indoor play magazine - issue 37

Catch up withplay’s latest high rollers

Issue 37 | February/March 2016

Jellybugs, tramps and cafés point the way forward for indoor sector

The magazinefor the indoorplay sector

www.indoorplaymagazine.co.uk

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A jump into the unknown for play One of the joyous parts of having an issue every two months is that we can be at various times both the first and the last to wish our readers a Happy New Year. I may be six weeks late by the time you read this, but I hope your business achieves everything you desire for it in 2016 and indeed that it has already begun to deliver.

We’ve had a very busy start to the year, having already launched Early Years Childcarer, another sister publication to Indoor Play, to our legion of readers in that sector. And, of course, we have been putting another fine issue together for you, as well as attending the Visitor Attraction Expo in London.

Most of the people Kathy and I spoke to there seemed to be in a pretty good frame of mind, believing the sector is in decent shape for the coming months. The suppliers into the indoor-play arena are seeing customer orders at good levels – always a good sign.

One of the seminars laid on by the FEC sub-group of BALPPA at ExCel London looked extensively at what many readers no doubt see as the key competitive force in the marketplace right now. There has been a veritable splurge of indoor trampoline park openings in recent months, described as “explosive” by Peter Brown of IATP. He forecast that another 70 will open in the UK in 2016 – an incredible rate of growth by anyone’s estimation.

Brown also points out on pages 24-26 that compared with soft play, the likelihood of injury is far higher at the tramp venues. We have to hope that the plethora of operators who have spotted the financial opportunity in trampoline parks are scrupulous enough to ensure that they don’t become the next media accident waiting to happen.

Tommy Leighton(Editor)

4 NewsFECs to take on Europe… Giddy heights for lazers… Catz to the power of four… Keep experience in mind… Rides specialist goes radio gaga… Personal party touch… Bears on the climb… Why to comply

10 Breaking the mould From time to time, a real game changer comes along, and the various projects of the tireless Paula Dixon at Jellybugs have all the makings of being just that

18 Now there’s an iDEADevelopers of the new on-demand on-screen UK fitness service for children describe it as Netflix for the leisure sector – how could it add to your business?

22 Understanding the spectrumAutistic Alex Lowery explained to a seminar audience at VAE about the various ways in which children on the autistic spectrum process the world

24 Bouncing aroundTrampoline parks are undoubtedly the new bouncing baby on the block of indoor play, but another VAE seminar suggested safety could be the major obstacle to success

36 Meet the teamMorton Michel has strengthened its indoor-play team with the recruitment of Stephen Devitt

38 Airside animation set to flyAirside Andy, a multi-platform preschool series that follows a lively team of ground-based airport vehicles and their enthusiastic leader Andy, includes an innovative soft-play element that could translate well in centres across the UK

28 Accreditation for activities The recently formed Children’s Activities Association has now begun to roll out the first independent accreditation for all children’s activities in the UK

32 What next for play cafés?Play cafés have boomed across the UK in the last few years, often in an undefined and unmeasured way. But what are the keys to success and failure? We ask operators

42 Social marketingMost of us are at it, but are we really getting the most out of social media?

Editor: Tommy Leighton (07773 428 325)email: [email protected]

Journalist: Kathy Hammond (020 8211 4666)email: [email protected]

Head of Marketing: Natasha Fea (020 8603 0936)email: [email protected]

Advertising: Claire Eccleshall (020 8603 0929)email: [email protected]

Subscriptions: Rebecca Moore (020 8603 0946)email: [email protected]

Contributor: Tony Leighton

Views and comments expressed by individuals in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publishers and no legal responsibility can be accepted for the results of the use of readers information or advice of whatever kind given in

this publication, either in editorial or advertisements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permission of Indoor Play Magazine.

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“We have never really had FECs in Europe before,” said Williams, who is director of out-of-home leisure entertainment consultancy KWP Ltd. “There have been theme parks, indoor-play centres and amusements, but the intended audience of the arcades is now being hijacked by the gaming industry… The way forward for the industry will be to go for a more family-entertainment-centre mix.”

In order to thrive in this climate, traditional indoor-play businesses will need to embrace the digital world, added Williams who is also founder and organiser of the Digital

Out-of-Home Entertainment Network Association (DNA). “Indoor-play businesses will have to diversify their offer and they will have to add digital to their mix,” he said. “For some this will be in the form of smarter electronic business payment systems or in their entertainment offering.”

Williams also suggests that operators need to get back to their entertainment roots and latch onto the ‘kidtainment’ trend. “Fundamentally, [the sector] is meant to be about entertainment,” said the former Disney Imagineer. “And to move forward, businesses need to rediscover their focus on entertainment.”

This is the year of the European FEC 2016 will be the year of the European family-entertainment centre (FEC), according to sector analyst and digital out-of home specialist Kevin Williams.

Lazers don’t faze Giddy KippersLancashire play and party centre Giddy Kippers, which will mark its 10th anniversary in July this year, has installed an innovative US-themed laser arena – Lazer Fazer.

Nicola Nuttall, who owns the centre in Nelson, turned to Play Fitters and Zone Laser for the installation and equipment and came up with the idea for the design herself. “I wanted a New York apocalypse theme to make something that girls would enjoy as much as boys,” she said. “I thought it would be more inclusive and so the design incorporates the Statue of Liberty, yellow cabs and Brooklyn Bridge.”

The mezzanine level also features an American-style diner with an Italian pizza oven and a separate offer of “more grown-up” food.

Entry to Lazer Fazer and Giddy Kippers are separate so customers can either pay to enter each attraction separately

or pay a combination entry fee to access both.

The arena is equipped with 20 laser guns and group and party bookings are already ramping up. “We have had a Scout group of 60 here, divided into three and identified by different coloured stickers so that while one group is eating, one is playing downstairs and one is in Lazer Fazer,” said Nuttall.

The centre prides itself on its food and party offering and has three distinctly themed party rooms – spooky, disco and blue sea. It has already hosted more than 10,000 birthday parties since its opening in 2006. “We run nine parties each day at the weekend and can run up to three on weekday evenings,” says Nuttall. “We are always busy!”

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Cool 4 Catz in Nappy Valley

Delve into experience economy A new data-monitoring tool is being launched in the UK to help family-entertainment centre operators understand their customers better and so enhance their marketing.

FEC Monitor has been developed by Dynamic Concepts UK Ltd founder Mark De Ruiter. “Get inside the mind of those experiencing your product,” said De Ruiter. “Understand what they know, think and feel about you and you’ll be able to increase your revenue dramatically.

“Clean and uninfluenced data is imperative to this market. We collect that data for you and link you to a live dashboard where you can see

the opinions from your surveys instantly, thus allowing you to create an informed and valuable marketing and PR strategy and implement real, insightful marketing content and drive engagement with your brand.”

De Ruiter added that Dynamic Concepts subscribes to the “experience economy” view that businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product. “In today’s competitive and instant marketplace, experience has the highest economic value,” said De Ruiter.

Dynamic Concepts’ work involves interacting between concept development, research and marketing and De Ruiter and his team have investigated the meaning of “experiences” with psychologists and research institutes. From this, it has developed an experience model for use in designing concepts for visitor attractions and FECs.

News in BriefMARK HARDY, chairman of API, has asked Indoor Play to clarify some comments attributed to him in our last issue. Tommy’s leader column was critical of Mark for apparently saying that all play should be provided free of charge. He got in touch to say: “My comments regarding leisure centres charging remain valid, “pay for play” remains a valid model and fulfils a growing need, particularly where local authority budgets are being cut. I also stand by comments that independent enterprises will step in to fill a void if such indoor facilities are not provided by the local authorities. The API continues to support such facilities where our members are involved to improve the quality of provision. I would just like you to acknowledge our stance on outdoor “free play” facilities which is that we still believe the government via local authorities have a duty and obligation to provide free of charge quality play facilities to local communities. The API will continue to campaign for budgets in this area to be protected and increased.” We’re happy to put the record straight. Mark, apologies for any confusion caused.

WIGAN COUNCIL has become the latest local authority to team up with Alliance Leisure to revamp its leisure-centre offer. In a £2.9 million redevelopment, the Howe Bridge Leisure Centre now offers 16 climbing walls with a variety of themes and an adventure-play facility offering junior fitness classes and sports sessions as well as an indoor skate, scooter and BMX park. Working in partnership with Alliance Leisure were Hangfast and Play Revolution. Features of the new adventure zone include a see-through climbing wall, an adventure climbing frame with timers so kids can time themselves to get round, and a climbing wall designed like a house on fire with a button children can push when they reach the top to extinguish the imitation flames. And local child Lily Rowland has seen her design of a stunning tree-house wall come to life after winning a competition run by Wigan Council.

A FORMER CHILDMINDER from Manchester has won a prestigious award for her pioneering indoor play social enterprise. Sue Wilkinson and

Popular indoor-play brand Eddie Catz opened a fourth centre on January 4, after taking over longstanding Earlsfield centre It’s A Kid’s Thing from Claire and Mark Robinson.

Eddie Catz Earlsfield is midway between two of the group’s existing centres – Wimbledon and Putney – in south-west London’s so-called Nappy Valley.

Maria Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Eddie Catz, said the business had been looking for the right location for expansion. “We are delighted to take over from the Robinsons and preserve and build on what they have created,” she said. “The centre is much loved by the local community and we hope to continue to deliver great parties, food and service.”

Johnson describes the new centre as more of a play café that is “small but perfectly formed” with its two-tier play-

frame, daily classes for the under-fives, seasonal events and parties. “The centre was only closed for two days for a spring clean before re-opening as Eddie Catz,” she said. “We have retained all the staff and added a couple of extra classes using existing providers we work with at our other sites.”

The reception from the existing customer base has been warm. “People are happy that we are a small company that has taken over rather than a big business as they don’t want Earlsfield to lose its village feel,” said Johnson.

Many of Eddie Catz’s Putney and Wimbledon customers have been using the new venue and there seems to be little concern about it competing with the existing sites.

“The centre is a welcomed satellite centre serving the younger customers and babies, who will then grow into what we offer at our other sites,” explained Johnson.

Eddie Catz’s fourth centre is in Newbury in Berkshire.

