toys. The office team plan how some very popular grottos will operate and speak to hundreds of staff constantly about their involvement in preparing to launch our grottos.

And what about seasonal staff?
We recruit for grotto managers, elves and santas. Adverts go live in July. Interviews are scheduled for September. And, training occurs through October and November. Any staff member who does a good job is automatically asked to return the next year. We’re looking for performance-based personalities who enjoy delivering excellent customer service.

Do you ever get fed up with Christmas?
We love Christmas. It’s our only day off.

Find out more

Great Grottos