Dreamland Playground Co.,Ltd Says:

Indoor play areas are becoming an in-demand recreational place for kids where they can play, socialize with other children, and enjoy childhood in a secured and controlled environment. It is a highly profitable business venture when done right with meticulously planned strategies, market research, and critical decision-making. Now, the question is, how do you make a profitable indoor playground business? Read on to find out!

For more information, please visit our website.

What are indoor play areas?

Indoor play areas are colorful, and fun-filled playgrounds for toddlers and older kids where they can be physically active but in a supervised and safe environment. It is a significantly smaller version of an amusement park or kids' entertainment center. It offers various playground equipment, courses, soft play areas, children’s rides, and parks. Other indoor playgrounds also host celebrations such as birthday parties and field trips to name a few.

The industry of indoor playgrounds gained popularity due to the growing concern on childhood obesity and children’s decreasing interest in physical activities as influenced by the rapidly advancing mobile technology. Children tend to stay indoors and spend time playing video games, surfing the internet, watching TV, etc. Parents were looking for an entertainment-filled alternative that will capture their kids’ interest in safe physical activities. They wanted their kids to enjoy childhood and be kids again enjoying normal physical recreations where they can jump, leap, run, climb, and fall freely. Indoor playground is a perfect fit for this growing demand and from the mid-s, it became a viable, legitimate business and is continuously growing.

Should you start an indoor playground business?

There are no definite standards on who should venture into the indoor playground business because the industry is promising to start with. Anyone who has the resources, interest, and passion in making it work can definitely make a profit out of setting up an indoor playground.

Previous experience in managing a business is an advantage giving you an edge over your competitors since you already know the basics of setting up a successful business and the struggles that may come your way. However, it is not a requirement because, with detailed market research, thorough planning, and smart decision-making, you can learn the craft.

However, existing business owners may set up an indoor playground to boost their attraction, capture parents’ and kids’ interest, and make them feel welcomed while garnering more sales and business growth. Adding a colorful indoor playground to your establishment will enable parents to shop, dine, relax, walk around, socialize, and have a little “me time” while their younger children enjoy the fun games and attractions in the playground. Whether you own a restaurant, store, shopping center, clinic, or museum, a safe and kid-friendly play space will help your business grow. Dreamland playground can help you figure out the perfect soft play equipment suitable to your space and budget.

What is the Estimated Profit of Indoor Playground Business?

The next thing you want to check is proof establishing the claim that an indoor playground is a highly profitable business. You would want to be sure that your total investment will not go to waste. So we’re laying all the details here to help you decide.

Market research shows that in , the global market size value of indoor entertainment areas was $18,907 million. Researchers see a promising increase in its market value of up to $40,814 million in . This, in itself, shows that the demand for indoor play areas will increase rapidly in the coming years.

In terms of revenue, the indoor playground industry earned a total revenue of $336 million in . Furthermore, more than 30% of families earn $75,000 to $150,000 annually. The numbers show that there is a huge market of families with disposable income, therefore more families will spend more money on quality entertainment. And census data shows that in , 28% of the total money spent by families on entertainment went to “entertaining experiences” and it is expected to increase in the coming years.

However, there is no standard formula in predicting the profit margin and return on total investment in an indoor playground business because it varies depending on the cost, business model, location, and services offered. Some offer a stand-alone indoor play area only without other additional products and services. Other establishments use indoor entertainment centers as an additional attraction to their products and services such as stores and restaurants. The latter is expected to gain an increase in traffic and earnings.

Why are Indoor Playgrounds a Good Business?

Perfect playground alternative during wet seasons and long winters

Winter seasons and frequent rain showers hinder children to enjoy outdoor play. That’s where the indoor playground business model comes in. It allows children and young adults to play, have fun, engage with other kids, and be physically active children even during unfavorable weather conditions. Plus, it eliminates the risks of accidents since indoor play areas are highly supervised and secured environments intended to protect kids at all times.

Helps resolve the rapidly growing concern over obesity among children

Childhood obesity has been a serious health problem in the world. In , the World Health Organization (WHO) have recorded over 340 million children within the 5-19 years old age bracket were obese. And in , 39 million children under 5 years old were obese.

Obesity among children is one of the major concerns of parents and they need help in addressing this issue. Good thing that indoor play areas are here to help parents encourage their kids to shed some calories in a fun, safe, and healthy way. By engaging in physical activities, kids learn, socialize, and are able to exercise without being forced. It is also a great de-stressor for kids giving them a channel where they can relieve their stress, laugh, and enjoy.

An effective way to minimize screen time

Growing up in the era of digitalization, kids are exposed to different gadgets and technology. Though these brings lots of benefits such as access to learning materials, entertainment, and communication, kids tend to spend most of their time playing video and mobile games, surfing the internet, and watching T.V. The lack of balance between screen time and physical activities may result to the disturbance in sleeping patterns, distracted focus and attention, and unhealthy lifestyle.

To help kids minimize screen time, parents can bring their kids to indoor playgrounds to play with other kids, explore, and create positive memories.  This also allows parents to relax and do other things while their kids are having fun.

A great way to gain customer traffic

Indoor playgrounds can help your business boost customer traffic and revenue by attracting your targeted customers with colorful playground equipment and visually captivating designs. Once you’ve captured their interest, make sure to give them a lasting positive experience to make them return and gain patronage.

Indoor playgrounds emit a welcoming vibe to families. Most often, parents feel reluctant to bring their kids to public places for the fear that they might misbehave. Encourage them to bring their children by providing a safe and fun space for their children through your indoor playground. Normalize letting your customers’ kids have fun as they shop, dine, and relax in your business establishment.

Widens your market

Indoor playground business widens your target and eventually includes children as your customers. If the existing market of your services is adults, adding a play area in your business establishment will help you encourage the adults to bring their children and relatives with them generate more revenue. It will also entice families to patronize your products and services since it offers a one-stop-shop that is suitable for all ages.

Allows you to incorporate your brand with your play area design

Indoor playgrounds allow you to advertise your business by creating themes and designs that show your brand. You can choose to incorporate your company logo on the soft play surfaces or pick your company colors when designing your entertainment center. Exposing your customers to your brand will help them remember your business. This way, you’re already imprinting your brand without being too pushy.

12 Ways to Make a Profitable Indoor Play Area Business

1.  Determine your Budget

Your budget will determine the size of the playground, equipment type, number of equipment to acquire, and other services you’re going to offer. How much money do you need to put up in this business? Your financial resource is one of the major determiners that will help you decide what type of indoor play area you want to build.

The money you will need to start a play area business depends on the size of the play area and the type of equipment you want to set up. A large play area that offers various entertainment equipment will cost more. You also need to consider whether you’re putting up an indoor playground as a standalone business or as an additional attraction to your existing business.

You also need to consider your target market to help you decide the size of the indoor playground you want to set up and the number of playable equipment you want to add to your indoor playground. However, if you have a smaller space, you might want to start with standalone equipment and expand your business as you go along. This way, you don’t have to spend a hefty sum upfront and it will give you time to test your market and study the business flow.

Overhead cost is another important factor in planning your budget. This includes rent, insurance, utilities, staff salaries, marketing, and advertising expenses, and maintenance costs. You also need to remember that you need to sustain your overhead costs on the first few months of operations thus it would be wise to include it when calculating your budget.

2.  Focus on your Specialty

Indoor playground business comes in different forms and types and caters to different age groups. Some offer entertainment access to a certain age group like toddlers to pre-school while others cater to adolescents, pre-teens, and adults. Others opt to cater to customers from various age groups.

Play areas also vary depending on the attractions and activities they offer. Most indoor playground solely offers physical activities such as running, jumping, climbing, tumbling, and going through tunnels and slides. Others provide different entertainment options such as arcades, video games, rides, gaming consoles, and other machine games.

The industry is not limited to soft play equipment only. You can add competitive features suitable to your target market. However, the boundless ideas of what to include and where to focus can be confusing. Instead of accommodating everything, find your specialty, know what market you’re best at, and what equipments are likely to garner traffic.

You can choose to set up an indoor play area that specializes in extreme sports activities such as wall climbing, zip-lining, or ninja warrior course. Gymnastics-based activities are also in high demand such as a trampoline park. Focus on a single niche, grow from there, and provide excellent service to your customers.

3.  Learn from your Competitors

Being new in the business, you need to study the industry and learn the ins and outs of the business. The quickest way to do it is to learn from your competitors who have been in the industry for quite some time. The concept of an indoor play area is not new and numerous businesses are using the same idea. But you can stand out and set yourself apart from your competitors by being innovative and adding a few unique features, products, or services.

Conducting significant research on the current local competition in your area will help you find a way to stand out. You may offer longer operation hours, package deals, cheaper entrance fees, additional entertainment equipment, and various fun and unique activities to name a few.

4.  Make a Detailed Roadmap Plan

Before starting a new business, you need a workable detailed roadmap plan of what you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it, and what you will do when unexpected situations occur. This will help you plan your course of action even before a problem arises. And it will prepare you on how to manage the business and address many factors that might affect your operation.

Your plan should include the following:

• The primary source of revenue
• Other potential income-generating sources in the playground
• What service do you want to offer?
• Are you going to serve food and drinks? How do you plan to do?
• Do you plan in hosting children’s birthday parties and other gatherings?

By addressing these factors ahead of time, small business owners like you can prepare other sources of revenues in the playground, plan on what services to offer to help customers and entertain children of different ages, estimate overall budget, and decide what supplies, equipment, and staffs’ skills needed.

5.  Your Business Location Matters

When you’re planning to start a business, one of the major factors to consider is the right location. The perfect spot to open up a business also depends on the type of business. In the indoor playground business, you need to study the local area demographics and find a place that is easily accessible to families.

For existing business owners who want to add an indoor play area in their business establishment, location is less likely an issue. At this point, you have already established your brand and have gained customers. A play area is a flexible business and suits most types of industries including retail, childcare, healthcare, restaurants, tourist spots, and parks, etc. The play area will add attraction to your business and help gain foot traffic. The challenge here is to make it effective.

6.  Detailed Market Research is your Ally

Conduct detailed market research of the surrounding area to identify whether your target market exists in your desired location. Remember, you want your business to be at the center where your customers are situated. So, in the indoor playground industry, you would want to open your business in an area with a young population rate preferably from toddlers to pre-teens and families with disposable income. It’s also a plus if your business is located in an area with frequent rain showers, long winters, and wet seasons.

You can collect these data from your local government office, or use existing data gathered by other businesses alike. You may also conduct interviews, surveys, and online polls. Your market research should be able to collect data regarding the following:

• Children’s population aged 0-12
• Data on what type of kids’ entertainment families prefer to spend their money?
• Does your location have sufficient space to hold an indoor play area?
• Is your business location situated in a residential area? Is it located near tourists spots and other public amenities?
• Is your location accessible by public transportation?
• Is it stationed in a safe neighborhood?
• Is the establishment safe and well guarded?
• Is it located near or within commercial establishments, schools, and adult relaxation areas?

7.  Find the Right Playground Equipment from the Best Supplier

Next on the list is choosing the right indoor play equipment. Due to the incessant rising demand for indoor playgrounds, the playground equipment manufacturing industry also increased. This means a handful of options to choose from. However, to select the best playground equipment for your indoor playground business, you need to consider the following factors:

Cost of Indoor Play Equipment

The cost of each indoor play equipment varies depending on size and type. Although the cost is a major factor to consider when choosing the perfect play equipment, always choose quality over anything else. Safety should remain your top priority. You can ask for price quotations from trusted manufacturers, compare their price, product features, services, and reputation. Knowing these important data will help you get the best deal, highest quality products, and excellent service that you deserve.

Equipment Warranties

Indoor play equipment is subjected to pressure, excessive weight, and daily wear and tear as a result of kids’ physical activities. That is why an equipment warranty is vital when choosing playground equipment. You would want to get the best value from your investment and warranties will come in handy in case of repair or playground equipment replacement.

Additional Services such as Equipment Assembly

Setting up the indoor playground equipment can be tricky and confusing. After all, you’re putting up life-size play equipment, toys, crafts, and other accessories. It is important to find a trustworthy and reputable indoor playground manufacturer that will assist you during equipment installation and will accommodate your needs and questions.

We atDreamland Playground, offer various ways to help our clients by giving recommendations on the perfect equipment suitable for their playground space, budget, target market, and niche. We also provide suggestions in picking the best designs, themes, and colors. And most importantly, we always try to make the assembly phase easier and smooth by providing all the necessary help.

