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The indoor play and Family entertainment market is a great industry to be considering. Over the past 40 years or so, as children’s and parents’ needs have changed, so have the facilities that they are using.
From the small local play centre to the large multi-use family entertainment centre (FEC), never has the industry had so much choice for both the perspective operators and the visitors they are looking to attract.
Offering
Initially, the most important thing to consider is what you are planning to offer. This could be a children’s play centre with party facilities and a café, or a slightly larger project could include some add-on attractions such as climbing walls for older children, a high ropes course or an electric cart track.
Larger still, an FEC which may include all the above, and a trampoline park or skyrider, indoor mini golf and more. Regardless of what you are going to provide your customers, it always pays to do your homework and complete the various background tasks, such as your market research and prepare your business plan.
A business plan can be as basic or detailed as you need it to be. You may need one to arrange finance/funding. You may be asked some basic questions by the owner of the building that you are trying to rent, or the licensing office.
In any case, it is a useful thing to keep working on as the business develops. You can refer to it at any time and compare the numbers that your business is generating, to the ones you had predicted and then make any adjustments to keep things healthy.
Building
Once you have a good idea of what you are going to offer, you can start the search of the right building. In some cases, you may find the building first and then plan your business around it. Be flexible and open minded about the building, location is very important, but so is cost also.
Getting the best deal on the property is crucial to the future of your business, but a slightly higher property cost, can sometimes make a huge difference to the location of the site, and ultimately to the customer footfall.
Be sure to do your market research and check out local competition. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that people are already using this type of business locally.
You can always add some new and interesting features to give you some points of difference.
Engaging with a trusted advisor on the layout of your building will be one of the major deciding factors on the businesses operational and financial success.
So, whether this advisor is a local Engineer/Architect, or an equipment supplier be sure they have the relevant experience both in terms of knowledge of the industry and local building standards. It may be that you require a team of people to get the correct solution for your business.
Equipment Supply
One of the most important parts of the project will be the supply partner that you choose to help build the business. The design of your facility and the equipment required for your attraction is one of the most exciting parts of the journey.
You should choose a supplier that best fits your needs. If you have an indoor children’s play centre project and want it to stand out and have that wow factor, choose a supplier that has something different to offer, rather than the standard basic looking equipment.
If you need help with layout and business planning, ask your supplier, they should have information available to guide you in this. If you have a large FEC project with multiple events, choose a supplier with experience in bringing together large concepts, do not be afraid to ask for examples of where they have done this before.
Always ensure you buy the best quality equipment you can afford; this could save you money in the not-too-distant future. The cheapest equipment will likely cost you more to maintain as the equipment gets used. As with the building, sometimes a little more spent upfront can bring you better returns in the long term.
As well as your local suppliers, be sure to look at international equipment suppliers. They will have experience in other markets and may be able to give you that point of difference that will set you apart. With international trade becoming easier, many companies have gained great experience in managing the shipping and duties to offer a tailored product that may not be anywhere near as expensive as you thought.
If you have any questions, or need more information, feel free to contact on play@spiglobalplay.com, We will be more than happy to help.