What type of leisure complex is right for your project?
This is the very first question that arises when you want to open an indoor park and enter the entertainment industry: which concept should I choose? Often, there’s a tendency to copy what’s being done in the next town over. But as former operators with 30 years of experience, we’ll stop you right there: copy-pasting is a bad strategy.
The choice of your leisure complex should not be based on impulse, but on three undeniable criteria: your catchment area, the configuration of your building, and your budget.
Indoor Playground, Trampoline, or Hybrid Complex: Which project is right for your indoor park?
This is the very first question that arises when you want to enter the entertainment industry: which concept should I open? Often, there’s a tendency to copy what’s being done in the next town over. But as former operators with 30 years of experience, we’ll stop you right there: copy-pasting is a bad strategy.
The choice of your leisure complex should not be based on impulse, but on three undeniable criteria: your catchment area, the configuration of your building, and your budget.
To help you see things more clearly, here are the 3 main types of indoor parks. Which one matches your project?
1. The Tubular Indoor Playground (0-12 years): The Safe and Family-Friendly Bet
This is the historical model of indoor leisure. It features the famous multi-level structure, ball pits, giant slides, and a dedicated area for toddlers (the Toddler Area).
- Target Clientele: Young parents and primary school children.
- Business Model: This is the cash machine on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. The core of your profitability will rely on one specific point: birthday packages. A well-managed indoor playground can host dozens of birthdays every weekend.
- Ideal Location: No need for a gigantic warehouse. A good indoor playground can operate very well from 600 or 800 m², provided it has a ceiling height of at least 4 to 5 meters to utilize verticality.
2. The Trampoline Park and Ninja Course: To Capture Teenagers
If your market study shows that there are already three children’s indoor playgrounds in your area, you need to change your target. The Trampoline Park is the perfect activity to attract pre-teens, teenagers, and even young adults.
- Target Clientele: 10-25 year olds, students, and businesses during the week.
- Business Model: The ticket price is generally higher than for a classic playground. You also generate mandatory additional sales (the famous anti-slip socks). With an older age group, the snack area performs very well.
- Ideal Location: Here, regulations are strict. You absolutely need a building with a very high clear height (minimum 5 meters above the jumping mats) to ensure the safety of jumpers, and a sufficiently large footprint to space out activity zones (Airbag, Dodgeball, Ninja).
3. The Multi-Activity Complex (The Hybrid Model): The Steamroller
This is the big current trend. It’s called the FEC (Family Entertainment Center). The concept? Combining a children’s area, a trampoline space, augmented reality (like ValoJump), interactive climbing, and sometimes even a laser tag or bowling, all under one roof.
- Target Clientele: Absolutely everyone. Parents no longer just watch their children play; they participate.
- Business Model: This is the heaviest initial investment, but it’s also the one that yields the most. Why? Because you extend the length of stay. Instead of staying 1.5 hours, a family will spend the entire afternoon with you. The average basket explodes, and you crush local competition with the diversity of your offering.
- Ideal Location: You need to think big. These projects require buildings of 1500, 2000 m² or more, often located in large commercial areas.
What if the building dictated the type of indoor park to open?
This is often the reality on the ground. You’ve found the perfect warehouse, superbly located, with very attractive rent… but the ceiling is only 3 meters high. In this case, forget trampolines and large jumping towers. The trick is to adapt to the premises: we’ll go for a timed Ninja Course concept, interactive floor tiles, or a large early learning space for 0-3 year olds, which require much less height.
👉 Have you identified the model that suits you? Or, on the contrary, do you have a building and don’t know how to optimize it best? Contact the Play In Business design office. We will analyze your plans and budget to propose the most profitable concept.