(continued on page 6)

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Cheeky Cherubs have won the inaugural CityLife Awards Cool for Kids 2015 accolade for their innovative offer for the local community. Cheeky Cherubs Community Learning Centre, which also offers a range of classes and activities, opened in 2014 in a building formerly occupied by a Co-operative supermarket in the Urmston area of the city. Now the building houses the indoor-play area, a sensory room, café, the Urmston Emporium of boutique retail outlets for crafts, clothes and gifts, an ICT suite, and a second-floor social space for parties and older children to use.

HIJINX PLAY CENTRE in Gloucester is expanding with the opening of children’s hairdresser Fidgets and family-friendly Bubble T Café on the same site. Due to open in time for the busy half-term period in February, the new café and hair salon will also share an outdoor-play area with Hijinx. Centre owner Victoria Rogers said: “We will be the first café in the city to serve bubble tea. We did some sampling in the play centre and the children loved it.” Rogers, who was a hairdresser before opening Hijinx on the site of a former nightclub in May last year, is leasing the additional space in the building that the landlord was considering for a day nursery. All three businesses are targeted at families with children under eight years old.

THE LEICESTERSHIRE TOWN OF HINCKLEY could soon be getting a new indoor-play centre and day nursery following a successful planning application. Holly Graham has been given permission by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council to convert a warehouse unit at Sketchley Meadows industrial estate in the Burbage area for the new venture. Plans include a playframe over the first and ground floors of the 5,500 sq ft building and the aim is for the play area to be used by children at the nursery as well as the public.

AFTER FIVE-AND-A-HALF YEARS in the planning and building, Northumberland County Council finally opened its

Barclays Bank Plc chose World of Rides to spearhead its latest marketing campaign to encourage more businesses to use Barclays’ international banking facilities for currency trading and transactions.

World of Rides general manager David Robinson said: “As long-time importers and exporters, World of Rides has been trading through Barclays Bank for more than 50 years, and as a result we were a natural choice for the bank to use as being representative of a successful international business!”

In radio adverts first aired on CLASSIC FM, LBC and GOLD in early December, Robinson can be heard explaining why his firm has remained loyal to Barclays Bank Plc. Barclays also added a section about World of Rides to its website, and has now extended broadcast coverage of his interview to local radio stations across the UK.

A unique digital party platform called PercyVites is now available for UK operators to enhance the personalisation of theirparty offer.

PercyVites consists of personalised video invitations, thank you videos, and host and guest party dashboards all featuring licensed characters and an assortment of PercyVites’ own generic graphics which can appear with the host child and a centre’s own branding.

“Our line-up of themes is continuing to grow and currently features favourites such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Lalaloopsy, Caillou, Johnny Test, Ruby & Max, and more,” Julie Steiner, founder and CEO of PercyVites,

World of Rides new child-only ‘FUNSIZE’ Baby Animal Rides complement its already popular range of Go-Karts, Superbike Trikes, Bumper Cars and Boats, and each ride is fitted with a seat sensor in order to ensure that the child is safely seated whilst the ride is in operation, as well as a front sensor to ensure that the ride stops, and reverses back slightly, before it runs into anything.

The rides are currently made in three themed ranges, Farm, Jungle and Jurassic. Each ride tells the child what kind of animal it is and plays a nursery rhyme whilst it is running. Bright LED lights are fitted all around the base, to both heighten the appeal, and allow the rides to be operated under low lighting levels as a brand new children’s ‘dark ride’ attraction.

Up to five rides can be operated in an area of only 4.5m2.

said. The company has recently integrated into Build-A-Bear Workshop’s new Build-A-Party site and is now targeting UK indoor-

play centres with the platform that it believes provides a new revenue

stream for operators.

“We are a premium product and we have put a lot into user experience,” Steiner, pictured, said. “We feel what we are doing is elevating

people’s brands.”

There are two options for business to use the system at percyvites.com;

either as a turnkey embedded solution or fully customisable, as with the Build-A-Bear example. Steiner describes PercyVites as “a sticky experience” for party customers because of “numerous marketing opportunities due to repeated visits to our party dashboards.”(continued on page 8)

(from page 5)

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[email protected] | Bridge House, Newbridge Lane, Stockport SK1 2NA

Call: 0161 429 6949www.johnsonreed.co.uk

KEEP CASH IN YOUR COMPANY

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MAXIMISE

TAXPOSITION

EQUIPMENT FINANCE TO HELP GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Working in association with the UK’s leisure industry, Johnson Reed offers a quick and simple method of financing play

equipment. Unlike traditional banks we are able to fund all of your installation, thus maximising your tax position and cash flow.

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Bears gaining in strength

News in Brief

ambitious Ashington Leisure Centre featuring Go Wild Safari soft play on January 4. The four-storey playframe is part of the £21 million development that is complemented by a dedicated children’s library and activity classes for different age groups. There is also a café and parties can be booked for children in two reserved time slots at weekends.

GLOUCESTER SKI & SNOWBOARD CENTRE has won a good-service award from national deafblind charity, Sense. The charity’s awards recognise organisations that have been innovative in their work to accommodate people with sensory impairments. For years, the centre has offered sessions to Sense, providing people with complex disabilities the opportunity to experience activities they have never done before. Centre manager, Weronika Lomacka, said: “Winning this award motivates us to want to improve our session even more in the future.” For information on how you could make your centre more inclusive for deafblind users contact Sense at [email protected]

DERBY CITY COUNCIL has granted planning permission for indoor golf and bowling at the Intu shopping centre in the city. The golfing attraction will be run by Paradise Island Adventure Golf, which already operates in other Intu shopping malls in Glasgow and Manchester. Hollywood Bowl will run the bowling alley.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ATTRACTION Sundown Adventure Land in Retford has received a new year boost, being listed at number five in The Nottingham Post’s 50 Things You Must Do in Nottinghamshire in 2016. The children’s theme park designed specifically for the under-10s features soft and indoor play as well as rides and outdoor-play areas.

Payment card industry compliance is probably the single biggest challenge facing visitor attractions over the coming year.

That is the warning from Simon Kniveton, director of ticketing solutions company Vennersys. “Two new important pieces of legislation – the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Directive on Payment Services (PSD2) – will soon demand very strict data-breach notification processes in Europe, in addition to The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which is already in place,” said Kniveton.

The PCI DSS is a worldwide standard set up to help businesses process card payments securely and reduce card fraud. It does this through tight controls surrounding the storage, transmission and processing of cardholder data handled by business.

Organisations are being urged to start preparing for the new requirements and many

Teddy Mountain UK, has launched a new range of Sweet Shop bears. The wholesale supplier for teddy-making parties is offering eight eye-catching new bears in colourful pastel and animal print patterns and two different sizes.

Director, Ryan Davies, said: “It’s an exciting time for Teddy Mountain UK, as our business grows from strength-to-strength.”

Each new bear is available as an eight-inch or 16-inch toy and there are four teddies as well as a kitten, puppy, duck and bunny appropriately named Chip, Cotton Candy, Fizzy, Bubble Gum, Candy, Popcorn, Cupcake and Berry.

“We introduced new Aromabearapy scent chips in October of last year, which are proving really popular,” added Davies. There are eight different smells to choose each in a plastic paw-print shape that can be stuffed inside the bears. The scents are candyfloss, popcorn, baby powder, bubble gum, candy apple, chocolate, strawberry and cupcake.

businesses are turning to ticketing, back-office and Epos providers such as Vennersys withits Venpos Cloud product to ensure theyhave systems that protect their customers’ card data.

“We’ve seen a particular uptake in small and medium-sized businesses using our products and services,” said Kniveton. “Alongside the historic houses and estates, museums and galleries, safari parks and aquariums that we work with, we’re also attracting more farm attractions, children’s play and activity centres.”

The latest updates to the GDPR are due to be finalised early this year. The aim is to create a unified data-protection law across EU member states and give consumers the right to complain and obtain redress if their data is misused anywhere within the EU. “This means if your IT systems, networking and IT security do not adequately protect your data, then your attraction is at risk of individual claims as well as massive EU fines,” warned Kniveton.

“We have also added to our range of sound modules now to include a heartbeat that pulses when you press it or you can record a personalised message of your own,” said Davies.

The plush toys come unstuffed with a range of clothes and accessories as well as ready-weighed out packs of fibre for stuffing so there is no need for a stuffing machine. “A business can be up and running with its Teddy Mountain offer from just £100,” added Davies.

Teddy Mountain UK supplies themed party kits too so family-entertainment centres can enhance their party offering allowing guests to dress up cuddly knights, princesses and dragons, then take them away in a castle-designed carry-home box. Or choose a tropical adventure, making elephants, tigers and crocodiles before carrying them home in a jungle-themed box to treasure.

(from page 6)

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he last time we visited Paula Dixon in person, at Jellybugs’ Kingston-upon-Thames indoor-play centre in early 2013, she talked reasonably vaguely about a franchise model that

would spread the brand across the country. Well, with the help of Mothercare and others, the Jellybugs team has only gone and done it!

Just over a year after the opening of the first Jellybugs concessions in Mothercare’s Gateshead and Solihull stores, in November 2014, Indoor Play went to the chaotic (for all the right reasons) opening day of the ninth such concession, at Cribbs causeway near Bristol.

The rapid roll-out means in just over 12 months, there were already stores in Cardiff, Gateshead, Manchester, Solihull, Lisburn (Northern Ireland), Aintree, Reading, Dudley and as of late November,Cribbs Causeway.

“We’re potentially looking at other stores across the UK throughout 2016,” says Paula. “We already know there will be a few more opening, although we don’t yet know exactly where they will be. It’s gone more quickly than I was expecting, as it’s only just over a year ago that we set up the first two as a trial, but it has worked well adding to the fun factor in-store. It’s great to be working with Mothercare and in-store soft play just feels right, particularly when I consider I have five children myself and would definitely visit soft play in an environment such as this.

“We work with the Mothercare rerfurb team to look at potential new locations, to ensure it works well both for them and of course for ourselves too. It can be a very tight turnaround for us, but that can be a good thing, as with other things in place, we can adapt our entrances and layout accordingly.

“October was a very busy month, as we opened in Aintree on the 15th and in Cardiff and Reading on the same day – the 22nd. It was pretty fast paced, but we did it.”