 To start, our pieces of equipment are tailored to be installation-ready and user-friendly to help clients who prefer to install the equipment themselves. We offer a clear and detailedstep-by-step installation guide, installation videos, images, and design drawings that you may use as a reference. And we also organized a 24 hours sales service representative for you whom you can contact for installation inquiries.

However, for clients who are not adept in D-I-Y, you may opt to request to have our professional engineers do the installation for you. Our skilled playground assembly team are multiple visa holders, so you’re sure that they can come to you wherever you are. They also speak basic English to ensure effective communication. This will incur an additional cost on your end, but you’re sure that your indoor playground equipment is properly installed and in case there’s a need for quick minor repairs, someone will resolve the issue immediately.

Excellent Customer Service

Choose a manufacturer that stays with you until everything is settled from purchase, assembly, and repairs. It is important to choose companies that proactively help address their customer's inquiries, repair, and replacement needs, and warranty issues. Here at Dreamland Playground, we offer 24 hours sales service to assist you whenever you need help.

Choose the Ones with Safety Certification

In the indoor playground business, children’s safety should be the top priority. Parents entrust their children to indoor playgrounds because of the safe entertainment they provide. So stand firm on your promise and maintain kids’ safety at all times.

Start by choosing playground equipment that underwent rigorous quality testing and safety certification that shows that they religiously complied with international safety standards. Reputable manufacturers proactively provide international safety certificates that serve as proof that their product surpassed the highest quality standards. You can find these certifications on their website.

Dreamland Playground implementsstrict compliance to the safety standards established for indoor playgrounds. We pride ourselves on surpassing the strict quality requirements set by North American and European standards. For European standards, we passed the TUV, GS-EN, and CE, and for North American standards, we bear ASTM, CPSIA, UL94, and NFPA701 certifications. Aside from these, we are also fully compliant with AS.4.2- for Australia, CSA Z614-07 (R) for Canada, and ISO certified.

8.  Strategic Marketing

Strategic marketing will help you understand what you can offer to customers that are unique and practical that customers will surely love. It is important to understand the current competition in the industry to determine the additional services that your competitors are offering. However, it is more important to find out what’s missing because what they haven’t offered yet could be your edge over your competitors.

To do this, you need to establish what’s the “pain point” or the weak link that hinders your customers from getting the best product and services they’re aiming for. Once you find it, address it by giving them exactly what they need. Below are some of the pain points in the indoor playground niche and a few recommendations on how to solve them.

Expensive ticket rates

• Offer a separate ticket price for kids and adult
• Offer a Loyalty Program that gives a free ticket on the customer’s 8th visit.
• Provide a family package for families with multiple children such as “buy 3 tickets and get 1 free”.

Noisy Environment

Add a quiet space or parents’ lounge area where they can relax, read books, listen to podcasts, browse, etc. while they wait for their kids.

Unsanitary Indoor Playground

Implement a high standard of cleanliness through daily disinfection and scheduled deep cleaning. When it comes to sanitation, parents are more likely to choose clean and sanitized environments even if it means paying double. That’s how protective parents are to their children.

9.  9.Increase your Visibility

Introduce your business to the public and increase its exposure through different advertising channels. You don’t have to spend much on advertising, use the available tools and maximize it.

One of the free advertising channels is social media and its audience reach is limitless, take advantage of it.  Create hype by posting updates and offering promotions such as free snacks, ticket discounts, and referral programs.

Another advantage of social media marketing is that people can easily recommend and refer your business to their friends. And you’ll easily get positive reviews.

10.  Offer Birthday Packages

In business, everything is possible including low foot traffic. Find another revenue stream by offering attractive Party Packages that parents will surely love. You can customize your party packages, add fun activities, and creative entertainment that will leave a lasting impression on the younger children and the parents. This will introduce your business to first-time goers (guests) and allow you to personally market your business.

11.   Address Dead-Time

Expect some dead time in the indoor playground business since your operating schedule is similar to the school’s schedule. Weekends, holidays, school breaks, and after-school hours are commonly the peak time of your business.

Find ways to lower dead time by opening your business to different gatherings and activities.

• Open your business to team buildings
• Fill in your morning and afternoon off-peak hours with physical activities for adults such as yoga sessions, gymnastics, Zumba classes, etc.
• Open your playground to school field trips and excursions.
• Open a toddler level and non-school-aged entertainment.
• Start a Daycare service

12.   Design your Indoor Playground Creatively

Impress the parents and children with creative, unique, and visually fresh yet entertaining designs. Be bold, use your imagination, and create an exciting play area for younger children. A customized indoor playground will easily capture kids’ interest and will set your business apart from your competitors.

When designing, consider the following factors to achieve a vibrant and welcoming indoor playground.

Maximize your Rental Space

After carefully selecting your location, the next thing to do is to assess your playground space. Decide where to install the indoor playground, the mini pantry, comfort rooms, and the kids’ lounge area. For the gymnastics park, you need to have high ceilings to accommodate jumping, tumbling, and other activities.

Pick a Stimulating Theme and Use Vibrant Colors

Encourage children’s imagination by picking a theme suitable for younger children. Make them experience how their favorite characters turn to life with a themed playground. You may also opt for simple but impressive designs using vibrant and visually captivating colors such as yellow, blue, red, and green. Use the power of colors to stimulate kids’ interest and excitement!

Add Colorful Toys and Fun Activities

Kids will always love toys. Add colorful toys and fun-filled games that encourage physical activity such as climbing structures, ninja warrior courses, inflatables, trampoline parks, tunnels, puzzles, slides, inflatables, and wall climbing activities.

An indoor playground business is a highly profitable business especially in large cities with large populations of children. Whether you’re building a standalone playground business or adding a play area to your existing successful business, it will bring a stable stream of revenue with the right strategies and business plan.

Here at Dreamland Playground, we manufacture high-quality indoor playgrounds and help owners and start-ups establish their business with our customized designs, smart playground solutions from furniture down to crafts and supplies, high safety standards, and hands-on installations to ensure accuracy and security. We will help you every step of the way because, with us, we want your business to grow and prosper. Contact us today!

Dreamland Playground Co.,Ltd Says:

1. What Is an Indoor Playground 

Indoor playground fun flex is the mixture of games and physical activities conceptualized for kids. Indoor Playgrounds have become popular due to the versatile benefits that outdoor playgrounds lack. Viola!

2. Why Indoor Playgrounds are essential

Indoor playgrounds are important because they develop your kids' mental growth. Let's move ahead together to explore the importance of indoor playgrounds for your children. 

• Fun zone for all types of kids
• A safe place for children to play 
• To bring child's creativity out 
• Learning of new skills 
• Develop social etiquette
• Physical exercises
• Parents and children mutual time management 
• Brain development

3. How Indoor Playground Business Can Survive During COVID-19

Maintaining and surviving a business during COVID-19 seems impossible, but through these easy steps, you can grow your indoor playground business even during COVID-19. 
Establish healthy relationships with Landlords and Stakeholders 
Healthy relationships with landlords and stakeholders should be at the top because they can be long-term potential. Make sure your team is available all the time to communicate and track progress together. 

In the indoor playground business, healthy relationships with landlords should not be ignored in any case because they're your true companion in your tough time like covid-19. You should consider installment sale if the contractors or stakeholders are unable to pay in this pandemic. 

Prefer online selling

The covid-19 has closed a lot of non-essential businesses. But why? Because these businesses never considered or tried shifting their business online. 

Another cause of business failure is the absence of official websites of business owners. Hold on! Do you have an official website to avoid business loss during any other natural calamity? If not, consider it. 

Because our clients, as well as customers, can easily contact us anytime through our official website. If they really want to buy a whole indoor theme or just anyone part. 

Advertise your Indoor playground via online channels

Days have passed when posters were stuck on rough walls to advertise your products. Today is the age of social media. 

Why not utilize social media channels to advertise your business? 

During covid-19 plenty of businesses failed and plenty succeeded because of social media power. Make your indoor playground business more attractive (eyes-catching fun playing pictures) and noticeable through Facebook marketing, YouTube, Instagram marketing. 

Share your business Facebook pages in different Facebook groups to attract more customers or attention. Use discount offers strategies too. 

Mention 5% to 10% discount or whatever amount you want to set for discounts on social media channels, and these strategies will obviously attract the customers. 

Maintain healthy relationships with customers And Visitors

Maintaining healthy relations with customers is very essential for your business growth. Because happy customers are a big bonus and advocate your business in all thick and thin situations. 

There are some points which can help you to develop good terms with customers even in covid-19. Build strong relationships with customers, establish customer service standards, provide great customer services (like you should ensure some events are free for those who hold membership), ensure membership cards at a reasonable price, etc. 

Offer Online Payment services

Buying online tickets is in the air nowadays! The business community has launched this service not only in the US but throughout the world. 

It engaged with multiple payment methods as well. It is on the air because it is increasing the sales of landlords and manufacturers. Because in this pandemic contactless payment is better and avoids you getting infections. No physical attachment with money, no threat of infection. 

Let's experience it too if the indoor playground business community offers! 

Although it shows some risks for newly joined visitors (some people think it is fraud and ticket giving companies will cheat them, self-supposed assumptions!), yet you can handle it with acute sharpness by not sharing your personal credit card information. 

Provide Timely Response to Visitors

If you really want to boost up your indoor playground business, you should achieve clients as well as customers' satisfaction. But how can you achieve that? 

Through timely responses, if people want to buy tickets online (as quickly as possible because people want instant fun in this pandemic). Stay active on your Facebook pages, on websites, , to show your presence to those who want to engage with you.

 Otherwise, they will attract your rivals'. Because good speaking terms plus etiquette is the key to success to attract more and more visitors. 

Learn How Competitor's Business Is Surviving

Competitors are the backbone of any business and without them, a business cannot survive. Learning from competitors' decisions and mistakes, you can build your empire for a long time. 

Here we will explore some points that will give you as many advantages as possible. Check the competitor's bone, compare your finances, observe the etiquettes they possess for their clients, customers, potential threats they have observed, which types of equipment they are offering, or any special, discounted prices strategies at all themes or just equipment, etc. 

Promote Safe and Hygienic measures for participants

It is an essential step you should not ignore in any case. If your park is promoting a safe and Hygienic environment then obviously it will attract more customers, more visitors. Provide free face masks to your visitors (a trick to grab more customers) which will build their trust in you. 

Ensure in front of the visitors that you clean the surfaces of equipment with sanitizer wipes and keep your visitors or customers' safety at the top priority. 

"Bring your hand sanitizer "should be necessary and write this on the front wall. In this way, you are showing your concern regarding your visitors' safety and health. 

Ensuring "Wearing a mask "is also recommended. To wear masks will highlight that you are providing a safe ambiance to your customers and if possible, give masks to the visitors’ free of cost. If not then ask them to bring extra masks before coming to your parks. 

4. How to Maintain Indoor Playground Equipment During Covid-19 

As we know that regular cleaning and care enhance the lifespan of indoor playground pieces of equipment. Now the question incites how you can maintain an indoor playground during covid-19. Here is the list of some essential steps to maintain indoor playground parks. 

• Ensure safety measurements: this is necessary to maintain the hygiene ambiance for the visitors plus assuring of social distancing of the playground. Offer sanitizer and mask for free or at a cheap price to grow the customers' confidence. 
• Hygienic environment: assurance of a Hygienic environment is the best way to survive or boost up your indoor playground business as well. Thus, by providing a caring environment you can grow your indoor playground business even in the covid-19 pandemic. Because careful steps enhance customer's satisfaction. Wearing a mask will show your high concern regarding covid-19 infection. 
• Regular cleaning: regular cleaning of the indoor playground equipment and high-touch surfaces will surely boost up their lifespan. What you need to do is clean the visible surfaces along with high-touch surfaces with a wet or soapy pad daily. Also, this will lower the risk of infection. Used tissues where wipe pad is dangerous or can decrease the life period of the equipment. Because if you do not clean them, it will increase the highest risk of infection. The use of disinfection machine for regular cleaning will clean the play equipment's surfaces by killing the germ. Because these indoor playgrounds require disinfection. 
• Daily inspection: daily inspection of the indoor playground will lessen the wear and tear. To observe damage as quickly as possible not only avoid the cost of maintenance but also from life threat. Moreover, wipe the frequently touched surfaces now and again in one day. This will make the customers satisfied and they trust your parks. Recommendations for wearing a mask not only for staff members but also for visitors and especially wear a mask when having indoor activities. 
• Presence of essential spare parts: there should always be a toolbox filled with indoor playground spare parts. These parts will help out in emergency wear and tear. Moreover, do a regular inspection of equipment and if they need repairing do it before wear and tear. This will expel any emergency during playing. 

