TEAM TALK: OCTOBER 2025
🎃👻 October might be spooky season for some, but for us? It’s full-on Santa season! ✨
Elf Training has been reimagined —our magical Elves will be learning how to sprinkle joy, wrangle ultimate keepsakes, and ensure the Christmas sparkle is shining bright on set, always.
At the same time, we’re chasing down the last of our Santa Characters (because what’s Christmas without the Big Man in Red?). The countdown is on—shopping centres are decking their halls, and our teams are making sure every sleigh bell is polished and ready.
This month is all about energy, excitement, and pulling together those final threads so the Christmas magic is seamless for every family who walks through our sets. We’re almost there—let’s make October the month where all the magic clicks into place. 🌟
🎅🏼🎄 😉✨
With sparkle,
Jackie & Shae – the Newsletter Team
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS🎄
SANTA RECRUITMENT
We Need More Jolly Gentlemen! 🎅
The holiday season is in full swing, and while the sleigh bells are ringing and the elves are busy, we still have one important mission left: finding more Santas to spread the Christmas cheer!
Our sets are filling quickly, but to make sure every child gets the magical experience they deserve, we need more warm, joyful, twinkly-eyed Santas to join our team this season.
✨ Here’s where we need extra Christmas magic:
- Gold Coast & Mackay (QLD)
- NSW
- Geelong & Ballarat (VIC)
- Auckland, NZ
Do you know someone who has the spirit, patience, and sparkle to step into the big red suit? Whether it’s a friend, family member, or colleague, if they’ve got the “Ho Ho Ho” in their heart, we want to meet them!
💰 Sweet Bonus for You: If you refer a Santa and we end up hiring him, you’ll receive a $50 referral bonus as our way of saying thank you.
👉 Simply click the link below to share his details and help us create even more Christmas magic this year.
Let’s make sure every child leaves with a smile, a memory, and a little holiday wonder. Together, we can keep the magic alive! 🎄✨
A MAGICAL MAKEOVER
✨Introducing Our New Uniforms! ✨
This season, we are stepping into the workshop in style! The familiar red STB polo shirts have officially been retired, and in their place comes something brand new, playful, and perfectly on theme: Elf aprons!
These aprons were lovingly designed by our incredible Account Manager Prue Hickling, with the full support and creativity of the Head Office team. Together, we dreamed up a look that reflects the spirit of the season while keeping comfort and practicality in mind. The result is a uniform that helps every Elf feel part of something truly magical.
The design captures the essence of holiday cheer while making sure our team shines just as brightly as the twinkling lights around Santa’s set. From the festive green color to the elf-inspired belt detail, every element has been chosen to spark joy for both Elves and Visitors alike.
✨ Take a look at the new Elf aprons!
We cannot wait to see Elves across the country wearing these aprons with pride as we work together to create unforgettable moments for every Visitor.
MAGICAL MILESTONES
At STB, we believe in celebrating the dedication, hard work, and passion of our incredible team members. Each month, we will be highlighting staff who have reached key anniversaries in their magical journies with us. Whether it’s one year, five years, or ten years, these milestones are a testament to the commitment and talent that drive our community forward.
This month, we are thrilled to recognise and show the Santa love to:
🌟Jessica Chen (Graphics Team) – 1 Year
🌟Cassandra Song (Graphics Team) – 1 Year
🌟Regina Yuan (Event & Grad Manager) – 1 Year
🌟Deanna Jeria (Magic Desk, stepping into Lead role) – 1 Year
Please join us in congratulating our amazing colleagues for their contributions and for making our workplace stronger, more creative, and more vibrant. We look forward to many more years of working together! 🎉
NEW SET DESIGNS
This Christmas, we’re unwrapping something truly magical! Our sets are getting a fresh new look, designed to immerse our Visitors in wonder from the moment they arrive.
Recently, our very own QLD Account Manager, Jackie, had the exciting opportunity to fly down to Sydney and visit the Chas Clarkson Warehouse, where the team is hard at work bringing the brand-new QIC set for Robina to life. Jackie was thrilled to be part of the conversations and decision-making for this build, ensuring every detail is crafted with our Visitors’ experience in mind.
✨ What makes this set extra special?
It will feature a walk-through adventure through Santa’s magical forest, creating a journey filled with enchantment before Visitors even reach Santa’s chair. To top it off, Santa himself made a special appearance, shooting promotional images and videos to help announce the new design to the public. Thank you, Santa Peter, for bringing even more sparkle to this exciting project!
And Robina isn’t the only location getting a festive upgrade…
🌟 Special shout-out to the following centres also welcoming new set designs this Christmas:
- Hervey Bay
- North Lakes
- Ocean Keys
- Midland Gate
- Belmonth Forum
- Casula
- Airport West
- Highpoint
- Point Cook
- Bendigo Market Place
- Northland
We can’t wait to see these new designs come to life and to share the joy with every Visitor who steps into our winter wonderlands.
ELF TRAINING REIMAGINED
Well, well, well… something magical is brewing! ✨
Big changes are here and they’re all part of our brand-new Scene to Believe’s Magic: Elf On-Set Training sessions!
Our long-standing Account Managers, Prue and Shae, have poured an incredible amount of time, creativity, and dedication into developing a fresh and engaging Elf On-Set Training workflow.
They’ve crafted a visually dynamic PowerPoint presentation, complete with interactive, hands-on activities that give all staff a chance to actively participate and connect with the material. To make sure everyone feels supported, they’ve also included clear instructions and detailed notes to cater to all learning styles — whether you’re a visual learner, hands-on participant, or someone who prefers to read through step-by-step guides.