How?So how did Jellybugs do it play-wise and who did they do it with, other than Mothercare?

The Cribbs Causeway playframe was provided by House of Play, as were the earliest Mothercare/Jellybugs ventures. But Taylor Made and King of the Castles have also been brought in on other sites.

“We needed to have more than one supplier to fulfil all of our needs,” says Paula. “Like anyone, I suppose I would like to work with just one supplier, but this needs to be a competitive process; it’s too easy to get comfortable with prices and service and at the end of the day we have to look at the bottom line to make the model work and give us the best start.

“We have built up good relationships with our suppliers in that we can pick up very quickly on a new site, using previous designs and tweaking them, ensuring that it suits the store… We’re also working on some more bespoke soft play items that will become regulars in

Every sector has its share of game changers, who have the ability to move things on dramatically before most around them have even begun to think about the next opportunity. And every reader of Indoor Play will be aware that trampoline centres – the talk of late 2014 and all of 2015 – are the new big thing. But meanwhile, around the land, something equally interesting was stirring. What have you missed? We speak to Jellybugs director Paula Dixon to find out

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The quiet game changer

Paula Dixon – Jellybugs director

Jellybugs soft-play areas – a range that is associated withour brand.”

Play content is key to everything Jellybugs delivers, she adds. “There is nothing more annoying than a playframe that doesn’t have lots of play content. I don’t want children to be bored and of course, I want play elements that they can enjoy in different ways at different ages, so with this one, I have put in lots of different sections, which we can update in 12 months or so to keep refreshing the offer. There are lots of little things for them to find. I want to keep the children interested, so there is something new for them to experience each time they come back.”

The three-storey playframe at Cribbs Causeway was installed in an area with an overall footprint of just 600 square feet, but the height of the building enabled House of Play and Jellybugs to come up with three relatively high storeys, which allows parents to play more easily with their kids. The first in-store Jellybugs went into Solihull, and was 500 sq ft, Gateshead covers 800 sq ft and the largest so far,

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is in Manchester, at 1,000 sq ft. “We’ve done quite a few different sizes already,” says Paula, “and we’re still at the stage of working out exactly what works best in each environment. In terms of footfall though, I think we’re already finding that the bigger the area for play, the better.”

Café culturesIn some stores, including Cribbs Causeway, Jellybugs is partnered with Café Nest, operated by the large catering firm Compass, while in others, such as Gateshead, the café area is run by family-run operation Massarellas, which also has cafes in department stores, garden centres and other locations. “It’s good for us to have different partners,” says Paula. “They both have very different fit-outs and offerings. Café Nest has a nice fresh feel, while Masserellas is more shabby-chic and rustic.

“It’s exciting to see how each site performs and how distinctive each set [of customers] is. Each store has had its different challenges. This one and Manchester make obvious sense as their locations

Jellybugs – Cribbs Causeway


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offer free parking and easy access, as well as being situated near stores that fit the right profile. In Solihull, we are next to Homebase, which attracts a different audience to us; with it being our first it was really a case of getting our name and offering out there in the local community and it is now a fairly well established soft-play venue.”

Guiding principlesWhatever the clientele and wherever the location, there are still over-riding principles that Paula sticks to, like most soft-play operators would. “Like any soft-play centre, dwell time is important and we want the parents to be as comfortable as possible while the children play. We’ve done a lot of promotional work, we’ve introduced loyalty cards and I’ve always believed that pricing has to be affordable for parents,” she says.

Jellybugs in Mothercare stores currently charges £2.50 for under twos, £4.50 for two-fours and £5.50 for children from four-seven. As well as loyalty incentives, they all offer sibling discounts too. “We want customers to feel that they can afford to come more often, therefore our pricing structure, offers and loyalty cards are there to help with this. Each location has built up a really great relationship with its local community; there is nothing better than visiting a site and seeing little ones coming in to play and they often seem to know the team members names.”

To support the project, Mothercare has helped with exit questionnaires and online feedback from its own customers to see what the overall feedback is and both parties feel that it is very positive so far.

“Some of the sites need more of a push locally to make people aware we are there, but others just take off from day one, usually helped massively by our social media campaigns,” says Paula. “We have been very active and very successful. In Bristol for instance, we put a post on Facebook about the opening and within a day, it had been seen by 50,000 local people. That’s proved extremely effective for getting the word around, engaging the local communities and driving footfall through each store from day one.”

Further expansionIn our article in 2013, Paula was also tentatively exploring opportunities to expand the brand internationally. That was before the Mothercare opportunity arose, but she says the world could still be Jellybugs’ oyster. “It’s still very much on the radar. Mothercare has stores in a number of countries overseas, and it would be great if it could happen with them, but I’m interested at any opportunities that might be out there in malls in America or the Middle East for instance.

Back in the UK for now, the Jellybugs brand is not only expanding with Mothercare though. At the end of December, the first Mega Jump, in Borehamwood, opened with a branded Jellybugs soft-play area, and the brand is also due to launch in the spring, a soft-play area and small café in Garson’s Farm in Esher, Surrey.

“I love Garson’s,” says Paula, “It is near where we live and I read about their refurb plans. Jellybugs would fit very well, especially as our theme is “garden” anyway! Many locals would already know of us as it is not really that far from Kingston.

“Garson’s has really invested in its new expansion and even though they have a great restaurant, we have situated the soft play far enough away that it can have a coffee pod. So it is there for both the winter, when the children want to come in and play and their parents want some refreshment, and the summer, when the farm’s customers are looking for some respite from picking fruit in the sun and their kids can play inside.”

Mega Jump developed through mutual business contacts and the model meant it made complete sense to have soft play in this environment, Paula says. “We had quite a quick turnaround for this project but it did help having our soft-play supplier already on site



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need for up & over lifting Light weight - weighs less

than 3.9kg Push-up design conserves

aisle area Quick self-assembly Adjustable safety strap with

instant release buckle Durable, solid, moulded-

in colour will not peel or flake

The Magrini Breeze high chair is a light-weight high chair which combines convenient stacking and a hygienic easy-clean finish

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.magrini.co.uk


feature

installing the trampolines, so it was just a case of then creating the soft-play design to suit the space.”

Mega Jump has plans to open in other locations and with backing from David Lloyd - the individual, not his eponymous leisure group – it has a top name behind its expansion as well as a good brand. “I’ve always been passionate about the fitness side of play,” says Paula. “I want to get as many kids active as possible and I take mine to the trampoline park near me. It’s a pretty simple concept, but Mega Jump is doing something different by including soft play alongside its trampolines and there is real thought behind the layout of the trampoline park, it’s really very clever. As we are principally aiming at the under-fives market and they don’t take kids until they are five, we’re a great fit.”

Although the centre wasn’t open when we talked, Paula was already envisioning the aspirational element of the two being side by side. “You can imagine the four-year olds peering through the nets longingly at the trampolines, waiting for their time to come along,” she laughs. “I see it myself, as I have two-year old twins and three more of eight, eleven and twelve, so I know that there’s great value in finding somewhere where there is something for them all to do.

When there was oneSo, with all of this new stuff going on, how about the pre-existing business? Has Jellybugs’ team been able to maintain the original Kingston-on-Thames Jellybugs and other business ventures while building something new, particularly as Paula also has to look after two tiny twins and three more children?

“It’s all fine,” she assures us. “Kingston is five years old now, it’s really flown past and it has been a great site for us, we will see where the future takes us at this location. I can’t quite believe it’s five years since we opened there and six since I set up Jellybugs.

Play chiefsAt Jellybugs in Kingston, Paula has taken another innovative route and introduced a team of young ‘play chiefs’. “At the weekends, we are employing children aged 13 and upwards to help out when we are busy,” she explains. “They are there to help look after the younger kids and to play with them. My son turned 13 in December and he’s now in the team and loving it – they all have a uniform with a ‘Junior Crew’ label on it, so it’s clear to everyone that they are working for Jellybugs.

“We have to get a permit from the local authority [to employ minors]. It’s quite straightforward, provided we do the necessary risk assessments and we are clear on what they will be doing whilst working on site. We have to make sure they aren’t involved in anything hazardous and we need to have the agreement of their parents, but it is great because it gets them out of the house, earns them some pocket money and establishes a work ethos at an earlier age than normal. It teaches them social and customer service skills and it has to be better than carrying a sack full of newspapers around!

“We don’t treat the Junior Crew as additional members of staff; we see them as a great addition and it is great to hear positive feedback from the parents visiting, as our Junior Crew team interact and play with the little ones, allowing parents to really have a little more time to drink a cup of tea in peace!

“We will introduce this into other centres in time, I’m sure.It would be great to work with local high schools to offer this opportunity and almost create an application and interview process for this role, again getting them prepared forwhen they are older and applying for jobs, hopefully after further education.”

Jellybugs – Manchester

Charcoal & Red

Life’s a

White & Grey Charcoal & Grey White & Red

with the Magrini Breeze High Chair

Fully Compliant withBS EN 14988: 2006

Weighs less than 3.9kg for easy lifting & stacking

Tel: 01543 375311 Email: [email protected] www.magrini.co.uk

Stacks 8 high for easy storage Front load stacking, eliminates

need for up & over lifting Light weight - weighs less

than 3.9kg Push-up design conserves

aisle area Quick self-assembly Adjustable safety strap with

instant release buckle Durable, solid, moulded-

in colour will not peel or flake

The Magrini Breeze high chair is a light-weight high chair which combines convenient stacking and a hygienic easy-clean finish

Lifwith the

s a’’s aeLifMagrini Brwith the

s aeezeMagrini Br

High Chaireeze

High Chair

with the

easy-clean finishconvenient stacking and a hygieniclight-weight high chair which combinesThe Magrini Br

ont load stacking, eliminates FrStacks 8 high for easy storage

Magrini Brwith the

easy-clean finish stacking t high chair which combines

eeze high chair is aThe Magrini Br

ki gh for easy storage

eezeMagrini Br

High Chaireeze

High Chair

Adjustable safety strap with Quick self-assembly

eaaisle arPush-up design conserves than 3.9kgLight weight - weighs lessneed for up & over lifting

ont load stacking, eliminates Fr

safety stra Quick self-assembly

esign conse

ht - weighs p & over lifting stacking, eliminates

flakein colour will not peel or Durable, solid, moulded-

elease buckleinstant rAdjustable safety strap with

ill not peel or olid, moulded-elease buckle

safety stra

el: TTel: 01543 375311 Email: [email protected]



.magrini.co.ukwwwel: 01543 375311 Email: [email protected]

.magrini.co.uk



feature

“We got a great investor on board in 2014, which has really allowed Jellybugs to grow from strength to strength and with our new head office in London and expanding team, it really is an exciting time. We now have an operations manager, a brand and social media executive and myself dealing mainly with branding and business development. I also employed Julia when we opened Jellybugs at Mothercare in Gateshead originally, but soon realised she had great potential to assist us with new site openings, from recruitment to ongoing operational management. So with support and training she has progressed from a team member, to supervisor and now our business development executive for Mothercare locations.