5. Types of Indoor Playground Activities

There are plenty of indoor playground themes but in this post, we will try to make out some important themes plus indoor activities. Let's move! 

• Trampoline Park : We all love fun, don't we? Well, here is a trampoline Park which provides fun to all ages. A place which reconnects you makes you healthy, and also you can celebrate any function there. Why not visit? 
• A place filled with indoor activities along with different play equipment which is not available in outdoor activities in this tough time. 
• Ninja school: it is recently launched in an indoor playground and makes the children physically active. 
• Crochet playground: crochet playground is an exceptionally fun game. Children gamble on it with excitement and curiosity. This gambling makes them physically healthy. 
• Electric interactive soft playground: dreamland is offering a variety of soft playgrounds to make your kids healthy and active. 

6. The Status of Indoor Playground Park

UNICEF's report highlights that playing outdoors is not safe for kids during COVID-19. Therefore, indoor playgrounds are gaining popularity due to their safe and Hygienic environment. 

Playgrounds are a Cluster of fun for families that offer an opportunity to enjoy within a safe and hygienic environment and to maintain physical distance. Because a safe environment encourages visitors to avoid any other disease. 

In this stuck covid pandemic you can make your children fresh by taking them to indoor playground parks (if these parks are providing Hygienic ambiance). These parks offer a variety of fun and flex to your children. 

If you're too concerned about your kids' health you can architect an Indoor Playground Park within the four walls of your house. Psyched! 

Just order any theme park or sole gadget, set it, and have fun with kids in a safe way.

7. Family Entertainment Centre (FEC): An emerging phenomenon in Covid-19 

Family Entertainment Centre, an American concept, is a fun playground not only for toddlers but also for teenagers. 
Family entertainment centers provide the opportunity for the whole family to engage in fun playing indoor playgrounds. Let's tear out the FEC topic further 

• Family entertainment centers; a comprehensive concept 
  FEC is a fun place and has the power to amuse families. Family entertainment centers provide an opportunity for the whole family to engage in fun activities. A powerful family engagement tool. Most of us don't know about FEC but the majority have visited once or twice in their life. 
  Family entertainment centers provide a safe playground to your kids in this covid-19 pandemic. We bring our children to them to give them fresh air which at this time is not available in outdoor activities. 
• FEC improves revenues
  Family entertainment centers enhance revenue if you want to invest in this business. You can earn plenty of bucks if you maintain a physical distance because physical distance matters to avoid any health risks.
  Safety precautions also matter. Physical activity in indoor play areas don't higher risk of diseases rather it makes you stay active
• Guaranteed success 
  Family entertainment centers no doubt have guaranteed success in the covid pandemic due to the safe and secure inner environment for families. You can enjoy plenty of recreational facilities with your families. They provide a bundle of play equipment to play safely in the Covid-19 pandemic. 
• Develop skills' competition
  FEC with a variety of fun playing develops competition skills. Did you know competition improves your kids' learning skills? So, why not give our kids a chance to learn from competition? Same time, visiting outdoor Parks has a high risk for unvaccinated children to get severe illness. Therefore FEC should ensure physical Distancing in physical activity especially in this stuck covid-19 for kids to boost up their revenues or avoid any temporary closure. 
• FEC is a Cluster of activities
  Family entertainment centers are hubs of fun. Don't want to enjoy it with family members? Obviously, you want to explore new activities with your loved ones and don't want to stay home. Indeed your family is a real asset. 

8. What Should You Consider for Kids Before Going to Playground 

Although this stuck covid-19 pandemic has stopped the physical activities of all spheres of life. Before going to the playground to play equipment you should take hand sanitizer, mask, sanitizer wipes, water, and food if needed. 

Sanitizer your children's hands now and again after or before playing for their well-being. How often to sanitize your kid's hand depends on the kid's age and sensitivity. It lowers the risk of infection. 

Your children's health is purely your concern therefore you should clean the swings and surfaces of equipment with sanitizer wipes too by yourself. 

Keep an eye on kids during play and if your kid is surrounded by several other children then he or she should wear Masks. Mask will keep her or him from getting an infection. 

Because it is known by everyone that at the start of covid-19, 90% of the playground was closed and the rest maintain social Distancing measures to sustain their business or to encourage visitors. 

Therefore, promote a safe and Hygienic environment by taking care of all precautions which are recommended for kids' health and safety. 

Final Verdict

Through this post, we explore how indoor playgrounds business can survive during COVID-19 and the benefits of indoor playgrounds. Plus, how they develop your kids' learning skills. 

Indeed, they are important plus the family entertainment centers develop the family bond. 

Gee Whiz! Dreamland in this regard offers a variety of indoor playground equipment. You can architect an Indoor Playground Park within your home through its tested playing materials. Let's get ready an indoor playground park with the help of dreamland fun playing for our kids! 

Dreamland Playground Co.,Ltd Says:

Do you want to turn your soft play equipment business into a profitable one?

Then, this blog post is for you. Learn about the different ways that will help you make your indoor playground successful and profitable.

We'll go over things like choosing the right location for your indoor playground, what type of equipment should be used in it, how much space should be allocated to each piece of equipment etc.

This is a complete guide on "How to make your soft play equipment a profitable business?"

Market Research

Making your indoor playground profitable can be difficult if you don't know what results to expect.

However, the most important thing with which you need to start is - market research!

You'll have to study your competitors and target customers and their needs to make any business venture successful.

Right Location

Choosing the right location for your indoor playground is one of the most important decisions to make.

If you choose the wrong location, it can kill all your efforts and ruin your business altogether.

So, before signing any contract with anyone or even putting up some posters on the walls, do thorough research on which locations are ideal for your soft play equipment business.

Types of Soft Play Equipment

You don't need to use only one type of Indoor Playground Equipment in the entire space allocated for it.

You can also match and mix different types to make your place unique from others.

However, keep this in mind before choosing any other kind of equipment - it should be easy to clean, attractive, and safe!

So, using equipment made of soft materials and by a reliable manufacturer is a must.

Size and Shape of Soft Play Equipment

The size and shape of your indoor playground are also essential factors to consider while making the final layout.

You should make sure that all the children can easily move around in it without any hassle, especially when you have more than one child playing at once.

Another thing that need to be kept in mind is the space allocated to each piece of equipment. Don't make it so small that children can barely move around in it!

Color Selection

Light colors often create the illusion of spaciousness, while dark colors make an effect of feel smaller.

When designing an indoor playground, you should strike a balance between both perceptions by incorporating both light and dark elements into your design plan (such as choosing light roofs and dark walls to create a soft contrast or vice versa).

Safety and Durability

When choosing the right indoor playground equipment, you need to ensure two things - safety and durability.

Although soft play equipment usually ensures both these things when used indoors, there are some exceptions too, like climbing gyms, for example.

Before making the final decision of buying any equipment, do thorough research on it.

Above all these things, you should keep in mind that the safety of your children is the most important thing!

Wherefore, you must ensure that you are buying soft play equipment from the right manufacturer who ensures that the equipment is manufactured in compliance with local and international Quality and Safety Standards.

Open Play Model

- One of the best ways to make your soft play equipment business profitable is by "open play."

This is a way to make your park seem like an attractive destination for field trips and Moms Groups who want discounts or special pricing with their children in tow!

Furthermore, if mommies are already coming, then it makes sense that they'll bring friends too.

When these moms visit the parks, there should be educational experiences on offer - this will help create brand loyalty among adults and kids since parents typically end up spending money at attractions together anyway (and what better time than summer break).

Theme Parties

Another way to turn indoor playgrounds successful and profitable is by "theme parties."

You can host birthday parties for kids and make a lot of money.

All you need to do is provide the right soft play equipment and some other things like party food, drinks, decoration, sound equipment, clowns, and other fun activities, etc.

Class and Education Programs

To make their soft play equipment business profitable, some indoor playgrounds try to incorporate the accredited preschool. In addition, they are trying to establish educational classes as a primary focus and receive funding from federals or states in America for this type of facility that specializes only in one style learning method - the Montessori Method.

Most customers can see this design with most Indoor Playgrounds today, which will choose one point out-of-many styles such as sensory bins, animals naming games, etc.

So, if your indoor playground business doesn't take off because no customers are coming in, then hosting classes and education programs for kids can be a great idea!

You'll have to invest some money on soft play equipment, but the returns are excellent.

Besides, you can also attract customers through word-of-mouth marketing!

Retail Shops

The retail toy shop business is another excellent way to make your soft play equipment profitable.

All you need to do here is provide toys and other related things like books, etc., and indoor playground equipment.

This will allow children (and parents) to come over for playing time to purchase some toys and enjoy the

entertainment on your soft play equipment.

Food and Drink

It's always a good idea to have some form of entertainment for your guests at our indoor playground.

And if you're hosting an event that requires extensive energy, then soft-play equipment with food or drink makes perfect sense.

The last time I checked, humans need both things after playing sometimes!

And when those hungry children come in, they'll be more than happy because this place has everything from pizza ovens with artisanal toppings right up until milkshakes made from real ice cream, so there isn't anything these little monsters won't find delightfully delicious about it.

Positive Learning Environment

Playgrounds are arenas where children learn to take chances, explore their surroundings, develop skills and even socialize with each other (especially when the playground has an organized play structure like soft play equipment).

That means that before you can make your indoor playground business profitable, you need to ensure that the environment is conducive to positive learning.

To do this, you need to think about all of the soft play equipment that will be available for use and how it can encourage children to learn through play.

This will help set the tone for your business, and it may even attract new customers.

Community-based Projects

Community-based projects can also generate a lot of revenue for your indoor playground business!

Grants from community-based organizations, nonprofits, and corporations are available for soft play equipment businesses that operate in the public welfare sector.

Grants can provide a few hundred or even several thousand dollars to help you run your business with these types of projects focused on children's activities.

Name

Choosing an appropriate name for your soft play equipment business is also essential. This can even be used as a marketing tool and can help you attract more customers!

Hard work

Do remember this thing - the most critical part of making any new business successful and profitable is hard work!

If you want to make your indoor playground different from others, then put in the extra effort and work harder than others.

After all, it's your passion that will help you achieve success in the end!

Reducing Repair and Maintenance Cost

The best way to make your soft play equipment business profitable and successful is by reducing repair and maintenance costs with the use of trained staff who are well-trained in every aspect of how they work.

The regular inspection ensures any problems are caught before it's too late to save time and money on repairs or replacement, increasing profits even more!

The cleaner an environment for kids' safety - less chance of dangerous bacteria growing around dirtied surfaces where children often put their hands when playing games.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the key to a profitable soft play business is to ensure your equipment is safe and of the highest quality.

If you need help with designing or choosing new pieces for your playground, contact us at Dreamland PlayGround!

Dreamland Playground not only have years of experience in the industry and can walk you through every step from start to finish.

Whether it’s choosing the best equipment from our catalog or assembling your custom designs, we are happy to lend our expertise so that you can focus on running your business.

To buy, you can contact members online (website)/over the .

Feel free to ask anything left unclear, our professional help Is just a click away

Dreamland Playground Co.,Ltd Says:

The playground equipment industry is booming, with new parks opening every year. 

As the demand for indoor playgrounds increases, what should you know before importing your own? 

This blog post will break down everything you need to know about sourcing and importing indoor playground equipment so that you can find the best supplier for your park. 

We'll also provide links to helpful resources on our site that are sure to be invaluable when it comes time for sourcing outdoor play equipment online. 

Moreover, this post is divided into steps for your better understanding!

So if you're looking into buying an existing amusement park or starting one from scratch - this blog post is for you!

Step 1 – Determine Your Goal:

To be successful in the indoor playground equipment business, you need to know what your goals are. 

Indoor Amusement park owners and suppliers can both benefit from understanding their strategy for success: whether it's providing end-users with playground equipment or reselling them on behalf of other sellers (so they get more money). 

This will act as a blueprint that helps make any plan come true!

Step 2 - Selecting a Place for Your Indoor Playground:

If you are importing the playground equipment to expand your amusement park or personal use, it's essential that space is ample with fewer obstacles (fewer pillars). 

The height must also be adequate so as not to hinder any potential fun!