This isn’t just training — it’s an immersive experience designed to ensure everyone feels confident, prepared, and inspired to bring the magic to life for every visitor.
We can’t wait to see all our Chief Elves deliver this training with confidence, clarity, and excitement, helping to bring our values to life across every set and every interaction.
Let’s get excited and embrace the magic together! 🎄
WELCOMING OUR WONDERFUL AREA MANAGERS
This week, we have the absolute joy of welcoming our incredible Area Managers from across Australia and New Zealand to Sydney for a week-long immersion into all things magical training, meaningful, and merry as we prepare for the season ahead.
Our talented and passionate Account Managers have poured their hearts into curating a training experience that’s not only informative and interactive but also filled with the festive wonder that defines everything we do during this special time of year. From hands-on equipment and exciting content sessions to laughter-filled team activities, every moment has been crafted to empower our Area Managers as they get ready to lead and support their regions with confidence and Christmas cheer.
Stepping into our training room has been like stepping into a holiday dream — a gingerbread house-themed wonderland brought to life with blow up characters, sweet decorations, and heartwarming touches that instantly spark the magic of the season. The delighted smiles, surprised gasps and joyful energy has been the true gift of the week so far, as we unveil all the new updates and training improvements.
There’s something truly special about coming together in person, sharing stories, learning together, and, building the bonds that will carry us through the busy weeks to come. This training isn’t just about information; it’s about setting the tone and company values for a joyful season of teamwork and transformation.
To all our Area Managers — congratulations on the incredible start to your training week! Your passion, enthusiasm, and dedication are already shining through, and we can’t wait to see the ripple effect of your leadership across the country.
Here’s to a season filled with sparkle, success, and a little bit of Santa magic.
MARKETING MAGIC
12 weeks till Christmas 👀
That’s right, with only 12 weeks left until Christmas, the Marketing Team is neck deep in booking sites, microsites and email communication planning – making sure we are ready for Santa’s big arrival.
A big shout-out to the dynamo design duo, Jess and Cass, for all their hard work in this space.
Shout out to Suzy too the maestro behind-the-scenes making great progress with City of Sydney in the planning for Martin Place, as well as designing a new look for Santa in the Gardens. When the Santa hat is off, Suzy puts on her trencher and has been the driving force in getting all our Graduation portals ready for the upcoming graduation events, kicking off on 1st November.
We also recently expanded, adding a new team member – Holly Mahoney.
Holly joins the Marketing Team as our Media & Content Lead. She is your go-to girl for social media, PR and website content. Holly has plunged right in, leading our social media strategy and building an engaging content plan for socials and our website, including supporting Viviana with her Santa recruitment campaigns, beginning a ‘Behind the Beard’ blog series on our Santa Characters and building dedicated Graduation social channels coming soon!
As we move into the busy season, everyone in the business must have an open line of communication with Holly. If you have stories, successes, photos or videos, she wants to know about them!
We need to celebrate what we do as a team so we can generate new business and help find more legends like yourselves to keep the show running smoothly.
CALLING ALL ELVES
Share Staff Stories from the Set!
We know the magic doesn’t just happen — it’s you, our elves — who make it sparkle. 🌟
Snapped a great photo of Santa or fellow Elves? Filmed a little behind-the-scenes fun of your team? Got a heart-warming story from the set? We’d love to see it!
📸 Here’s how to share your Elf highlights:
- Photographs of staff on set via the set camera for high quality images.
- Reels, Stories & posts of staff: Always Tag or Add mention @scenetobelieve
- For bigger stories (& files!): Upload your raw footage or photos etc directly from your device to the Elf Share Form. you’ll be prompted for your name, location and a note about what makes the moment special.
Guidelines:
✅ Do use the set camera to take photos of staff (without visitors).
Week 1 is an ideal time to capture these team photographs before the bookings get busier!
✅ Do share magical team moments of staff – Santa & his Elves, by DM, Social, or Elf Form.
If posting:
✅ Always tag @scenetobelieve so we can see (and share) your magic! ✨
✅ Do use one or more of these hashtags:
- #SceneToBelieve
- #SantaScene
- #ElvesInAction (or #ElfMischief )
✅ Do follow the guidelines in our Social Media Policy
🚫 Do not share photos or videos of our Santa Visitors on Social Media.
We’re all about the magic — so follow the guidelines and let’s fill our feeds (and newsletters) with the joy you create every day, because no one tells the Christmas story better than our Elves. 🎄
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HQ
🌟 Steering the Sleigh – Latest HQ News 🌟
✨ Week 2 Area Manager Training has officially launched! Our Area Managers have come together in Sydney to continue their development and prepare for the exciting next steps ahead.
🤗 Our first round of booking sites are live — and we’re already seeing bookings roll in!
⚙️Systems in place to steady the sleigh — step by step, both Odoo and Tanda are gaining momentum and expanding every day.
🎅Second Santa visit this season at HQ!
Santa Andre swung by the Elf On Set Training to lend a hand! You may spy him in the sessions coming soon! And a few extra images for our library too sneak peek pictured here.
👉 Be sure to follow and share the sleigh ride @scenetobelieve
via Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn!
UNTIL NEXT TIME DREAM TEAM
✨ We hope today’s edition added a bright spark to your world.
We’ll be twinkling back your way soon! 🌟
— Warm smiles from HQ