Social media has proved a useful recruitment tool to date. “I set up Facebook pages early on when we are opening anywhere and the profile of the people who are looking at that is the type of people

I want to work for us. I am a firm believer in offering opportunities to mums or dads who have given up work to look after their children. Finding jobs with flexible hours can be difficult and as they are all used to being with children, they suit us very well.

“We’ve now got a huge spread across the UK, we need to have the north and south covered and I’m going to be recruiting again soon.

“It has been very busy” Paula admits, though you certainly get the impression she loves it that way. “I’ve had to develop into an architect, a graphic designer and basically a jack-of-all-trades – we’re a growing company and as such, we can’t just employ a huge team of staff. It’s been really interesting to be involved in all the different parts of the business – I was here putting the finishing touches to this place at 10pm last night! – and I think it’s made me more appreciative of what we’ve got when it’s done.”

The 10pm finishes are well worth it, though. “On the busy days, like this,” she says calmly while children screech and squeal in the playframe next to us, “the parents probably don’t notice how nice their surroundings are. But I’m a stickler for detail and it’s important on those quieter days, when they do have a chance to look around, that they see everything is as it should be.”

The home-work balance is a hard one to strike, but Paula is making every effort. “I try to work from home two days a week, so I can spend some time with the children. The other three days I am trying to pack in as much as possible. [My husband] Gavin works in sales and so we are like passing ships a lot of the time. Maybe we’ll see more of each other once we have settled in the new openings and I get a bit of time to think!

“My friends often complement me on what Jellybugs has achieved, but I am so close to it and caught up in the process that I haven’t yet had time to stand back and look at everything. But I do know we have done an awful lot in a year – there is a lot more to every one of these openings than just getting a playframe and dropping it into the space provided.”


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DEA is a unique new service for the schools, leisure and hotels sectors nationwide by offering on-demand, on-screen entertainment, fitness and dance activities.

Launched in September, the product is aimed initially at children and families, and promises to use street magic, breakdancing and martial arts to help get Britain’s children active indoors.

It is the brainchild of a team with a stellar CV in the leisure and entertainment industries, with decades of experience working for the likes of The Tussauds Group and Thomas Cook Group. The two co-founders, Jayne Maguire and Ben O’Hara, created the concept for Haven Holidays two years ago and a discussion with Chris Sharman, who has extensive experience in the leisure and soft-play sectors, opened the trio’s eyes to the potential for iDEA to roll-out across both the at-home and out-of-home leisure and entertainment sectors.

Managing director Maguire says: “Whether it’s for a school, nursery, gym, hotel or a home setting, we plan to deliver the latest

entertainment, fitness and dance activities directly to consumers on demand - with absolutely no need for special equipment.

“All of our sessions are delivered by experts - our martial arts offering, for instance, is hosted by Liam Richards, who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, to ensure a fresh, modern approach which appeals across the board.

“Today’s world wants today’s technology, so we’ll be using the latest in on-demand streaming to deliver the latest trends across multiple devices.

“Our mission is to get people across the UK active - physically, mentally AND socially.”

There are two streams to the product. The first is the business-to-business stream that sees a company with up to six sites pay £48 a month to license the product and deliver sessions to children within its facility. This drops on a sliding scale down to £42 for 16 sites or more. The second is the home subscription market, which allows

iDEA – Netflix for children’s activities New on-demand on-screen UK fitness service, iDEA is described by its developers as Netflix for the children’s educational activity market and has already begun to make a real mark on both the business and home markets

i

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parents or childcarers to access the service for just £6.99 a month in their own homes or settings.

For the indoor-play operator, iDEA can provide a high-end activities solution at a very affordable cost, Sharman says, adding: “For me, the price had to be a no-brainer. I knew from my experience that hiring a streetdance specialist for an hour-long session in an indoor-play centre would cost £20 at least. For twice that amount, centres now can have access to unlimited session content that they can use as often as they like.”

iDEA’s on-demand activities can expand the range of classes a centre offers and attract parents and their children in to utilise dead space at off-peak hours. Content is regularly updated to keep things fresh.

All this without having to pay for expensive instructors? “That’s the iDEA,” says Sharman. “If you run just four specialist classes per week, that’s £80 a week and around £4,000 a year. At £48 a month, the cost savings are obvious.”

There is no need to recruit new staff or give any existing staff extensive training either. “We do advise that someone should be on hand to facilitate, even if that is just to turn the technology on and off, get the children engaged in the activity and then join in and have fun,” he says. So you’ll have no recruitment costs, no ongoing training costs and no issues with sickness or holidays.

You can also run sessions when you want, not when your specialist can fit you in.”

Rapid take-upiDEA has already been taken up by many venues in the UK, as well as a crèche in Abu Dhabi, and says Sharman, the home subscriptions started to come in once the nights drew in and people began to look for new things to do that would keep kids active during the long, cold winter months.

“The concept started with some on-screen juggling and yo-yo-ing for kids at Haven Holiday’s parks along the English coastline,” he says. “It got kids in the holiday parks doing something productive when the weather outside wasn’t so good. When I talked to Jane and Ben though, I said ‘I think there’s a market for this product outside the one contract it was created for’.

“Over six months, we researched its viability in the schools, leisure and soft-play sectors and developed some new content working with established experts from a diverse host of physical activities, like Liam. We also have CiTV’s Hi-5 presenter Luke Roberts fronting it, which ensures we have high quality content and high quality people delivering it.”

The activities in the on-demand video classes range from street dancing and street magic to more traditional fitness disciplines. All iDEA activities can be delivered in three levels - offering individual, 20-minute levels or combinations of two or three levels together, according to time commitments.

Sharman says: “On the educational side, it was important that we got the content just right and my experience consulting to schools and the leisure sector was helpful. “It harnesses technology and the pull that has for children, rather than making technology something that we tell children not to do,” says Sharman. “If you can learn hula hoop on your iPad or streetdance with an instructor on a TV or computer screen, then that can only be positive, when screens have been so often painted in a negative light.”

Jane Maguire and Ben O’Hara

For more info on iDEA, visit www.ideagetactive.com

Facebook, at www.facebook.com/ideagetactive

Follow us on Twitter: @iDEAgetactive

Liam Richards and Luke Roberts

If we say we will do it, we do it. Office: +44 (0)1405 812 157

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Consider

A session at the recent Visitor Attraction Expo explained the autism spectrum to indoor-play operators

hen you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” Alex Lowery, a trainer on autism told delegates at Enhance the Experience; Consider the

Rainbow seminar at VAE on January 13.

This was how Lowery explained the nature of autism as a spectrum condition (ASC), one which affects people in different ways, and that makes interacting with other people difficult for most.

“Like a wolf can’t pretend to be a grandma, we behave differently and process the world differently,” said Lowery, who is autistic himself. “We try and keep it hidden, but we can’t stay on top of it 24/7 and sometimes it just comes out.”

Lowery was brought in to give operators an insight into what life is like for a person with an ASC, with the aim that his insight might help them improve visitor experience for customers with the condition. “Give us time,” he said. “Someone with autism may just need time to process what you have said to them. Don’t make the assumption they haven’t heard you or are not listening.”

This difficulty in processing and dealing with unexpected change, could mean that a regular customer with autism might not understand if an area in your play centre is closed, for example, despite seemingly clear signage.

Those on the spectrum can also find it hard to understand language that for those without autism is second nature. “People speak in code… and I have difficulties understanding language,” said Lowery, giving the example of when he himself was taking part in a horse skills course and was asked by the tutor to see if the horse’s bridle was in the tack room. He reported back faithfully that it was. “As you probably know, what she actually meant was for me to go and get the bridle,” he said, emphasising the fact that many autistic people take what they are told literally.

Other insights that Lowery was able to give to delegates were that

those with his condition can have poor spatial awareness and struggle with co-ordination. He explained that he doesn’t so much feel where his body is as see where it is. “So I am not always aware when I am in someone’s way, for example,” he said.

Operators should be aware too that, as well as having trouble with spoken language, those with an ASC find it difficult to pick up on body language and while many can learn how to give eye contact, in situations of stress they may not be able to and will often find it easier to talk to people without looking at them or even standing behind them.

Lowery described the sensory difficulties that people with an ASC often experience and many find it difficult to cope with loud music, or background music in shops and leisure attractions. “When I was younger it [music in shops] sounded like a train roaring,” Lowery explained. Bright lights can also be terrifying, and many everyday smells, tastes and textures can be deeply unpleasant to those with the condition.

As far as leisure attractions are concerned, Lowery explained why queuing is difficult for those with an ASC, who can find being around so many people, feeling crowded and hearing loud music while they wait extremely stressful, causing anxiety. He recommended operators use a card or wristband system for those with an ASC to help them avoid queues, and also address the issue of loud music. “A person with autism can have sensory overload,” he said. “Having somewhere where they can just have some alone time, or a sensory room where they can [go to] calm down can be beneficial,” he stressed.

W

Alex Lowery can be booked for autism awarenesstraining and has also published a book about growing up with autism. More details at www.alexlowery.co.uk


The complexities ofAre trampoline parks the new indoor play? Peter Brown was asked to address that question at the Visitor Attraction Expo

eter Brown has the dual roles of chair of the UK sub-committee for the International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) and operations manager for Air Space.