Step 3 – Know Your Country’s Import Policies: 

Before importing, you must do your homework! 

Here are some things to know:

• Know the complete import procedure along with all of its duties and taxes as well as documentation requirements for certification when coming into America or any other country in this world; 
• Be sure that it is legal before going through with a transaction like purchasing from China by contacting local customs officers beforehand who can tell if such imports will be allowed under their regulations, even though there may not currently seem anything against them at first glance (although sometimes new rules come out after goods have already been shipped).

Step 4 – Choosing a Suitable Indoor Playground Equipment Manufacturer in China

Now, this is the crucial step! 

You must do thorough research while choosing a reliable manufacturer in China because not all manufacturers and suppliers are trustworthy and competent for the job! 

Wherefore, here are the steps you can follow:

Find

There are plenty of indoor playground equipment manufacturers available worldwide. However, Chinese manufacturers are worth considering due to their internationally recognized quality and safety standards, affordable prices, variety of products, and excellent after-sales services. 

However, not all Chinese manufacturers are worth trusting, so you can initiate the hunt for the best by attending trade shows, exhibitions, and fairs.

You can also ask for the manufacturers from the existing owners of the indoor playground industry.

But the most reliable and easy way is to look for them on the internet via search engines like Yahoo, Bing, or Google. For example, you can use the search terms like "indoor playground equipment manufacturers in China" or "buy indoor playground equipment from China."

Analyze

After you have the list of manufacturers, now it's time to visit each website and analyze it. You can look for their product catalogs, certifications, existing projects, and contact details.

You can have a detailed conversation with their representative, discuss your requirement and have a visit to their manufacturing facility. You can also visit any of their existing clients for further satisfaction.

Choose

After detailed analyses, you must now a narrowed-down list of best manufacturers, from which you have to choose the best one.

For the selection, you can consider the following criteria:

• Reputation: A reliable manufacturer has a good reputation in the market. You can ask others about the company or look for their reviews on the internet. 
• Experience: They must have at least ten years of experience in the indoor playground equipment manufacturing industry.
• Certifications: They should possess all the required licenses and local and international quality and safety certifications necessary for manufacturing.

Some of the highly required certifications include:

• ASTM F for North America
• CPSIA for North America
• NFPA 701 for North America
• UL 94 for North America
• EN for Europe
• EN 71 for Europe
• CE for Europe
• EU REACH Regulation (EC) for Europe
• AS.4.2- for Australia
• CSA Z614-07(R) for Canada
• ISO for worldwide

For further satisfaction, you can also check if they are a member of IPEMA, IAAPA, ROSPA, SGS, etc.

• Prices: A reliable manufacturer offers competitive prices for each product without compromising the product's quality and safety.
• Variety: They offer a wide range of the latest indoor playground equipment to meet clients' demands. 
• Manufacturing Facility: They have a well-equipment manufacturing facility to produce most of the product’s components. 
• Manufacturing Faculty: They have a complete team of qualified, trained, and experienced designers, engineers, workers, and testers for the job. 
• Quality Control: The well-reputed manufacturer ensures that the product produced is of the finest quality. They use high-quality material, advanced machinery, qualified team for the job. Moreover, they perform series of quality and safety tests on the product at different stages of production.   
• R&D: They have a highly qualified team with advanced equipment in the research and development department to improve product safety, quality, and design. 
• Material: They use the best quality material to produce components while complying with international quality and safety standards.
• Existing Clients: A reliable manufacturer has hundreds of happy clients worldwide.
• Pre-Sale and After-Sales Services: They provide excellent pre-sale and after-sales services to their client, including product designing, customization, and customer support.
• Payment Terms and Method: They only offer worldwide trusted payment methods, including PayPal, Western Union, L/C, T/T, and bank transfer.
• Warranty: A reliable indoor playground equipment manufacturer provides 1 to 2 years of warranty for the products.
• Shipping: They only provide or suggest a highly experienced shipping company to their client to ensure the product is delivered without any damage or mishandling. 
• Installation: A reliable manufacturer will send an installation guide to the customer. They will also send their engineer to help in installation. They may take charge of the air ticket, salary, accommodation, etc.

 Quick Tip: If you cannot find a reliable manufacturer with the qualities mentioned above, we suggest you try DreamLandPlayGround. You won’t regret it!

Step 5 – Choosing the Right Indoor Playground Equipment

Once you have decided on the manufacturer, it's time to choose the best indoor playground equipment. You can consider the following factors while choosing:

Type:Indoor playground equipment are available in a variety of sizes, types, and specification. Choose it wisely according to your customer's demand. 

Some of the prominent types of indoor playground equipment include:

• Themed Playground Equipment
• Ninja School
• Baby Park
• Electric Interactive Soft Playground
• Crochet Playground

Price: It is one of the first things that come into the buyer's mind. So, you must compare the costs of the equipment from a different manufacturer and choose the one with the best price without compromising quality and safety.

Material: While choosing the indoor playground ride, you must give proper attention to its material. Ensure that the manufacturer has used the high-quality material depending on the application of the component in the equipment. 

Design: Make sure that the ride is designed according to international quality and safety standards. Moreover, it should be appealing enough to attract kids.

Size: You must consider the dimensions of your indoor space while choosing the playground equipment. It shouldn’t be too big or too small for the vicinity. 

Specification: Every piece of equipment comes with different specifications. Some are standard, while others are optional. Therefore, you must choose it wisely according to your requirement and budget.

Testing and Certifications: A good and reliable equipment is tested under different conditions during the manufacturing process. Besides, it should have quality and safety certified labels. 

Packaging: Ensure that the ride is appropriately packed for shipping. It will prevent the equipment from damage while shipping. 

Step 6 – Place an Order and have a Contract.

Once you have decided on your manufacturer and the equipment, you can place the order by paying according to the decided payment terms (usually 30% Advance and 70% Before Delivery) and Payment Methods (such as Western Union, PayPal, L/C, T/T, Bank Transfer, etc.).

You must also choose your Trade Terms with the manufacturer from EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF, DDU, and DDP.

While placing an order, you should also decide on a reliable shipping company to ship your product safely to your doorstep. (Some manufacturers may also provide shipping service).  

After everything is decided, have it written in a detailed contract and sign it.

Step 7 – Prepare for Customs

After your order is placed, prepare for your country's customs requirements. 

You need to arrange the documents and pay the required import duties and taxes.

Usually, the following documents are required by the countries:

• Bill of Lading (Most Countries);
• Certificate of Origin (Most Countries);
• Commercial Invoice (Most Countries);
• Packing List (Most Countries);
• EORI number (the UK only);
• Made In China label (the USA only);
• CE Certificate (EU / UK);
• EU type Socket Input Support (EU / UK);
• User Manual (EU / UK);
• Declaration of Conformity (EU / UK); 

Step 8 – Receive the Order

Once your indoor playground equipment is delivered and cleared from Customs, get ready to receive the order. First, ensure that the seal of the packaging is not broken. Moreover, the product received is without damage, along with the user manual and components.

DILE SPACE TIME are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Conclusion

With our helpful guide, you'll be able to import Chinese-made indoor playground equipment with ease. 
We hope that now all of your importing needs are met! 

Dreamland Playground Co.,Ltd Says:

WHO WE ARE?

Dreamland Playground was started to improve the quality and well being of play in the industry today. Dreamland Playground specializes in the designing, manufacturing and installing of playground equipment. As a manufacturer, Dreamland Playground knows what works and how to design an indoor park for optimum operational efficiency and profits.
At Dreamland Playground you are assured of quality, safety and service.  

Manufacturing Indoor & Outdoor Playground Equipments
"Safe And Fun".

How do we make products?

Indoor playground  •  Trampoline park  •  Ninja warrior course

Outdoor playground  • Soft play • Plastic toy

Your one stop indoor play solution partner!

More than 50 countries clients choose us!

Dreamland Playground comply with the safety standards in the industry with high quality. We believe quality makes business longer.

Safety—
As a professional manufacturer of indoor  attractions, safety always comes first. Our main markets are North America and European markets, so our equipments are complied with TUV, ASTM , CE, SGS safety standard.

Quality—
Quality is regarded as our culture. You can find very cheap prices in China, but Dreamland Playground never competes on pricing with others. We aim at offering superior quality, fast delivery and timely services like European and USA manufacturers did.

Price—
Dreamland Playground are typically cheaper by between 10-40% against the European and USA manufacturers without compromising quality and service. This is due to economies of scale and less expensive production costs in China.

Customization—
Our design team has been trained to design exciting, bespoke and innovative products in a safe and fun environment.We will design what you want, and you will get what you see in the design.  

Installation—
installed by our worker:
For the installation of our parks, we always use the same experienced installation team. In this way we always keep control of the complete process, from concept to installation and we can guarantee the high quality that we are known for.
installed by yourself:  
we can supply full detailed installation map, reference project picture and video.

Guarantee—
All equipment and work（expect consumable）is guaranteed and comes with a standard 2 years warranty.

Sales support—
We can provide you with a maintenance guide, manual (daily, weekly and monthly) checklist and spare parts to ensure longevity and preservation of equipment.Any related questions,our customer service professionals will help.

Do you have a location and the ambition to start a Amusement Park? Call or send us an today. We would like to inform you about the possibilities.

Indoor Playground Equipment

Indoor playgrounds, also known as indoor play centers, are playgrounds located in interior environment. They are specifically designed for kids to play in and have tremendous fun with. The soft-contained structure and play equipment are wrapped in soft foam to absorb the impact when children fall or bounce around. As such,   an indoor playground is usually a safer play area compared to an outdoor playground.

Since its origination in ′s from the US, indoor playground has enjoyed immense popularity all over the world. Today, it has evolved from simple indoor climbing frame, to complex children play center that includes multiple play areas serving different age groups. In addition to ticket sales, the revenue of indoor playground comes from a diverse source of children’s entertainment and services such as: hosting party, gift sale, kids’ art and craft, drinks, and more.

More Information
This is jungle theme indoor playground with green mass-tone and animal shapes. To adventurous children, this is a good amusement place.
It based on children characteristic property, and it not only makes the children happy there, but also stimulates children’s imagination. It’s generally including various slides with ball pool and trampolines.
This indoor playground is lovable, lively, beautiful world which is a new choice for children.

Item Name Theme Park Amusement Soft Indoor Playground DL33A Brand Dreamland Certificate ASTM,TUV,EN,CE,ROHS Material A. Plastic parts: Imported LLDPE from Korea. B. Post: National standard galvanized steel pipe. C. Deck, stair, bridge: Wood inside with Soft Covering PVC. (Different material is available at your demand) Age Group 3-12 Year old

  Ninja Warrior Course

Ninja warrior course is a customized product. Different age groups, different difficulty obstacles, different landing surface...can be met with your requirements to make a perfect design. As a leading manufacturer in China for ninja warrior course, safety and quality is our culture.

Ninja Course can challenge and improve the strength, endurance, coordination, agility and balance of both children and adults. 
Ground floor ninja course is very common use in gym for different age groups. They are designed to put landing mat underneath the ninja course obstacles for preventing players to getting hurt during the playing process. 

A multi-level ninja course normally has two stories with more obstacles to make full use of your area. Players can climb to the second level by steps or cargo net,so the site utilization can be maximized. It can be covered by safety net or safety podium. It is much more interesting and challenging.

Ninja playground was originated from the ninja warrior course and kids playground. A combination of different ninja course obstacles with ninja theme cartoons is more vivid compared with the normal kids playground. Ninja playground can be matched with your ninja warrior course area to meet your requirements.

Ninja warrior is more and more popular in the world.First is the USA, and then European countries and Australia. It must be a boom in kids,youth, and exercise lover. Still No ninja warrior in your country/ city? You are so luck to be the first one. 
No idea about it? You are so lucky to have TOPKIDSPLAY. 

Trampoline Park

Dodgeball is a game in which players on two teams try to throw balls at each other while avoiding being hit themselves. In North America, the game is typically played among children ages 6–12 in elementary school. However, internationally, the sport has also emerged as a popular middle school, high school and college sport and in some countries universities also play the sport. Now It’s a perfect combination of popular dodge ball games and trampoline. And It is a sport for fun and build cooperative and competitive. 

Material Introduction of our Trampoline
We have been believing that quality is the soul of the products. Using only the finest materials and following strict manufacturing standard, safe, durable, and well-designed indoor playground to our customers. We are committed to high quality because we understand how critical it is to your business, and the success of your business will in turn lead to ours.

Real Project Show

Our products trampoline park now is selling to all around world, most are in Australia, Europe, USA, South Asia, South East Asia, Middle East ,etc .Our aimis to satisfy our clients.
Let Dreamland Playground work with you,your money in safe,your business is safe.

Playground Indoor is more and more popular in the world.First is the USA, and then European countries and Australia. It must be a boom in kids,youth, and exercise lover. Still No Playground Indoor in your country/ city? You are so luck to be the first one.Contact Us Now！
No idea about it? You are so lucky to have TOPKIDSPLAY.

Dreamland Playground Co. Ltd.

:
Skype: sim_peng
: +86-577-
/Wechat/Mobile: +86 135
Website: www.dreamlandplayground.com
Address: Yangwan Industrial District,Qiaoxia Town,YongJia County,Wenzhou City,ZheJiang province,China

My Best Indoor Playground Business Advice (That No One Takes)

To celebrate my milestone of reaching 300 Profitable Play Podcast episodes-- I did something a little different.

I dedicated my 300th episode to rounding up some of (what I consider to be) my BEST pieces of advice, that (and here's the catch)-- almost NO ONE takes or implements.

Because I have been doing SO much 1:1 consulting as I prepare to take a break to welcome our third child into the world in a few short weeks, I’ve been noticing a few things.

I’ve been noticing that people are:

• Getting stuck in the same places
• Grappling with the same misconceptions
• Hitting similar roadblocks
• Needing the same things reiterated to them

So this is a little roundup of takeaways from episodes or videos I find myself constantly re-sharing, referring to in 1:1 sessions, or pointing to when a roadblock is indeed hit by one of my clients or by a Play Maker Society member.

And this is not a knock on anyone WHATSOEVER– 300 podcast episodes and 250+ youtube videos is a LOT of content and it is very easy to miss things or never feel caught up. Trust me, I get it. And today is just a roundup of tips from my FREE content– I am not even diving into the advice I give in my paid courses or programs that unfortunately often gets glossed over. 

It’s funny– sometimes when I go back and look at episode analytics I get kind of sad because some of what I consider to be my biggest game-changer episodes just don’t get the downloads they deserve, for whatever reason. And since this is my podcast and since I have worked my butt off to get to this 300 episode mark– I decided that those episodes should start feeling the love– today.

I have grouped these episodes or resources into 6 different categories to make this even easier to digest– so we are covering 3 categories today and 3 in the next episode. But for now, let’s start off where we ALL start on this glorious business venture– the planning phase.  

Planning:

There are 4 big pieces of advice I continuously harp on in this process BUT I wanted to let you know I did leave out a few more. I have a YouTube video called “red flags I look out for when I review indoor playground business plans” that is more related to the number crunching and cash flow projections, which I am not going to touch today. But if you want that information I have also linked that video in the blog for today’s episode. Today I want to zoom out and look at more of the big picture items when it comes to the planning stage. 

• Your Indoor Playground Needs a Cafe (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 54)

To Sum It Up: Having a cafe component makes every revenue stream in your business more profitable. Every event or party we did, we were making $100 or more extra in revenue JUST from cafe sales. Our cafe also made our membership offer and any promotions we did more appealing because we could throw in mugs or free coffee passes to sweeten every single deal. It was also a massive help in the summer season because iced drinks really encouraged people to play inside even when the weather was nice. And it’s WAY easier and more affordable than you probably think to add a cafe to your business– IF you do it in the planning phase. I constantly get people coming to me regretting their decision NOT to add a cafe– but once your build out is complete, it can be very cost prohibitive to add one in after the fact because of all the plumbing and electrical work that’s best done before paint, flooring, countering, and other finishes are made to your facility. When I opened my cafe I had really only drank black coffee and I knew NOTHING about running that type of business. Something I love to recommend is to work with a local coffee roaster to order your beans and maybe even equipment from– because 9 times out of 10 they will help you plan your entire cafe side of your business, train you and your staff, and help you get completely comfortable – all at little or NO cost. Think about it– the more successful they make you, the more you will order from them, and potentially even become one of THEIR best customers. 

This was the route I took and I was shocked at how quickly I was able to get over the learning curve with their help and also how quickly I was able to get an ROI from the cafe equipment. It took us just 3 months to completely recoup the money from adding the cafe component and it was one of the best decisions I made in my own planning phase which is why I push it so much. Now there are of course exceptions to every rule and sure– spaces CAN be successful without cafes especially if they have another main focus. Lindsay from Spirited Play Labs who I interviewed on episode 253 talked about how she is able to get $30,000 per month in state-funded memberships for families of children with disabilities which allows her to be very profitable without a cafe. But for most businesses, having a revenue stream that is high profit margin and makes every single offer in your business MORE profitable as well– to me, is a no brainer.

• Why Your Indoor Playground Needs a Manager: (Profitable Play Episode 34)

To Sum It Up: Doing too much themselves in their business is something I come across constantly with new owners. The plan may be to hire more eventually, but unfortunately, if you are working too often IN your business and not ON your business, your business will lack the revenue growth needed to ever make that change. In this episode, I address some misconceptions about hiring managers or supervisors like that they MUST be full time or they MUST have experience, meaning they will be paid significantly above minimum wage. There are ways to make hiring a manager or any employees easier and more affordable which is important to learn and accept because having a team is the ONLY way to operate a sustainable and profitable business long-term. 

Don’t wait until you burn yourself out physically and emotionally. Make it so your employees contribute DIRECTLY to your revenue and become true assets to your business, instead of costs or liabilities. And if you are still in the planning phase, BUDGET to have your space fully staffed, even if you plan to physically work at your cafe as well. We never know when health issues may arise or when other areas of our life will need to pull our attention and our physical presences away from our facilities. Being as conservative as possible and ensuring your numbers still work and your business can still be profitable even with a manager and full staff is critically important when creating your business plan to minimize any future risk..

• The 2 Types of Revenue to Focus On  (Profitable Play Episode 115)

 To Sum It Up: Every business owner goes into this industry thinking THEIR business will be unique.That THEY will be the ONE exception to one of the golden rules of indoor play– that open play alone will NOT sustain your business year-round or long-term. They think that THEIR area is different and THEIR business is so thoughtfully designed that they don’t NEED to create other substantial revenue streams in order to be successful. While again there are exceptions to every rule, there’s a reason why I never recommend relying on open play for more than 15% of your total revenue. It’s because single-day open-play passes is the most FICKLE revenue stream in terms of seasonality and economic fluctuations, and therefore is the most risky and least reliable. And I have confirmed this time and time and time again. 

And relying too heavily on open play is one of the MAIN reasons I see indoor play places close. 

And it’s for this reason, among MANY others, that I instead recommend focusing on recurring revenue and high-ticket revenue instead of single day passes. And recurring revenue doesn’t necessarily need to mean open play memberships. It could also be class memberships or coworking memberships or even physical subscription boxes like Tal from Play Maker Society offers at Play Factory and Cafe. It could also mean a B2B membership fee, meaning something you charge other businesses on a monthly basis. Cheyanne from Mocha’s and Minis, for example, charges small businesses and makers for shelf space in the retail section of her play space, which brings in thousands and thousands of dollars per month per location for her. 

And it makes it so retail is one less thing she needs to worry about– because people pay vendors via QR code and no money passes through her register– OTHER than the flat free she charges vendors. And high ticket revenue could mean birthday parties, but it could also mean– a year of preschool or after school care paid up front, packs of play passes or a class with 10 sessions paid up front. 

Go back and listen to this episode if you want more details as well as a step-by-step numbers breakdown  that proves WHY this shift in focus is so important and how it can reduce your marketing effort and spend, alleviate a lot of your staff’s work, make your business more attractive for a possible sale down the line, and MUCH more. In short, fighting for single day passes and single class or event sales will always be an uphill battle. As my son would say, it’s like operating your business on ultra-hard mode. And I don’t want that for you.

• Splurge Versus Save (Click Here For The 2-Part YouTube Series)

To Sum It Up: Build out and equipment purchasing is another place where people think THEY will be the exception. That they can rent a room, do minimal build out, fill the room with toys from amazon or from inexpensive, non-commercial vendors and poof– get rich overnight. That is just not realistic. And while there ARE plenty of places I think are really smart to save in rather than splurge during your build out which I detail in this video– more often than not you WILL get what you pay for and your businesses revenue and your customer feedback will directly reflect the amount you were willing to invest in your space. So stick with high-quality commercial vendors, make sure you incorporate gross-motor along with other types of play, create as inclusive a design as possible, invest in experts like interior designers when it makes sense, put thought behind your layout when it comes to profitability and customer experience even if it means rearranging, and make sure you aren’t forever restricting your business by skimping or cutting corners on your build out. Because like when it comes to a cafe, your main equipment and layout are expensive and difficult decisions to change down the line.

Marketing

Since marketing is one of my MAIN areas of expertise, you probably won’t find it shocking that not only do I have the MOST resources under this category but also that I even decided to break marketing specifically into it’s OWN category. And that’s because a thoughtful marketing strategy is SO incredibly hard to come by in the indoor play industry– and it’s by FAR one of the most slept on and underutilized marketing tactics out there. And when a strategic marketing plan IS implemented, the impact is MAJOR. So let’s start here, shall we?

Marketing:

There are 4 big misconceptions when it comes to marketing, especially in our industry. First, that we should just passively allow people to opt in, maybe via a newsletter sign-up or something similar. Next, that it’s extremely time consuming. Next, that emailing too much is icky or overly sales-y. And finally, that it does NOT make much of a difference. 

And let me be the first to say, as someone who has worked with hundreds if not thousands of owners at this point– the owners who say marketing does not have a significant impact on profit– are the ones stuck on the other 3 misconceptions and are simply going about it ALL. WRONG. There is a major correlation between long-term success in this industry and a strong marketing strategy. So let’s talk about it. 

• How To Incentivize People To Opt-In (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 1)

To Sum It Up:  9 out of 10 indoor playground websites I go to have a spot somewhere that will usually just say something like, “stay up to date” or “sign up for our newsletter” with a place for customers to put in their contact information. And while this may get you a nice surge of customers when you FIRST open since there are lots of exciting updates to share- this is not an effective strategy long-term. 

You need a STRONGER incentive for people to opt-in. Considering your list is one of your biggest business and marketing assets and its size and strength relate directly to your bottom line- it’s time to start doing better here. I share more examples in this episode for things like party planning PDFs or activity downloadales or printables to help boost your list sign ups– but my FAVORITE way to do this is to offer a free coffee in exchange for a customer's address. Going back to the point I already made about the importance of having a cafe, coffee is extremely high-profit margin, meaning it costs you just a few cents to give someone a free coffee. And a valid address is worth WAY more than that.

Here’s the trick here, though, or the secret-sauce if-you-will– you have to give customers some urgency, and you have to have a way to still generate money directly from the new lead as well in order to really maximize this strategy. 

Sure, they may of course generate some revenue down the line, but I mean immediate revenue. To knock both off with one stone, I like to require that someone visits within 2 weeks of signing up for the list, and requiring that they purchase an open play pass in order to redeem their coffee. 

And this may seem complicated to implement, but it’s not. We just had people show our staff their confirmation proving that they signed up and when, and we trained our staff to ensure they were also staying to play before giving out the free coffee. No fancy tools or tracking software required. This not only ensured the address was valid and could be therefore utilized in the future, it also made sure that new leads came in quickly and started contributing to sales.

• Generate 89% MORE Revenue From Marketing (In Less Time) With An Automated Welcome Sequence (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 2)

To Sum It Up:

Even if indoor playground owners are building their list well, either through incentives or their waiver, chances are they aren’t doing enough to convert a lead to their other revenue streams once they’re on their list. 

And that’s where an automated welcome sequence comes in. I break down my best tips and what should be included in a welcome sequence in the episode, and I even provide an example welcome sequence to my Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society members that they can tweak and use as their own, but basically–

An automated welcome sequence is an easy way you can educate customers about your business and the different things you offer– even while you SLEEP. Most people, especially parents of young children, are busy and won’t take the initiative to look up your birthday parties or if you host any cool classes or if you have special sensory hours or if you share great behind-the-scenes content on instagram. 

You have to kind of spoon feed this information to them, especially when they’re new to your business. And staying top-of-mind when someone is new to your business is SO crucial in forming a more solid relationship with them that results in revenue.