He told a room at ExCel London, packed with many of the UK’s leading indoor-play and family-entertainment centre operators and suppliers, that trampoline parks are a high-risk activity but that they represent a huge growth area and are capable of providing exciting returns. IATP calculates there are some 345 parks globally, with another 115 parks due to open by March. Growth in the UK has been “explosive” Brown said, from just six parks open at the beginning of 2015 to 32 by December, with a further 15 opening during December 2015 and January this year, alone. The forecast is for 70 more parks to open by the end of 2016.

There is a spread throughout the UK, but Brown highlighted a cluster of parks in north-west England due to good availability of relatively cheap units. The UK sub-committee is negotiating with the BSI for a British standard for trampoline parks that it hopes to be able to publish

by the end of the year, but in the meantime the sub-committee is suggesting would-be operators go down the Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme route as a good starting point. One of the main concerns among delegates is the safety implications for operators of such a high-risk activity. Brown emphasised the importance of choosing a good supplier. “Choose a supplier that you can work with on all aspects, especially through applying design risk assessment principles,” he said. “They need to understand what you are trying to achieve, what age group you are going for and what you want to do. “The decisions you make in the design will be reflected in the accident stats,” he warned. “There is no question.”

He informed his audience of the anonymous accident reporting system UK members introduced in December, allowing operators to report incidents on a five-point scale of gravity from no-first-aid-given to a fatality. In the month of December 2015, between the 15 parks accounting for 270,000 customers that used the system, 868 incidents were reported. “…meaning that 1 person in every 311 had some form of

P

advice

Wot do you meanthey’ve not beencleaned? Yuck!What could be lurking in your ball pool?Vomit, food, excrement, soiled nappies, foreignobjects, mice and insects

What hidden germs are on your balls?Campylobacter – Bacteria cause food poisoning.Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomachpains and cramps, fever and generally feeling unwellStreptococcus – Bacterium often found in the throator on the skinE.Coli – Can cause serious infectionsSalmonella – Symptoms include nausea, vomiting,abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headache.

All very unpleasant for your littlecustomers. How often do you cleanyour ball pool?

Isn’t it time you cleanedyour ball pool more often?With the Ball Pool Cleaning System® you can cleanthem as often as you need. It is a powerful effectiveball cleaning mobile solution:l Capable of cleaning and bagging up to 15,000

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The cleaning processEach ball is submerged into a chlorine basedsanitisation fluid to kill any surface bacteria. Theballs are then pumped into net sacks which allowsthe balls to be stored safely while cleaning of thepit takes place. With the pit clear you can thenremove broken balls and clean and vacuum the pit.Balls can then be emptied into the pit to dry.

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Wot do you meanthey’ve not beencleaned? Yuck!What could be lurking in your ball pool?Vomit, food, excrement, soiled nappies, foreignobjects, mice and insects

What hidden germs are on your balls?Campylobacter – Bacteria cause food poisoning.Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomachpains and cramps, fever and generally feeling unwellStreptococcus – Bacterium often found in the throator on the skinE.Coli – Can cause serious infectionsSalmonella – Symptoms include nausea, vomiting,abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headache.

All very unpleasant for your littlecustomers. How often do you cleanyour ball pool?

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and two man operation for larger ball pools

Hygienic Ball Cleaning System

The

The cleaning processEach ball is submerged into a chlorine basedsanitisation fluid to kill any surface bacteria. Theballs are then pumped into net sacks which allowsthe balls to be stored safely while cleaning of thepit takes place. With the pit clear you can thenremove broken balls and clean and vacuum the pit.Balls can then be emptied into the pit to dry.

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Now used nationally at IKEA

The Ball Pool Hygienic Ball Cleaning System sole UK distributor andsupplier: M.C.C. Limited, Hibbert Street, Whitehill Industrial Estate,Stockport, Chesire, SK5 7LP



advice

injury… there is a significant level of injury that needs to be managed right from the beginning; from the design of the park right the way through to how you manage the park.” He also reported that there were 32 fractures among those 868 incidents estimating that an operator can expect some sort of fracture “every couple of weeks.” Brown said with more data coming in, the figures could change and the sub-committee is trying to get the message out that “trampoline parks are complex, high-risk activities to run,” he stressed. “They’re not a simple bolt-on.”

Operators should make sure staff are highly trained and understand what they should be doing and confident enough to intervene and tell a customer if what they are doing is dangerous.

Other important factors were to have CCTV, accurate training and inspection record-keeping systems, and to look carefully at staff placement around the park, said Brown. He also emphasised that Air Space has its staff trained up to pre-hospital first aid standard, being able to administer analgesic gases and use spinal boards.

One of the areas delegates are most concerned about is litigation around accidents. Brown recommended operators get environmental health officers involved right from the beginning for a park and maintain a good relationship with an insurance company. “I have heard of parks that have 30+ claims against them,” he warned. “It is absolutely important that you develop the relationship with your insurer, that you develop your systems and your procedures in order to have a stable business... if you go in there and don’t get it right from the beginning... the insurerswill ramp up your premium and that’s where you are going toget in trouble.”


CAA rolls out accreditationThe Children’s Activities Association has begun to roll out the first independent accreditation for all children’s activities in the UK

he CAA is a not-for-profit association promoting excellence and raising standards across the children’s activities industry. An expert team including some of the UK’s leading

activity providers have come together to “revolutionise the industry, showcase the best providers and empower parents and carers for the first time to be easily enabled to make informed choices about their clubs and classes.” Members sign up to a comprehensive code of conduct and also pledge to embark on the independent, expert-led, not-for-profit accreditation, addressing a range of areas of significant importance to parents and childcarers – thus enabling them to identify those providers they want to entrust with their children.

Accreditation rolled out to all members in January and despite the fact that official accreditation launched just a few short months ago, one member, diddi dance, has already reached Gold status, another, Rhythm Time, is silver accredited and a third Tatty Bumpkin, has already achieved Bronze Accreditation. The CAA says its remaining members are not far behind.

Here, we hear direct from four founding members, including the three aforementioned companies. Baby Sensory (BS), diddi dance

(DD), Rhythm Time (RT) and Tumble Tots (TT) tell us why the CAA is so important to them, how they are really finding the accreditation process and why the launch of the CAA can be good news for all.

Why is being part of the CAA important to you and what are the benefits to your business and your franchisees?BS: The UK leads the world in pre-school parent-led education programmes and it is vital for our long-term success to ensure that quality is maintained throughout this innovative sector of our economy. The CAA is working with us to set and monitor standards.

The benefit to our franchisees is that they will be able to illustrate to their customers that they are part of a business that has been accredited and their customers can be assured of high standards at our classes.

RT: Rhythm Time see being a founding member of the CAA as a wonderful opportunity to be part of an important initiative where we can be involved in something exciting and new that will help parents and other child-related businesses.

interview

T

DD: At diddi dance, we believe that this sort of association is needed in the industry, it increases standards and gives parents and carers peace of mind that the classes they attend with us are of a high quality, ethical and trustworthy. By having an accreditation this helps not only our business but that of our franchisees too.

TT: We, just as the CAA, understand the importance of providing an excellent children’s activity whilst also providing parents with the reassurance and trust that the activity they have chosen to participate in with their child is of the highest calibre. Through our network of franchisees we are also hoping to participate in research projects that the CAA will be involved in as Tumble Tots UK LTD understands how fundamental research into children’s physical, social and mental development is in providing a fantastic activity.

Accreditation could sound daunting, but is it? How was the process for you thus far?DD: The accreditation was fairly simple. We liked how it made us assess and double check that all our policies were up to date and relevant, which is always a good thing.

BS: The approach to accreditation taken by the CAA is a very practical and sensible one and we expect to meet most of the standards as a natural part of tried and tested systems. If any changes are required, we will welcome these as they will help us to further improve our system. We thus see this as an exciting process and not a daunting one.

RT: Accreditation was fairly easy as we had all the policies already in place. However, it did make us double check and revisit them again which is no bad thing. If we had any questions, we got help straightaway.

TT: The accreditation process has so far been reasonably straightforward and the process of uploading our compliance documents has been quite simple. We have felt no pressure from the CAA to rush the accreditation process and when we asked for clarification on certain parts this was freely available, a factor that may encourage other providers to start the process knowing that there is support available should it be needed.

What benefits will accreditation bring to your business?BS: It will provide an independent view of our programmes, training and operating procedures which will be further evidence of the integrity of our company to customers. Additionally, it will illustrate to all of our franchisees the importance of our Continuous Professional Development programme and place even greater emphasis on the training and development of our team.

DD: We think parents will see this as a real seal of approval, attracting more customers to our classes.

RT: It benefits our business, as parents coming into our classes will see that Rhythm Time cares about standards and are serious about maintaining them across the board, through adhering to the CAA’s code of practice.

interview

How will this type of structured accreditation help parents and carers?DD: They will know they are attending age appropriate, well structured, engaging, fully insured and ethical classes.

BS: It will provide an independent view of all providers in the market and help them to ensure all of the classes they attend are operating to a high standard.

RT: There are so many different activities around today that it can be hard for parents to know what to choose. If a company is a CAA member, it will simplify this decision for parents and they can be confident that our company has the excellent standards they are looking for.

TT: The accreditation will help parents and carers continue to recognise that Tumble Tots is a reputable brand in which they can trust to provide their children with a fantastic activity. They can also have the understanding that as a Head Office and national network we strive to ensure that we are providing classes to a recognised high standard.

A CAA representative says: “With a structured fee system – unlike many similar professional associations and bodies - small to medium size businesses can demonstrate their capabilities and professionalism to parents and customers at an appropriate fee level, thus putting them on a similar footing to some of the national and international names in the eyes of potential consumers.

29


interview

More information on the members featured:

Baby Sensory – www.babysensory.co.uk

Award-winning, sensory-rich baby development classes, where regular exposure to an incredible range of sounds, smells, sights, textures, music, dance, signing and massage will help promote rapid brain growth in your baby’s first year of life. Baby Sensory has done the research, so you and your baby can relax and enjoy the fun.

diddi dance – www.diddidance.com

diddi dance encourages endless enthusiasm and energy in an action packed, full of fun dance class. Classes are suitable for both boys and girls aged from 18 months upwards. Classes were devised and started by Anne-Marie Martin, a professional dancer with over 20 years teaching experience. After running for over 10 years in London, the classes are now available at more than 40 locations all over the UK.