My automated welcome sequence when someone joins my current list is over a YEAR long. Meaning I don’t need to worry about sending any new content to new subscribers for 12 full months- I can trust that my automated system is catching them up and converting leads into paying customers FOR me. I share my most popular blogs and videos, share my origin story, ask questions and prompt them to follow me in other places– all of that. 

So if marketing feels too overwhelming or time consuming to you like it does for SO many of my clients– maybe you just need to lean more heavily on automation. And then you can start watching the sales come in, even without having to keep up with new leads yourself. And in the episode I say to try to think of your welcome sequence as an (unpaid) concierge for your customers to help get acclimated to your business. That white-glove service will absolutely make a significant impact on their level of trust and comfort with you.

• More Emails Equals More Sales (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 177)

To Sum It Up: This one is pretty simple so I’ll get right to the point. More emails equals more sales. If you have a mental block around sending more emails because you feel too pushy or salesy– remember, SELLING is SERVING. You work hard on your classes and services and offers- and you are doing both your business and your customers a major disservice if you aren’t sharing enough with them. You can also get over this block by mixing up your content. You don’t ALWAYS need to be asking for a sale. You can instead share a blog with first birthday party tips or theme ideas, or you can share a cool reel you made showcasing the event you held last weekend.

The key is to stay top of mind and at least make a transitional call-to-action in every – meaning that if you’re not asking for a direct sale you’re asking for an instagram follow or for the reader to click over to your blog which might THEN have a call to action to sign up for an event or book a party– something that transitions eventually to a sale– as often as possible.

Play cafe owners who at LEAST once per week, oftentimes more, see FAR more online sales and bookings come in than people who rely on a once or twice-monthly newsletter.

I share some more tips about how to get more success from marketing in the episode linked but remember- it’s not like you’re showing up at these people’s doors at 10pm demanding money from them– you’re sharing valuable information in a way they raised their hand and ASKED for.

So, more emails equal more sales and if you are not making enough sales, sending more strategic emails is one of the quickest ways to improve your numbers. Plain and simple, so it absolutely kills me that not enough owners have prioritized marketing enough yet.

And if you’re looking for even MORE ways to grow your list, you can check out Profitable Play Episode 230 for 7 more creative things you can do to make more revenue from your list. 

Alright let’s get into the more general marketing tips:

• Why BLOGGING Should Be a Priority In Your Business (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 21)

To Sum It Up: Like marketing, blogging is just not as sexy as other marketing channels like Instagram or TikTok. But It should NOT be slept on– because not only does blogging help you connect with your customers and provide them with valuable information like party tips and theme ideas and play inspiration you can then out or use as social content and to get more bookings and sales–

It also does one CRUCIAL thing. It helps your website rank higher on Google. And it’s one of the fastest FREE ways to do so. But why does this matter so much? According to Backlinko, the top result on Google receives 27.6% of all clicks, and 68.7% of clicks go to the top three organic search results. 

In , First Page Sage reported that the top organic search result receives 19 times more clicks than the top paid search result, and that all clicks from the third to tenth results combined are less than the top organic result.

And clicks equal bookings and sales.

So if you’re short on time and low on ad-spend money, blogging can be extremely helpful in making sure the people who are actively searching for things like party venues or indoor play places in YOUR area– see YOUR space. 

Because that’s the thing– unlike on social media where people are passively just scrolling, maybe zoning out– people typing things into google like, “birthday party venues toddler buffalo NY” are HOT leads and are READY to book and make a purchasing decision. And getting in front of these “hot leads” is so important, especially for your main revenue streams.

So for more information including how to blog in a way that actually produces sales and improves your ranking– check out that episode. I also have a more general episode about improving your SEO and such which is Profitable Play Episode 107. 

• Why You Should Be Investing In Google Ads (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 90)

To Sum It Up: Even though organic or unpaid search results get more clicks, combining paid ads with an organic SEO strategy can be extra powerful, especially because improving your google search ranking can take TIME– especially if you have a lot of competition for keywords in your area.

So I recommend getting in front of those HOT leads as soon as possible, even if you have to pay via Google Ads for page 1 placement– because people who are ready to book or buy WILL generate a positive return on your investment if you follow the strategy and tips I recommend in that episode.

• Utilize Evergreen Retargeting Facebook and Instagram Ads (Profitable Play Podcast Episode Episode 29)

To Sum It Up: I have talked about retargeting ads several times on this podcast, but like marketing they are one of the most SLEPT on and most UNDERUTILIZED marketing strategies for indoor playground businesses, so here we are talking about them again. Plus they can be SO profitable and SO cost effective, being able to run for as little as $1 a day. It pains me to see how little these ads get used, so, here we go.

And before we get into retargeting ads, I want to differentiate retargeting ads from evergreen ads. Because while retargeting ads CAN be run “on evergreen”, so to speak, they don’t NEED to be. And evergreen ads do not necessarily need to be retargeting ads. But I hear people mix them up all the time, so let’s understand the difference first as well as the purpose of each.

I dedicated episodes 29, 30, and 31 of my Profitable Play Podcast to this topic of evergreen facebook ads but in case you missed those episodes, here’s the gist when it comes to evergreen facebook ads:

An evergreen Facebook ad refers to ads that are running in the background of your business all the time, not tied to any specific promotion or time sensitive campaign. 

They are just working behind the scenes in your business constantly bringing in new leads and customers while you do more important things– or, while you REST.

 I edit my evergreen ads maybe once every 6 months to once every year. If you set them up strategically, they can be so low-maintenance, it will BLOW your mind. And that’s just one more reason why I recommend AGAINST hiring an ads manager.

Now retargeting ads are a TYPE of evergreen ads I run, but you can choose to run them however you’d like. You can run them for a week, a month, or just continuously like I do. I am super busy which is why I choose the continuous route, but it’s really up to you and what works best for YOUR business.

So now let’s define retargeting ads.

And while some think of retargeting ads as a more “advanced” strategy, I beg to differ. They are NOT hard to set up or do yourself if you spend a bit of time and energy learning– and if anyone TELLS you they are super complicated, they are LYING because they want you to hire them. BUT, I digress. 

ESPECIALLY if you have a tiny budget– I would start HERE, and work your way back to implementing the OTHER types of ads I talk about here on this podcast and in my course, when you have some proven results to rely on and a bit more cash on hand for budget.

 So what are retargeting ads and what do they do? Let me give you an example.

Lets say someone visits your birthday party page, or your membership page– but doesn’t book or enroll. Should we just– consider it a loss? No, we want to get back in front of them and remind them what we have to offer.

This is where retargeting ads can come in.

I’m sure you’ve visited a website like wayfair or west elm or ikea or something like that, and then you find that, the next time you hop on social media, ads from that exact company seem to all of a sudden be populating your news feed.

These are retargeting ads, in that they target people who have already engaged with a business in some way online. You can retarget ALL your website visitors, or people who visit specific pages. You can ALSO target people who engaged with you on instagram or facebook. You can engage with your subscribers, or people who have filled out your waiver. There are SO many options to customize this strategy to fit exactly what you need.

Let’s go back to the birthday booking page example. When people visited initially, for whatever reason, they may not have been ready to actually BOOK. Maybe they were just browsing, maybe they were price shopping, maybe they had to check their calendar or confirm pricing with their spouse. 

Retargeting ads allow you to stay top of mind in this “consideration” phase, which is crucial to capturing some of these “abandoned bookings”.

And it’s not JUST about staying top of mind. You can use really thoughtful copy and imagery, full of beautiful past parties and client testimonials and party features and highlights to further convince them that YOUR facility is where they should book their next event at.

Now, can you run ads asking for sales or bookings to a COLD audience? Sure you could. And by cold audience, I mean people who have NOT engaged with your business online at any time previously. 

But most who are listening to this podcast likely have services that are MUCH pricier and a bit harder to sell to a cold audience. 

So if you want to SAVE money and get more sales, I highly recommend educating yourself about retargeting ads and ensuring you set them up the CORRECT way– with the best objective, audience, ad creative- all that. So watch YouTube tutorials, or you can fast track your learning with my BMB with Ads course- but give these a try, you will NOT regret it.

• Utilizing Pinterest Ads (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 155)

To Sum It Up:  I JUST can’t leave the ads discussion alone without mentioning another ads platform with a ton of opportunity and almost ZERO local competition. And that is Pinterest. Imagine– someone in your area looking up ideas for their child’s first birthday theme– and coming across a pin for YOUR facility showcasing your party options that can serve as the PERFECT backdrop for whatever custom theme they dream up. There is a misconception that you can’t TARGET paid pinterest ads for a specific location or demographics, but that simply is false. Just like Google Ads, you can set specific parameters to be sure your ads are ONLY shown to people likely to book your facility. And since I can almost guarantee that no other party venues local to you are utilizing this strategy, because this piece of advice seldom gets taken, you can enjoy almost complete market share, making these ads very affordable as well as simple to set up. So if booking more birthdays is on your list of goals, consider Pinterest ads, especially if you have a limited budget. 

• Upselling (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 44) 

To Sum It Up:  I really try to avoid using really stereotypical marketing phrases here but sometimes I just can’t help myself. Upselling when someone is in the checkout process is one of THE “lowest hanging fruits” so-to-speak, when looking for ways to increase revenue.

One of the things I help my Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society students decipher is what KPIs or key performance indicators are important to track in their day-to-day operations to ensure they are on track for their monthly, quarterly and annual goals. And a really common metric I recommend tracking is average transaction value– whether a transaction is made online or in-person. 

And as I was alluding to, one of the EASIEST ways to do this is through a simple upsell. And sure, the most obvious example people normally think of is birthday party add-ons that can be selected at the time of booking. But we can get SO much deeper with this strategy and increase the transaction value almost anywhere and everywhere in our business. So for example, when someone purchases an online gift card, prompt people to add on a book or a retail toy item with some sort of gift wrapping- which is particularly helpful when someone is buying a gift to pick up for a birthday party or if they are buying to a local child but they themselves live out of town.  When you sell a membership, maybe prompt them to upgrade to a higher tier that includes classes, or add on a welcome box filled with merch, a coffee mug, a t shirt– something like that.

When you sell a class ticket you can give an upgrade option to unlock a set of downloadable or printable materials they can use to keep the learning going at home, or maybe include an online version of the class or additional pre-recorded instruction meant to further enforce the concepts covered in the class. 

Or when someone is purchasing a retail toy item in-person, you can set up a buy 2 get a freebie type deal- which can be used to surprise and delight the customers but also increase sales AND offload old inventory if you allow customers to select their freebie from a predetermined list or menu.

 I go through this entire strategy and give more ideas in this episode, but if this is not something you are doing at every opportunity, you are leaving an incredible amount of money on the table AND missing out on really valuable ways to better serve your customers. Remember, we create revenue through serving. So figure out how you can enhance or upgrade every single purchase in an authentic way, and you WILL have a winning upsell strategy that can become largely automated especially when it comes to online bookings and sales.

• Optimizing Your MOBILE Website (Profitable Play Episode 80)

To Sum It Up:  When a business owner books a 1:1 call with me and one of the things they bring up is that their online bookings or sales are low, or that they’re experiencing low sales in general– one of the FIRST things I check if not THE first thing is the mobile version of their website and all their booking pages. And 9 out of 10 times, their website is NOT designed for mobile and is not optimized, which can cause major problems for customers.

Globally, almost 59% of ALL web traffic comes from mobile devices, and that number is consistently increasing year over year. And for our types of businesses- this number is usually much higher. Just think about it. How many parents do you know are sitting on a desktop PC or laptop searching things to do with their kids? Some, sure– but the VAST majority are looking on their phones. They are on-the-go and not sitting at computer. And even if they’re at their work desk if they’re a working parent, they’re probably still using their so as to not use their company computer for personal searches.  When I checked my play cafe website analytics– over 80% of our web traffic was from a mobile device– and this is EXCLUDING tablets. And if you don’t believe me– go ahead and check yours.

Here’s where the problem lies– we usually design our websites and booking pages on a desktop. And unless you are hiring a professional web designer who has built a specific mobile site design and optimization package into their fee– MOST business owners just have the ONE version of their website out there for customers to browse.

So I want you to pick up your right now, and spend some time in your customers’ shoes. How does your site look? Are buttons out of place or is there way too much text to scroll through? Do you have to constantly flip your orientation or scroll horizontally to read or click buttons? Are things appearing mashed together, out of order, or cut-off completely? And when you go to purchase something, are you able to read the text? Is the page overly complicated? 

If the answer is YES to any of these questions, you are ABSOLUTELY leaving money on the table. A LOT of money.

And again if you don’t believe me, let’s do some quick math. Let’s say you get 1,000 visitors to your website in a given week. And let’s say 2% of those people make a purchase or booking– and let’s say the average revenue from those purchases is $50. That’s 20 purchases at $50 or $1,000 in revenue. So what happens if you really take the time to optimize your mobile website and increase that percentage from 2% to 5%? Even that seemingly small increase will now yield 50 purchases at the same $50 revenue per purchase and earn you $2,500 in cash– in the SAME time period with the EXACT same number of visitors to your site. 

SO many owners think that when sales are low they need more traffic– but what if you instead just converted more of the traffic you are ALREADY getting? You can easily more than DOUBLE your sales, with very little effort. And if you also employ the upselling strategy we just talked about– now THAT is where the magic can REALLY happen. So before you worry about running ads or creating new social media content that gets a flood of new visitors to your site– please optimize the mobile version of your website. Even if you need to hire help, it WILL be worth it and result in a positive ROI quickly if you hire someone that’s a good fit and knows what they’re doing. And if social media IS a big part of your marketing strategy, this is significantly MORE important. Because your audience is not scrolling IG or FB or Tik Tok on their laptops or desktops. 

• The 60 Second Instagram Audit (Profitable Play Episode 91)

To Sum It Up:  This one is pretty simple. When I go to your IG page or your FB page or your website, I should be able to see exactly what your facility looks like and what you offer without having to scroll. Again, simple right? Well, when I visit most indoor playgrounds social media pages– instead of seeing eye catching photos of play equipment and their facilities, I’m usually instead bombarded by graphics. When I do YouTube videos and want to showcase other spaces I often have to scroll and scroll and scroll until I find even one decent photo that showcases what their play area even looks like. And many times I don’t even find what I’m looking for– I have to instead go to yelp or google reviews and see customer-uploaded images, which are not always kind or favorable to the business. 

It’s great that things like Canva exist because they make graphic design really accessible and affordable. But there IS such a thing as overdoing it. And most business owners unfortunately do. Remember- every business under the sun uses the basic graphics. They are very unlikely to capture someone’s attention. They’re OK to sprinkle in, if they are cohesive with your branding– but captions exist for a reason. Don’t be afraid to use a photo of your facility or even a slideshow to stop the scroll and get your intended audience's attention THEN utilize the caption– NOT the image– to get whatever info you need to get across. 

Just think- if YOU were scrolling on IG as a parent- would you pause and read a random graphic that probably looks like a boring old ad? No. But if you scrolled upon a bright playroom with kids having fun or a photo of an adorable birthday theme? Heck yes. So please, use graphics extremely sparingly, if at all.

 I have additional resources about utilizing stories and pinned posts to further improve your IG profile but please- if I navigate to your feed and have to scroll AT ALL to get an idea of what to expect when I walk through your doors– it’s a problem and you’re losing out on engagement and sales because of it.

• Take Professional Photos For Your Website (Profitable Play Episode 180)

To Sum It Up:  Along those same lines, when I go to your website, I should be able to easily and quickly get a FULL idea of everything to expect inside your space. 

But again, when I visit the websites of new clients, I often see maybe 1-2 OK pictures, or sometimes no pictures at all.

This can be really easy to overlook because we are SO close to our businesses, but please, remember- a professional photo and or video shoot will go a LONG way when it comes to making more sales and bookings.

Especially in this economy parents will not want to waste a trip or booking cost because they are unsure whether or not your facility is a good fit for them. So make it EXTREMELY clear. Do not make them dig. Because as I said before, if you don’t put nice photos out there– they’ll find them on Yelp and Google images. And that is probably NOT what you want and is not going to earn you new customers or visits.

• Sell More Event Tickets and Class Passes With This Simple Tool (Profitable Play Episode 176)

To Sum It Up:  As I mentioned before, if you are relying on selling single day passes or single class or event tickets as a main revenue source, it will already be a tough uphill battle because you have to get a TON of transactions each month to hit your goal, whereas if you were selling packs of passes or memberships or higher-ticket items, you’d only need to make a fraction of the sales to hit the SAME revenue goals.

But I understand that for some people this model feels best– but if that is you, you’re probably making it even HARDER on yourself and your marketing strategy than it has to be. 

You already know I recommend relying on automation as MUCH as possible to not only make more sales but also save on staffing costs and ad spend. And this is why I am not sure why almost no indoor playgrounds that are class and event focused utilize a calendar that automatically sends prompts and updates to customers and subscribers. 

My favorite such calendar is AddEvent, which is a tool that costs less than $30 a month and allows your customers to sync your calendar to their preferred calendar app (apple, google, etc) with just one or two clicks. And anytime you add a new event it gets added to their calendar automatically. I recommend just putting a booking or tickets link in the description for people that see it and want to actually attend.

And one business can have multiple calendars– whether you want to separate between your class and events calendar, have calendars organized for different ages, whatever makes most sense for you.

 And you can set up alerts to let people know WHEN you have added something. We all know how expensive things like mass SMS texting and ads can be– so do not overlook this highly effective and affordable tool if you need to sell more event or class tickets. Even if you sell ONE more ticket or pass a month, the tool will likely pay for itself, making the cost benefit analysis really simple. So if marketing is still too tough or time consuming but you NEED to book out camps, classes, or events, this can be an easy and accessible alternative. 

Operations

• Set Up A Call Forwarding System (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 105) 

To Sum It Up: I talked  a lot in last week's episode about why leaning into automation in your business is so critical to not only save money on staffing and protect your own time and energy– but in this instance, it will also help you serve your customers at a much higher level as well.

The automation I am referring to here is a call forwarding system, meaning that when someone calls your business, they get an automated set of prompts to choose from and even do a little self-service.  And a LOT of people completely disregard this tip because they think, “well, that would make it like calling a doctors office then– and will remove the personal touch we are able to have with our customers”. And that’s probably what you’re thinking if you haven’t implemented this yet, am I right? If so, PLEASE just hear me out.

Between 8 or 9 out of 10 calls to our front desk were literally JUST asking if we were open. Or what our hours were. And without an automated call forwarding system, someone had to answer all those calls, sometimes dozens a day. And that pulled them away from whatever they were doing - whether that was cleaning, assembling a balloon garland, making a drink, checking someone in, answering questions from an in-person guest– you get the picture.

And this is frustrating to everyone involved. The person calling, the customers there in-person, AND the staff member. And before you say, why would people call? Our hours are posted EVERYWHERE online? Just trust me on this one. They WILL still call. A lot.

Now imagine, those same people calling, and just having to hit 1 to hear the most current hours? And the call forwarding system that we used, RingCentral (which was just $25 ish a month) even let us quickly throw a message before the menu would play- so if we had an emergency like if we had to close for weather  or something else time sensitive – I could hop on my Ringcentral app and in 2 seconds throw a pre-recorded message before the normal message.

You are now able to reduce the calls your staff has to answer by 80-90%-- which is a win for EVERYONE.

And what about people calling for other reasons? You can, if you choose, filter other calls to go straight to you, or to another line. For example if your cafe is CRAZY busy and you want to quickly redirect all birthday inquiries to your cell so you can take the calls in your quieter home since you will have more time to answer questions and help them book, you can do that. And you can also change it to go back to the front desk once it calms down with just a couple clicks.

You can really make this strategy 100% customized to YOUR needs and control everything easily on an app, or you can delegate it to a manager. We had a couple menu options– so, one for hours, one for party inquiries, one to hear about events or classes coming up, and one to go to the front desk if we were open and they still had a question.

You can set your business hours so that if you are open 8-2 for example and people call with a question– it can go to the desk. But then at 2pm, it can automatically reroute calls to either your cell or a voicemail that your team can check in the morning.

So even though your knee-jerk reaction may be that installing this type of automation will detract from your customer service, in practice it actually seriously IMPROVES it– and keeps your staff happier and less overwhelmed, which is ALWAYS a positive.

So if you feel like you are wasting money on incoming calls and leaving sales on the table because of missed calls and your staff being unable to keep up while also serving in-person customers, you NEED to make this small investment. Like I said I highly recommend RingCentral, I will link it in the show notes, but they sent us phones to use and it was only $25 ish a month. And their app was incredible and made it so easy to really control everything quickly and easily. 

And zoom voice is another option some people like, I have just never used it personally.

But I am telling you, this WILL be an absolute game-changer for your business. So just give it a try, especially before the busy season hits.

• Create Standard Operating Procedures (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 11)

To Sum It Up:

Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) is an absolute MUST for any indoor playground owner looking to boost team performance and also ensure consistent service for their customers.

With clear guidelines in place, your staff knows exactly how to handle everything from opening the doors to counting the cash register to making a latte to booking a birthday to cutting a cake to handling an accident report. This consistency not only keeps your customers happy but also makes training new hires a breeze, and a whole lot less expensive and time consuming.

The goal is to ensure that neither YOU nor ANY key employee is hoarding knowledge, whether its intentionally or unintentionally, EVER. Because even with the most reliable of people, accidents happen. If the person who usually handles a specific task isn’t around or is sick or is taken out of the business for some reason, SOPs can ensure that ANY team member can step in and follow the steps, keeping things safe and smooth. And if you're thinking about selling the business one day, having well-documented SOPs shows potential buyers that the operation is solid and can run like clockwork without you, making your business more attractive and valuable.

I have talked about this topic TO DEATH already on this podcast so I will leave it at that– but for some reason, when I have a consult and a main complaint is unreliable or incompetent team members– you know that the FIRST thing I am asking about is how well documented their procedures are. If their steps are outlined in writing AND in another format as well such as video. If they have an employee manual that sets extremely clear expectations. And surprise, surprise, almost every single time– I get a deer in headlights look. 

Creating SOPs and manuals is not a fun or sexy task– but it is absolutely critical if you want to create a desirable work environment and operate your business with true integrity. Because integrity is really all about reliability and consistency. Providing what you say you’re going to, every single time. And SOP’s make that possible. So just get it done, even if its slowly. Get started today.

• Hiring a VA (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 163)

To Sum It Up: Since hiring woes seem to be such a common topic in 1:1 sessions, I wanted to throw in a lesser known option that not a lot of people utilize– and that is hiring a virtual assistant.

While it may seem daunting to delegate, hiring a virtual assistant (VA) offers a practical and affordable solution to lightening your workload. 

A VA is a remote professional who can take on various tasks, allowing you to concentrate on the high-value activities that are crucial to growing your business. This shift not only significantly increases your productivity but also conserves your mental and physical energy for what truly matters, including spending time with family and friends. 

Hiring a VA is also cost-effective, as you only pay for the hours they work without the need to provide benefits, guaranteed hours, pay for any downtime, or extensive training typical of in-person employees. 

Also, the flexibility of virtual assistants opens up access to a global talent pool, enabling you to find the best fit for your specific needs, regardless of location. VAs can easily adapt to your business's changing demands, scaling their hours up or down as required, making them an ideal solution for businesses looking to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Ways to Earn Extra Revenue 

• Affiliate Marketing (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 71)

To Sum It Up: Affiliate marketing is a great way for indoor playground owners to generate additional income by promoting products or services that complement their business. Affiliate marketing involves partnering with companies or brands that offer products relevant to your audience. 

When you promote these products—through your website, social media, or even in-person at your playground—you earn a commission on any sales made through your unique affiliate links.

This can be an easy, low-effort way to add a new revenue stream to your business without needing to manage additional inventory or overhead. And it’s something I utilize in my own business every single day. 

But for an indoor playground owner, there are many ways to leverage affiliate marketing. 

One idea is to partner with companies that sell children's toys, educational products, or play equipment– especially if they are brands or companies you have already bought from and showcase in your facility.  

You can feature these products on your website or in your newsletters, recommending them to your customers as items that align with the types of activities and play they already enjoy at your facility or that allow them to enjoy activities at home as well. 

For instance, if you host a music class, you could recommend specific instruments or books, giving parents easy options for extending the fun and learning at home and earning commissions on those sales. And if approaching companies feels overwhelming, you can start as an Amazon affiliate, which I talk about in detail in episode 112 of the Proifitable Play podcast.

Another opportunity lies in promoting local services or experiences that your audience might be interested in, such as children's classes, family-friendly events, or even birthday party services or add ons that you don’t offer.

By partnering with other businesses in your community, you not only earn commissions on referrals but also strengthen local business relationships, which could lead to more collaborative opportunities down the line. Additionally, you might consider recommending products that align with the needs of parents, such as parenting books, meal delivery services, or even wellness products, providing value to your customers while earning a passive income.