Tumble Tots – www.tumbletots.co.uk

Tumble Tots, Britain’s leading physical play programme for

children, has been the springboard to developing children’s skills for life for more than quarter of a century. The programme, which has benefited more than a million children since 1979, instils in them a healthy and active lifestyle and the confidence, to reach their maximum potential.

Rhythm Time – www.rhythmtime.net/caa

Established for over 20 years, Rhythm Time provides fun, developmental music classes for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. The family-focused, forward-thinking courses are enjoyed by around 10,000 children across the UK and help to nurture and enhance a love of music that will last a lifetime. The classes provide parents and carers with a valuable and rewarding opportunity to spend quality time with their little ones whilst helping their development through music.

For more about the CAA, the full list of Founding Members and Fellowship Members and how to join visit:

www.childrensactivitiesassociation.org

Issue 33 Indoor Play

Secret Players

25

Did you feel children were safe playingthere and was there adequate security?Yes, there was a member of staff walkingaround the whole time we were theremaking sure everyone was safe.

Was the centre clean?Yes, very clean.

How helpful and attentive were the staff?They were friendly and helpful when weneeded to ask where the toilets were.

And how were the toilets? Were theyclean enough and did they have theright facilities for Molly? Yes the toilets were lovely, very clean andwith built-in toddler seats, which werefantastic.

What did you eat and drink and howwell did the menu cater for adults

and children?This was the only disappointing thingreally. There was a big menu on thewebsite for kids and adults that lookedreally good. However, when we visited,the cookers were not up and running yetso there were only sandwiches and rollson offer.

It is probably just a teething problemas the centre is new, but maybe thatcould have been mentioned on thewebsite as we were planning on havinghot food there for lunch.

Nevertheless, the chicken baguette for£3.75 and cup of tea I had were good andMolly had a lunchbox with a roll, PomBear crisps, a tube of yoghurt a FruitShoot and a fruit box which was quitegood value for £4.50.

What did Molly say? Did she enjoy theexperience?

She loved it. She didn’t want to leave andwhen I asked if she had fun she said “yes”.

Was the experience satisfying as aparent?Yes, it was lovely and even better as it wasquiet.

Did you find the centre value for money?It was very good value for money. It was£2.50 for Molly and £1 for me to get in.What was good was that the entry priceincluded tickets for the Wooloomooloowalk-through aviary, which has justopened too. Saying we were going to seethe birds was how I managed topersuade Molly to leave! Peak-timeprices are dearer but still quite reasonableat £5.50 for the over 3s, for example.

Will you return to this indoor play area?Yes, definitely.

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Secret Players

25

Did you feel children were safe playingthere and was there adequate security?Yes, there was a member of staff walkingaround the whole time we were theremaking sure everyone was safe.

Was the centre clean?Yes, very clean.

How helpful and attentive were the staff?They were friendly and helpful when weneeded to ask where the toilets were.

And how were the toilets? Were theyclean enough and did they have theright facilities for Molly? Yes the toilets were lovely, very clean andwith built-in toddler seats, which werefantastic.

What did you eat and drink and howwell did the menu cater for adults

and children?This was the only disappointing thingreally. There was a big menu on thewebsite for kids and adults that lookedreally good. However, when we visited,the cookers were not up and running yetso there were only sandwiches and rollson offer.

It is probably just a teething problemas the centre is new, but maybe thatcould have been mentioned on thewebsite as we were planning on havinghot food there for lunch.

Nevertheless, the chicken baguette for£3.75 and cup of tea I had were good andMolly had a lunchbox with a roll, PomBear crisps, a tube of yoghurt a FruitShoot and a fruit box which was quitegood value for £4.50.

What did Molly say? Did she enjoy theexperience?

She loved it. She didn’t want to leave andwhen I asked if she had fun she said “yes”.

Was the experience satisfying as aparent?Yes, it was lovely and even better as it wasquiet.

Did you find the centre value for money?It was very good value for money. It was£2.50 for Molly and £1 for me to get in.What was good was that the entry priceincluded tickets for the Wooloomooloowalk-through aviary, which has justopened too. Saying we were going to seethe birds was how I managed topersuade Molly to leave! Peak-timeprices are dearer but still quite reasonableat £5.50 for the over 3s, for example.

Will you return to this indoor play area?Yes, definitely.

RENCO NETS

For indoor andoutdoor play areas

For further details please contact Mick Hall

01469 575804e-mail: [email protected]

www.renco.co.uk

l Netting - knotted andknotless

l Anticlimb netting

l Rope nets and swings

l Rope and twineWe are the main supplier ofBraided Polyethylene andKnotless Polypropylenenetting, twine and all kindsof rope nets in FlameRetardant and Non FlameRetardant for indoor /outdoor play areas.

l Made to order

l Quick delivery

l Large stock of netting,twine and rope



feature

Play invades café cultureIs it a café? Is it a mini indoor-play area? Or is it a tiny playgroup with great coffee? If you’re asking those questions, the chances are, in fact, that it’s a play café - a fast growing sub-sector that some traditional operators might see as a threat, but which mumpreneurs in particular are grabbing as a business opportunity. Indoor Play reports on successful and unsuccessful models that have entered the play sector and examines both potential and pitfall

The multi-use community venue modelAmanda Norcliffe is something of an old-hand in the play café sector, as she opened up Toots in the south of Edinburgh almost three years ago. Based in a community sports club, like many entrants to this particular fray, Toots benefited from plenty of research. “I looked at several others using the same model,” she explains. “My business partner and I were in investment banking and when we had children ourselves, the conversation started about doing something different. Ever since I was a girl I’d had the idea of having a café of my own one day. So we went to lots of different play centres and playgroups and even went to Ireland to visit two play cafés there.”

Norcliffe said the children loved the cafés they visited in Ireland, both of which were based in rugby clubs. “What was important to me was having somewhere to go during the day like a playgroup, but if you work four days there isn’t necessarily a group to go to on the day you are free. We looked at lots of different venues including scout huts and golf clubs but in the end, we opened in a rugby club.”

The advantages according to Norcliffe are that there is not much outlay, with many procedures and policies already in place such as fire safety, insurance, accident books and so on. “The club gets an income and does not have to do a great deal for it and for us, we have the use of a big function room during the week,” she says.

But there are downsides. “It is a facility that has multiple uses, so we can’t have any permanent structures or do any parties on Saturdays.”

The way Toots has evolved is that it is has essentially become a 10am-4.30pm Monday-to-Friday playgroup where people pay a £10 monthly membership fee per child or £6 if their child is under one.

Members can stay for as little or as long as they like on each visit. “It is really affordable and has become a second home for a lot of members,” explains Norcliffe. “The key thing we find is that lots of people who have a second child find that it’s a great environment as the older child does not miss out.”

Norcliffe offers a simple menu of lunches and snacks such as soup and toasties with a children’s tapas menu of pick-and-mix finger foods for fussy toddlers at just £3.50 for four items. The biggest seller is the coffee and Toots has a reputation for great Matthew Algie coffee.

The toys include a 4 ft dolls’ house, climb-on caterpillar and tunnel and play kitchens, shops, garages and work benches as well as large soft-play shapes and animals, mats and ride-ons. Norcliffe is most enthusiastic about the durability of the Little Tikes brand and Zoomsters ride-ons as well as Happy Hopperz for great play value.

The clientele is mainly the under-fives and their parents, but Toots has also noticed it is increasingly popular with grandparents who find themselves looking after the youngsters. “We even do a grandparents day where the adult gets a free drink if the child brings a grandparent,” says Norcliffe. “We are finding that rather than go to a traditional indoor-play centre with a two-year-old and have difficulty on the playframe with them, they come to us instead.”

Norcliffe admits that hers is not a business that will make her a fortune, but she enjoys providing a service to her community, doing something a little different and being her own boss.

Ragamuffins at the golf clubOne of the play cafés that Norcliffe looked at when she was doing

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her research was Ragamuffins at Sandown Park Golf Centre in Esher. Opened by former nanny Nicola Hamilton in 2011, the café shut down in 2014. Now Hamilton has plenty of advice for would-be operators. “I wanted to stop nannying and phoned my sister one day and we decided to go into business together. We were on the same wavelength and we wanted somewhere that mums would want to visit. We took a lot of care over the décor – shabby chic – that was our USP really and we even picked out our own china. I loved Ragamuffins, but I think that was the problem; I ran it with my heart, not my head.”

Ragamuffins ran from a room at the golf club but it had access to the golf club bar, coffee machines and kitchens. But, that also meant that the play café was responsible for part of the staff costs as well as other bills. Ragamuffins charged £3.95 a head but the room could only comfortably hold about 20 children playing. Hamilton used her skills as a nanny running children’s music classes three times a week and the café became known for its great coffee and excellent birthday parties. “The location was good – we had free parking and it was easy to get to, but it was extremely hard work,” says Hamilton. “The children loved me and the mums loved me, but you can’t do everything yourself and I found staffing a problem. You have to get staff that are on your wavelength and care as much as you do, that will react the way you will if something goes wrong.”

The opportunity to get out came with a dream job offer for Hamilton out of the blue, just as Sandown Park Racecourse’s newest tenant – another play café – was getting its business off the ground, effectively sounding the death knell for Ragamuffins.

New kids at the bakeryUndoubtedly one of the newest play cafés around is Café Mi Mi’s in Maesteg, near Bridgend, which only opened in October.

The business is the brainchild of nursery owner Lisa Carter and award-winning tea-room operator Hannah Cirotto, who bought the former Parish Bakery building on a lane just off the main street in the Welsh town and completely renovated it to house Café Mi Mi’s.

The café has seating downstairs, an upstairs learning loft featuring a Perspex wall with a slide to bring youngsters back downstairs,

stairs made out of Lego, a huge Lego wall, children’s tables and chairs, an ICT corner with wall-mounted iPads and Xbox console, and there are two separate party rooms on the second floor, one with a bouncy castle and cinema screen. There is also a story corner with books, a creative station, role-play toys and the business partners will soon start offering different activity classes mid week in the party rooms during half terms.

The menu features breakfasts and gourmet burgers, home-made smoothies and cakes supplied by Cirotto’s other business LouChi’s Tea Room.