Overall, affiliate marketing can be a simple and effective way you to diversify and grow your income. By carefully selecting products and services that you have used and TRUST and that resonate with your audience, you can create meaningful recommendations that benefit both your customers and your bottom line.

• User Generated Content (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 184)

To Sum It Up: User-generated content (UGC) has become a powerful tool for businesses, and as an indoor playground owner, you can tap into this trend to create another additional revenue stream.

And while many owners are doing great things by leaning on influencers and other local creators to help market their business, I have not seen many venture into the OTHER side of UGC content creation and become creators themselves. So let me explain. 

But first, if you’re wondering what this even means– a User-Generated Content (UGC) creator is someone who creates content, such as photos, videos, reviews, or social media posts, featuring products or services from a brand, without necessarily being an influencer or having a large following. This content is typically created in a natural, authentic way, often showcasing how the product is used in real life. Brands use UGC to enhance their marketing efforts because it feels more relatable and trustworthy to consumers than traditional advertising.

So anyway, similar to affiliate marketing, by becoming a UGC creator, you can leverage the products and equipment you already use in your playground to create content for brands, without needing a large following or worrying about managing your own social media presence. 

And unlike affiliate marketing, you can charge a flat fee, making this an even more consistent and reliable source of income.

This can include curating content from your customers, partnering with toy brands for sponsored play sessions, or even organizing themed events that feature specific toys or products.

Additionally, you can monetize your efforts by charging fees for hosting events, creating toy review videos, or developing a UGC hub on your website where parents can share THEIR experiences. 

There are so many ways to leverage this type of creation which I detail in the episode– and it’s often even more significant in terms of dollars than affiliate marketing, though not quite as passive– so I wanted to give you both options in case you feel particularly pulled towards one or the other.

• Adding Digital Products To Your Business (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 231, 232 and 271)

To Sum It Up: 

You likely already know how I feel about the massive potential when it comes to adding to and diversifying revenue with digital products and online classes so I will do my very best to keep this one short and sweet. Adding digital products and online classes to a brick-and-mortar indoor playground business can significantly enhance revenue, broaden your customer base, AND add value to your existing services. 

By expanding into the digital or online realm, you're not just limited to the physical location of your playground—you can reach families and customers beyond your immediate geographic area. This is especially valuable during off-peak seasons or times when in-person visits might be limited, such as summers, during inclement weather or holidays.

Offering online classes, such as educational workshops, parenting seminars, or creative arts and crafts tutorials, can create an additional income stream that requires minimal overhead. 

These classes can cater to various age groups and interests, making your business more versatile and appealing to a broader audience. Moreover, they can serve as a promotional tool for your physical playground, encouraging families to visit in person once they've experienced your brand online.

And as I said this can be a great supplement and value-add to any in-person classes you do as well. I talked in part 1 about upselling and how you can easily increase your class price if there is some at-home learning element added that parents can use to get an even better result from the class, whether it’s a baby sign language class, a parenting seminar, a foreign language playground, or some sort of craft. You have such a major chance to make YOUR space unique by offering continued learning online that you can really position yourself as the go-to in your area if you deliver a great experience and organize and produce your products in an effective way. 

Christine from Allo Play in New York is a great example of someone who completely transformed her business for the better once she started taking her acclaimed classes online during COVID. 

Digital products, such as courses, e-books, printable activity sheets, or themed party planning guides, can also allow you to monetize your expertise and content without the constraints of time and space. 

Heather, for example, from episode 232  is another former teacher who now has a Kindergarten Readiness program she designed for parents that is all online and that thousands of parents have paid for. She also creates resources for teachers, which is something I know a LOT of you listening would be amazing at. 

These products can be sold through your website or even a place like TPT or Etsy,, providing passive income and keeping your brand in customers' minds even when they're not at your playground. 

• Do More With Balloons (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 252)

To Sum It Up: 

Balloons is something most indoor playgrounds offer– and if they don’t offer balloons at all they are seriously, seriously missing out on some easy profit– but oftentimes, they are barely scratching the surface in terms of how they can leverage balloons to scale their sales. 

So even if you're already offering balloons, I bet you're not fully maximizing their revenue potential. And while I really dive into these strategies in the episode, let’s summarize the highlights, shall we?

Most owners with balloon garlands, which are trending right now, so that is smart, especially since they are simple to put together (yes, we have a training inside of PMS) and don’t require helium. Plus, since you will likely be hanging them inside in a controlled environment, you don’t need to hassle with the elements like many balloon artists do, making this even more approachable.. These decorative pieces can transform any party room and make a significant visual impact. 

They are cost-effective to produce, with a high profit margin, assuming you or your team assembles them– which is ALWAYS what I recommend, because outsourcing such a simple task to a vendor is leaving SERIOUS money on the table.. For example, a 12-foot garland can be sold for around $240, with only about $30 in material costs. 

What’s more, garlands can be prepped in advance, making them a convenient and profitable addition to your service offerings. Our staff worked on garlands in their downtime during the afternoons when play was not as bustling– so it really did not require any extra payroll.

Another option to add is helium balloon bouquets, which, while slightly less profitable due to the cost of helium, still offer a quick and easy way to enhance your revenue. Additionally, balloon columns, arches, and other non-hanging structures are versatile options that don’t require helium and can be reused across multiple events.

And for those looking to really diversify, consider retailing balloons at your cafe counter. Items like animal or character balloons on a stick can be an affordable, attractive option for parents who want to reward their kids for a great visit without spending much on toys or snacks. This also helps increase the average spend per visit, a crucial metric for any indoor playground that I mentioned before in this series. .

And lastly,  think about expanding your reach by offering pick-up or delivery options for balloon decorations. This allows you to serve a broader customer base, including those hosting events outside your space. Whether it’s a graduation, wedding, or any celebration, becoming the go-to balloon supplier in your area can open up new revenue streams without requiring a significant investment.

• Sell More Summer Camps  (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 158)

To Sum It Up: 

This one is really simple and I have definitely talked this topic to death so I am going to do an ULTRA high level summary here of how to sell more summer camps and events and classes.

Promote them as early as possible. Your summer camps should go live for booking in January with an early bird incentive and you should always put classes and events on your calendar MONTHS in advance if possible. So if you’re listening to this as it’s released, you should already be selling halloween event tickets and soon, you should be publishing your big-ticket holiday events.

The saying “the early bird gets the worm” is truly applicable here and while that episode has tons more tips– THIS is seemingly the one that everyone forgets or underestimates so– consider this your WELL ahead-of-time notice– you should be getting this stuff planned and ready for sales NOW.

Personal Tips

• Hire And Pay Your Kids Through Your Business (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 255)

If your kids already “help” in your business- don’t tune this one out– because while many owners utilize this strategy, they are not leveraging it to their full advantage or their children’s full advantage. In this episode I interviewed accountant and profit strategist Jamie Trull and she explained, step-by-step, how you can hire even your very young kids in your business up to $13,500 per year tax free– meaning that is a tax write off for your business AND your children do not need to pay income tax on it. And there are a lot of details in that episode about creating additional accounts and investments for them but if your kids are helping– whether its tidying your office, organizing play stuff, sweeping the floor, testing toys, or appearing in social media images or videos- you should be documenting their efforts and compensating them officially through your business. Doing so can really help YOU out at tax time and set THEM up financially in the future.

Now of course there are dos and don’ts of this strategy so if you want to learn more about what tasks kids can be paid for and how much they can and should be legally paid and how to set everything up- go back and listen to that episode. It’s never too late to start this and your kids will thank you SO much down the line.

And just think how proud YOU will feel when you show your kids how your business directly contributed to their college fund, a house down payment, or whatever they wish to use their earnings for. We all go into this business wanting to supplement our families lives, right?

Well this is a real, tangible way to do that. And you don’t need to start off doing the full $13,000 annually– you can start small. So no excuses, this is something every single parent business owner should prioritize if their familys finances are part of their “why”.

• Creating an Exit Strategy (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 25) 

To Sum It Up: 

Creating an exit strategy for your indoor playground business should be a priority from the very start, even if you don’t plan to sell in the near future. Every business eventually reaches a crossroads where the owner must decide whether to expand, sell, or close up shop.

Your playground might be thriving now, but various factors—such as personal circumstances, market trends, or changes in your local community—can influence the future. Preparing an exit strategy early on ensures you have a clear plan in place for any scenario, whether you aim to sell for a profit, hand down the business to your children, or close the doors at the end of your lease.

When you launch your business, it’s essential to understand that one of four outcomes is likely: you might operate the playground for 20+ years and pass it on to your kids, sell to a friendly buyer, close the business at the end of your lease, or in the worst case, liquidate or declare bankruptcy.

These possibilities underscore the importance of having an exit plan. Consider your current season of life, the ages of your children, your business location, and evolving consumer trends. Even if you want to keep the business running long-term, external factors may force your hand, so preparing for the unexpected is critical.

One of the best ways to set yourself up for a successful exit, no matter when it happens, is to operate as though you plan to sell from day one. This involves maintaining accurate financial records, keeping an up-to-date valuation of your assets, and documenting essential processes to ensure the business can run smoothly without you.

Prospective buyers will be more interested in a turnkey operation where the owner’s role can be easily transitioned to someone else. By planning ahead, you also position yourself to make informed decisions about paying off debt, compensating yourself as the owner, and ensuring the business remains agile and adaptable to changing circumstances.

• Organize Your Professional and Personal Life With A Task Management Tool (Profitable Play Podcast Episode 3 )

To Sum It Up:

There are just SO many dang tasks we as owners are juggling every single day between our business and ALL the other roles we play in our lives. Without a task management system in place, it's easy to become overwhelmed and lose track of crucial details.

This is where a task (free!) tool like Asana can make a significant difference. By organizing both business and personal tasks within a single platform, indoor playground owners can achieve greater clarity, reduce stress, and maintain a balanced life.

Asana allows you to break down your goals into manageable tasks, assign deadlines, and track progress in real-time. Whether you’re coordinating a team or managing solo projects, Asana keeps everything in one place, making it easy to prioritize and delegate tasks.

For example, you can create separate projects for different areas of your business, like event planning, marketing, or daily operations, and within those projects, list all related tasks with clear deadlines and responsibilities. This structure not only ensures that nothing falls through the cracks but also helps you visualize your workload, making it easier to plan your day or week.

Asana can also be integrated with personal tasks, allowing you to strike a better work-life balance.

For indoor playground owners who often juggle multiple responsibilities, being able to see both business and personal tasks in one place can lead to more efficient time management. You can set reminders for personal commitments, like family activities or personal development goals, right alongside your business tasks, ensuring that neither aspect of your life is neglected. This holistic approach to task management fosters better organization and ultimately leads to a more fulfilling and productive lifestyle.

• Leveraging ChatGPT and AI (Get the Free Training Here)

To Sum It Up:

In the indoor playground industry where agility is one of the MAIN keys to success- you NEED to learn how to be as efficient as possible to survive, and to survive with your sanity intact. AI and tools like ChatGPT can be invaluable assets in helping owners streamline operations, improve customer engagement, and save time. By automating routine tasks and providing instant access to information, AI can really enable you to focus more on strategic growth and customer experience.

One of the primary ways AI and ChatGPT can increase productivity is through customer interaction. For example, ChatGPT can be integrated into your website or social media platforms to handle inquiries, book reservations, or provide information about services. This means that even when you or your staff are busy, your customers can receive immediate responses to their questions, leading to higher satisfaction and potentially more bookings. Additionally, AI can help draft personalized emails, social media posts, or marketing campaigns, allowing you to maintain consistent communication without the time-consuming effort.

Beyond customer service, ChatGPT can assist in internal operations. It can help with scheduling, inventory management, or even brainstorming ideas for new programs and events. For instance, if you're planning a new event but are stuck on themes or activities, you can use ChatGPT to generate creative ideas or even draft event outlines. AI can also analyze data, like customer feedback or sales trends, to provide actionable insights, helping you make informed decisions faster. By leveraging these capabilities, indoor playground owners can not only save time but also enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of their business.

I even used chatGPT to help me with this podcast. I literally pasted my 8-10 page full podcast scripts into the tool and said– summarize this into 2 paragraphs please. So if you enjoyed these episodes, you can thank ChatGPT, because I would have NEVER had the time or patience to accurately summarize 30 hour-long episodes otherwise.

Are you interested in learning more about Children Indoor Playground direct factory? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!