“We have designed this whole concept ourselves,” explains Carter. “We started doing parties at LouChi’s and we noticed we needed somewhere bigger, but we wanted to move away from a traditional play centre with a large playframe and children running about everywhere.”

The result is a café that appeals not just to adults with under-fives but also those families that also have an older child too. “We are a modern play café that offers something for the whole family,” explains Carter. “Entry prices are £1.50 a child and there is no time limit on how long people can stay and play. The idea is that they can enjoy socialising while the children play.”

Clearly Carter’s expertise in early-years education and childcare and Cirotto’s catering and café background, as well as the fact that both are businesswomen in their own right, make for a strong basis for the burgeoning business.

Theatrical capers in KentThe light-bulb moment for primary-school teacher Amy Godfrey came as she and a friend sat breastfeeding their children at a toddler group.

“We had an idea to open a café with good nutritious food that was also safe for children aged 0-4 so that if you have a baby and an older child, you are not constantly having to divide your time,”said Godfrey.

The result is PUP Café. Originally located at The Stag Community

33


Arts Centre theatre in Sevenoaks, the café moved last autumn, after three successful years, to another local authority venue; The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, which is closer to Godfrey’s home in Sussex.

“The café is all on one-level and there is no “cage”-type playframe,” explains Godfrey. “We get a lot of grandparents coming with their grandchildren because they appreciate being able to see the children play without having to climb after them in a cage.”

The café, which is open from 9.30am-3pm Monday to Saturday, is set up in the theatre’s old bar. It only needs to be packed down and stored overnight once or twice a month due to theatre events. Godfrey admits that finding the right venue was hard. “We were adamant that we did not want to set up in a church hall,” she says, keen to set her business apart from all the toddler groups run in community spaces. “But it was difficult to find somewhere that had a big enough space but that wasn’t being used at weekends.”

The Stag in Sevenoaks came up trumps after an initial e-mail to the theatre so that when it came time to move, Godfrey targeted The Assembly Hall, “badgering” until a meeting was arranged.

The soft-play equipment is bespoke and branded with PUP Café’s cheery logo. It occupies 30m2 and there are also kitchen role-play, baby and reading areas. And this, coupled with its offer of high-quality, freshly prepared, nutritious, locally sourced food, is the

unique selling point. Highlights include houmous with cucumber and carrot batons for youngsters and a low-fat chilli con carne.

The local authority is content as it has helped it reach a demographic it was finding hard to target, and local groups of mums use it as a meeting point, frequently reserving a table after dropping off at school. It is also an employer of local parents as three of the seven staff are mums, thanks to the convenient working hours.

Highbury high-street havenIliana Baughan was a chartered accountant on maternity leave when she first thought that a play café would do well in the north London suburb of Highbury.

“The driver was personal experience really,” she says. “When babies are small and you are still breastfeeding, you could meet with other mums for a coffee and sit and chat. But once babies start moving around more, it becomes harder to find somewhere to meet up. As a mother there were cafés I would like to go to but they weren’t child-friendly or you would feel worried that your child would want to explore and disturb other people. I wanted somewhere where kids could be kids, but mums could still enjoy a good coffee and a chat.”

When the company she worked at was taken over during her second maternity leave in 2012, she decided to take the plunge. “I did a lot of research, wrote a business plan, talked to banks and looked for premises. I did food-safety and coffee barista training and then finally, in May 2014 I opened Full of Beans,” says Baughan.

The café is well situated in a small parade of shops, right opposite a primary school and with several nurseries nearby. “In hindsight, it might have been better to have been on a busier high street, but preference is always given to a chain rather than an independent and in this more residential area the rent is better and we do have the school opposite,” Baughan says.

Full of Beans hired an interior designer to get the most out of the space and the equipment and play area itself were designed by specialist sensory-play company Mike Ayres Design.

The area is situated at the back of the café and there is a ramp down to it with a shelving unit along the ramp housing toys, books and a rail of dress-up clothes. A small ball pit, mini-slide and three-pillared jungle gym make up the rest of the play area and none of

feature

For more information oninsurance contact:

email: [email protected]: 020 3824 8476website: www.mortonmichel.com/indoorplay

the equipment is higher than 100cm. “The whole café is only about 1,400 sq ft and 400 sq ft of that is the basement kitchen,” says Baughan. “There is seating for about 30 plus a window seat. We really liked the design that Mike Ayres came up with and the colour scheme – we wanted somewhere parents would want to go, not a bold, primary-colour scheme.”

Baughan’s pricing structure is based on a minimum spend per child coming in with each adult. “We started at £7 per child, but then dropped it to £5 as we realised it was too high,” she explains. “The idea is that for £5 you get a free play, but if you don’t spend £5 then it costs £3 to play.”

The menu is enticing – all-day brunch and sandwiches and cakes made on the premises. “We only have an A1 licence so we can’t fry but we offer dishes such as eggs benedict and salads all day, soups and rarebits,” says Baughan. “Dishes that are popular on our children’s menu are macaroni cheese, ham and cheese toasties and our finger-food pots which we charge for by the item.”

Although the core business is from parents with pre-schoolers, Full of Beans has chalkboards and drawing materials to engage older ones particularly in the after-school period.

The café is open seven days a week and Baughan also offers three different party options – non-exclusive, exclusive play-area only, or exclusive whole-café – which ensures weekends are the busiest period of the week. During the week, Friday tends to be busy as Baughan believes many of her regulars work a four-day week and have Friday off.

After 18 months in business, Full of Beans has found its trade more weather dependent than it had hoped and Baughan works hard to come up with ideas to keep footfall going through the summer. “We have two parks just a few minutes walk away, but in the summer trade does slow,” she says. “We are putting on extra activities to bring children in, for example science workshops for older kids or yoga classes.”

If Baughan had her time again, she admits she might have looked for somewhere with outdoor space or an extra room for parties, but overall is pleased with what she has created. “And now I get a lot of mothers emailing me for advice about setting up something similar,” she says.

Insurance implicationsIt is imperative that whatever type of indoor-play facility an operator runs it is adequately insured. “We cover play cafés under our IndoorPlay policy and there does seem to be a trend towards more opening,” says Janet Hooper, Morton Michel’s account manager. “I think it is because nowadays everyone wants to have a nice sandwich and a good coffee that they have become more prominent especially for parents dropping older siblings at school and then wanting somewhere to go to meet up.”

Hooper points out that if there is not a separate play area and people are not charged separately to play in the café - meaning that members of the public can come in and sit down for a drink and something to eat too, then a commercial retail policy would be more appropriate. “In that case, where most of the turnover comes from food and drink, the operator might want to take out a retail policy,” says Hooper. “However, they would have to make it clear to the insurer that it is not just a café but also a facility where children play, because it is the risk element that is important.”

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Stephen DevittTwenty-six year old Stephen Devitt is Morton Michel’s new recruit to the indoor-play team and joins the firm as commercial account handler for scheme development, working with account manager Janet Hooper. Indoor Play catches up with the local Croydon lad to find out how he can help policyholders

How did you come to work for Morton Michel?When I left school I went to university to do a computer programming degree, but it wasn’t really for me. A friend of mine was working in insurance and thought I’d be good at it so I decided to give it a go. Initially I worked on personal lines such as household and motor insurance, but I wanted to do something different and get into the commercial side of insurance rather than personal lines. Sometimes in larger firms, such as those I worked for, you can lose the connection between directors and staff, but I had heard a lot about Morton Michel being a family-run business and I liked the idea of that.

What do you enjoy about working with the indoor-play sector?The variety! Every time I work on a policy there is something new or different. With personal lines, things can be very black and white, but with indoor play, there is more grey and different aspects of policies to work out, which I like. I had wanted more diversity and with this I have it.

So what does your work with clients involve?When someone calls up and is interested in taking out a policy, I get all the details such as the nature of the indoor-play operation, whether it has a playframe and how large it is, whether there are go-karts or a laser arena and so on. It has been a real eye-opener; I had no idea there were so many different types of play centre out there!

I have a question set that I go through over the phone with the client to make sure they tick all the right boxes before I can give them a quote. Then sometimes I need to go back to the underwriter to check whether we can quote. Recent examples I needed to check include a very high indoor rope course, a laser arena specifically for adults and a metal, spider’s-web style playframe.

I try to get out and meet clients when I can and I was on the stand at Visitor Attraction Expo in January and spoke to quite a few potential new operators. I can’t give advice as such, but I can give people the facts about a policy, help them understand some of the technical terms and therefore make their own informed decision.

Are there any concerns you come across frequently and how do you allay them?Operators often ask what kind of checks they need to do on their staff and whether they need to be DBS [Disclosure and Barring Service] checked. They don’t need to be DBS checked but one in three members of staff needs to be experienced.

There are also concerns about risk management and so we tell operators to make sure they are doing the right checks on their playframes to reduce the number of claims. They need to make sure the play equipment is inspected by a professional installer and that they then submit regular independent inspection reports to benefit from a discount on their insurance. It is all about risk management; if you make sure you have the right staff ratios, then that will keep risk down.

What has surprised you about this sector and how do you see it developing?I didn’t realise how diverse indoor play has become, how large some of the centres can be. The places where centres are opening up all the time is changing too and I think that going forward we will see more indoor-play areas in public places such as large shopping centres as well as smaller play centres in restaurants, coffee shops and cafés, not just in large former industrial units. The market is really widening.

interview

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new company

Airside Andy set to take offAirside Andy, a brand new multi-platform pre-school series that follows a lively team of ground-based airport vehicles and their enthusiastic leader Andy, includes an innovative soft-play element that could bring the excitement of an airport environment to centres across the UK. We talk to co-creator Peter Le Masurier

heady modern-day combination of CGI animation plus digital gaming apps, Airside Andy is an action-packed dash behind-the-scenes at the airport or airside game, revealing

the secret world and celebrating the characters who work together to keep the passengers moving and the planes in the air.

Andy, the Controller of the Airport, is living out his childhood dream, helped by his trusty sidekick Tilly and a team of busy little vehicles including Trunk the tow truck, Hercules the push back truck, Cyclone the ground control vehicle and Stella the motorised steps. Together they ensure that every day at the airport runs smoothly.

Created by Peter Le Masurier and Robert Cooper, the series was recently launched as a game on iTunes and Google Play and is being converted into 52, 10-minute TV episodes by Zodiak, the creative team behind smash hits including In The Night Garden. Trial gaming pods in two UK airports have been extremely popular and the plan is for a rapid roll-out to different types of play areas as brand exposure increases awareness.

“This really has never been done before,” says Le Masurier. “Aviation wise, there was Jimbo and the Jet Set in the ‘80s and Sarah

Ferguson’s Budgie, but it’s always surprised me that it’s never been extended beyond that, with a Bob the Builder type approach in an airport. No one has tackled the wacky looking vehicles that operate in an airport.”

All of the assets are in place and this next phase of development is already well under way. “There is no better team than [Michael and Jean-Philppe at Zodiak] to bring this brand to life on the screen,” says Le Masurier. “By its very nature, this property will have a global appeal that will resonate with kids everywhere.”

The Airside Andy gameThe highly interactive Airside Andy game was developed by Flying Squirrel Games (ex Club Penguin and Dragonvale) and Technicolor. The game app went live in December, as the first Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game that has been developed only for mobile and tablet devices.

“This is a world first,” Le Masurier claims. “If you look at other MMOs in this space, Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters, for instance, they were designed and built originally for PCs then developed into apps. As a result, certain aspects of the gameplay aren’t quite suited to

A

new company

39

the app environment. We focused on mobiles and tablets as that is what everyone is playing on these days, so our game will lend itself better to those formats. Club Penguin features lots of different rooms, for example, but to access each one you have to keep returning to the main menu. All of the rooms in Airside Andy are interconnected, so you can take in the entire world without having to go back.”

Airside Andy is designed to appeal to three-to-eight year olds, but Le Masurier believes the game has a “sweet spot” at around age six. “We’ve shown it to kids of all ages and they all love the graphics. I suppose it is a bit boy-skewing, but a lot of vehicle shows are that way. That’s not to say any girls have said ‘it’s horrible’. We won’t really know for sure until we have the data in volume.

“It has to be fun, first and foremost, then there is the wider aspect of being part of a community within an airport. Unlike other games, the user’s avatar is working in the airport and interacting with the main characters. They might be unloading a plane, refuelling it before take off or delivering food for the passengers, and they will be able to call on the help of Andy, Tilly and their friends.

“On completion of each task, users are given coins/rewards for themselves and also for the airport. When funds reach a certain level, the playing community will be given choices to make about what that income they have generated for the airport will be spent on, through a vote on what will be built next. So it’s not a selfish, single-player game; the children are being encouraged to think for the good of the community, not just for themselves, in order to make things happen that they want.”

This is just one aspect of the game’s strong educational elements. “It has great STEM credentials,” says Le Masurier, referring to the core academic areas of science, technology, English and maths. “And because it is interactive and children can communicate with their fellow players, there is a big social learning element shoehorned into the educational side of it.”

The airport presents great context to promote early mathematical concepts like being behind or ahead of time, sequences, measuring and force, to name a few. “Airside Andy is one of only a few games built to enhance young children’s skills in both SEL and STEM learning,” Le Masurier says. “Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children learn and acquire the skills they need to recognise and manage emotions, demonstrate care and empathy for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging situations constructively. We have built a virtual world around these concepts in order to enhance SEL learning through a digital platform.”

Security is of paramount importance in the online gaming arena, of course. “Airside Andy will introduce children to a very safe way of interacting in an online space,” Le Masurier promises. “It is not free chat, its fixed chat based on a range of predetermined options that they can choose to send to each other. So they can’t type in spiteful or nasty remarks, though in our experience, it is a minority of children that acts irresponsibly. Free chat will come with time, as it’s expected, but it requires a team of monitors [to ensure that what is being said is within acceptable boundaries].

“Parents will be able to control access through their Google accounts and Apple IDs for an additional level of security. As part of stage 2 of development, which will be done by March 2016 - we are creating an app that allows parents/guardians to interact with their child in meaningful ways outside of the game world. These interactions will benefit the player in the world by giving them more customisations and/or currency. The goal here is to include and empower the parent so they can participate in their child(s) experience. Parents will be exposed to the story and IP so they have the opportunity of sharing new and exciting information with their child about their favourite characters and story. This app will allow parents to link to all their kids. It will also allow us to open more parental controls to unlock less restrictive features in game such as filtered free chat.”


Airside Andy gaming podsSo, apart from downloading the game and watching the TV shows when they air, how can indoor-play operators get involved?

Two gaming pods were installed in Manchester and Newcastle airports some months ago, to trial the concept before the launch of the game. An innovative new collaboration, designed to keep children entertained during airside waiting time, saw the introduction of the world’s first Airside Andy gaming pod in the Swissport Aspire lounges, with a planned roll-out to airport lounges nationwide and worldwide.

Airside Andy gaming pods come fully equipped with two–four interactive tablets, child-proofed and fully loaded with Airside Andy game and others. “The tablets have more than one game on them. It was tempting to only include Airside Andy, but we don’t want to bully kids into playing just one game and I believe they should have a choice,” says Le Masurier. “But the idea is in the branding and even without that, the data we are analysing shows us that the most popular game by far has been the flight simulator. Of course, there’s no coincidence that it’s being played at an airport, but that

new company

just backs up our belief that once we take it further with Airside Andy, it will be hugely popular in that environment.

“The aim is to feature Airside Andy in airports on a permanent basis, providing pre-schoolers with engaging entertainment whilst introducing them to the thrills and spills of airport life,” Le Masurier says. “Eventually, we want Airside Andy to be a companion for the children from the beginning of the holiday to the end. From leaving home, through the airport and on the airline – there are some fantastic opportunities there.

“I’d love to put the pods in indoor-play centres. They are very effective in a small space and they keep children quiet, which was actually the remit we started off with when we began to develop the concept for Swissport lounges. It all started there and I suppose it’s a bit of a fluke that it’s developed like this. But the trend is there – places like McDonald’s are introducing screens into their outlets to keep the kids entertained.

“People and businesses are recognising that there are good ways for children to interact with screens, it’s not all negative by any means.”


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offer these packages, you probably haveflyers and website pages geared towardcorporate business, detailing how teambuilding is an essential part of acompany’s success. But do you practisewhat you preach?

There are so many centres that preachteam building to potential customers, butthey don’t actually provide team buildingfor their own staff. Team building andgroup outings can have an enormousimpact on staff chemistry. Organise staffevents or dinners once a month (or evenonce a quarter). If the budget is tight, youcan even host events at your own facility.Use a weekday night that wouldotherwise be slow, and close the site for astaff-only, bring-and-share dinner. Letyour employees socialize and play gamesfor free. You could even invite theirimmediate family to the event.

These group events for your staff can

be as simple or as intricate as you’d like, aslong as you make them happen. Youremployees will pay you back withgratitude and a whole lot of hard work.

The illusion of perfectionBirthday parties are very important eventsto both parents and the childrencelebrating the birthdays. The parentswant everything to go well because theyare paying good money to have theirparty at your facility. But what happenswhen something goes wrong? You createthe illusion of perfection.

Train your staff to put on a “face” ofperfection so that guests think all is well,even if something is amiss. For example, acommon issue that many facilities have todeal with is late arrival of the food. Butinstead of telling the parent that you’rebehind and apologising (which can create



Making the most of social media Morton Michel’s social media expert Rebecca Moore explains how social media can work harder for you

he use of social media has grown rapidly in the last few years and it is transforming the way business is carried out. It is an easy way to connect with your customers, market

your products, promote your brand, and keep up-to-date with the latest news from in the indoor-play sector.

One of the great things about social media is that it gives your business the ability to talk directly to your audience, engage with them and let them respond to you. What’s even better is that, within reason, it’s completely free!

The key benefits of using social media include:

• Increasing brand recognition and improving brand reputation

• Attracting new customers as well as staying connected with existing customers

• Increasing traffic to your website

• Promoting news, competitions and special offers

Using social media sites allows you to reach a wider audience. You have access to not only your followers but your followers’ friends too. It is also a great way to identify your target audience. Customers can easily make contact with you providing valuable feedback or you can look at their profiles to see what interests them.

With hundreds of active social networks, it can be tough to know where you should start when it comes to marketing your indoor-play business online.

To help you get a better understanding of each site and how you can effectively use them to build your business, here is a quick round-up on some of the top sites for you to create your social media marketing strategy.

Facebook• Largest platform for sharing worldwide with over 1 billion daily active

users, 31 million of which are in the UK

• Users can interact with businesses via their page, view pictures and information, contact them and review them based on their experiences

• Great platform to push promotional offers, competitions and events as well as sharing company news and photographs

T Twitter• Made for short commentary and quick updates, 140 characters or less

• Create a hashtag (for example #indoorplay) to connect with a wider audience and help start a conversation

• Easy to connect with the industry - be sure to retweet others to show appreciation and respond if you are tagged in a tweet

Other sites such as Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube aren’t the most effective tools for building relationships but they are still great for sharing visual content with potential customers.

Where shall I start?Start by setting up your preferred accounts and adding all of the essential information such as a link to your website, your business address and contact details. Then add some images of your indoor-play centre to engage potential customers.

Now you just need some followers! The key to this is to keep your pages updated; a post or tweet every day should be a minimum. Don’t create your profile and then just wait for the likes and follows to roll in. Be proactive by commenting on other people’s profiles, join groups and interact with your followers.

When engaging in social media there are a couple of things to bear in mind. Remember that your profiles reflect your brand so decide on a tone to interact with your followers and be consistent with it. Do you want to be relaxed and chatty or more formal? Engage in conversation wherever possible by asking questions, encouraging answers and sharing interesting new stories and articles.

Don’t forget to monitor the performance of your social media accounts. You will be spending a reasonable amount of time each week updating them so keep track of the engagement generated by how many retweets, likes or click throughs each post gets. Ensure that your social media addresses are on all of your email and print communications too so that people can easily find you online. Also ask your customers if they like your Facebook page or follow you on Twitter and encourage them to do so if they don’t.

Finally, have fun with social media. It is a prime opportunity to show off your business and your personality as well as engaging with your customers.

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indoor play magazine - issue 37

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