As
seen in January/February
2002
Roller Skating Volume 2/Issue 1
Soft Play—Here to Stay
By: Dick Mason
Jack Pentes, owner of Pentes Design,
wrote an article for the RSA in the mid-90s; most of it was concerned
with the question, “Is soft play here to stay?” I can
honestly say in 2002, that I still share the belief with Pentes that
it is here to stay. Officially, the correct terminology is “soft-contained
play.” However, many people refer to them as soft modular playgrounds
or just soft play. Admittedly, in the mid-90s, soft modular playgrounds
were definitely in their “heyday.” There were 15 to 20
companies producing them for every entrepreneur that wanted to jump
on the Family Entertainment Center (FEC) bandwagon. Now, just because
they were in their “heyday” I am not advocating that every
skating center needs to install a soft playground. I speak with many
rink owners—a diverse group of people—in the course of
my daily business. Some small, hometown businesses have happily existed
for decades and do not feel they need to add a playground. For example,
Sara Wheeler’s, owner/operator of Wheeler Skating Rink in Cookeville,
Tenn., family has owned a rink for years. They love it and it is doing
just fine. Am I going to tell Wheeler that she must have an indoor
playground to survive? I think not.
There are many reasons to feature a
soft modular playground at your rink. First, everyone knows that birthday
parties are one of the most important business components of a successful
rink. If local competition is stealing some of your birthday business
and you learn that their package includes time on a playground, then
you may want to consider one.
Here is another reason to employ a soft modular playground: imagine
you are building an expensive new facility in a certain area and you
want to do everything in your power to discourage other businesses
from coming in and competing with you. In this case, you would probably
want a soft playground as part of your product mix. A third reason
revealed itself during my phone conversations with rink owners. The
recurring theme that I kept hearing was, “We thought that we
were missing out on the youngest age group. Our soft playground has
brought them to us.”
One rink owner who has had a soft playground
the longest is J.A. Phillips of Skate Castle in Decatur, Al. Although
his facility has always had a reputation for actively pursuing the
business of two-to-six-year-olds, Phillips wanted to offer them more.
He added a playground in 1994 where a little-used practice rink was
located and brought in dozens of Roller Racers®. “We were
not doing three-year old birthday parties. Now we do a lot of them,”
said Phillips. “The daycare centers come in twice a week and
we do six to ten private sessions per week. In the summer, that increases
with camp business. During some of these “tot sessions,”
no one ever puts on skates. They just ride the Roller Racers®
and play in the soft playground. I love to get them A soft modular
playground may increase birthday party sales, as well as draw the
two-to-six-year-old crowd. Today, the FEC craze has followed the typical
growth curve of any “new frontier” business, and the strongest
companies have survived. The result is that there are probably only
six to eight companies remaining that build soft modular playgrounds.
(Personally, I am very familiar with most of these companies and can
state with confidence
that they are all good companies with whom to do business.) Space
Requirements and Complexity I tell people that a 16-foot-by-28-foot
footprint is a nice size for a small playground. Playgrounds are typically
for two-to-twelve-year-olds.
As the industry has matured, so has the sophistication incorporated
into soft modular playgrounds. Innovations include interactive sound
and light packages with laser trip mechanisms. Some playgrounds even
feature computers on which children can play.
Cost
This stuff is expensive. Period. Customarily, $20,000 to $100,000
or more, is what you will spend. Your task is to
determine what your market is demanding and what your budget can afford.
Maintenance
Any vital new attraction is going to require regularly scheduled maintenance.
Playgrounds are no different, especially when parents are your constant
inspectors. Owners tell me that picking up and cleaning constitutes
a continuous task throughout the rink and in particular, the playground.
Darrell Weaver of PlaySmart said, “Soft playgrounds are not
something that you install and forget about. A popular playground
will get a lot of activity and as a result, lint from clothing and
general dust will accumulate quickly. You need to be prepared to invest
significant time and labor in keeping your playground clean. It
cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to keep your playground
clean and well maintained. Maintenance should not be a real significant
issue if you go with a proven supplier, but you do need to be aware
that playgrounds are not maintenance free.” Wiping down all
plastic and vinyl surfaces will be a weekly job. There is an anti-static
spray for the plastic slides. All hardware should be checked to ensure
its tightness. Barrier nets should be inspected for holes. The weekly
chore of cleaning ball pit balls has lessened the popularity of this
event among owners, but kids still love them!
Conclusion
Are you considering taking the plunge? Any soft playground manufacturer
can answer the questions you may still have. You may find that your
“soft” investment will result in “hard” profits!
CONTACT INFORMATION
International Play Company, 100-5510, 28th, Aldergrove, British
Columbia, Canada, V3W 2J4; phone: 604-607-5544; fax: 604-607-
5588; e-mail: ipc@direct.ca; website: www.internationalplayco.com.
Mason Corporation 7104 Crossroads Blvd., Brentwood, TN 37027;
phone: 800-821-4141; fax: 615-373-8796; e-mail: masoncorp
@aol.com; website: wwwmasoncorporation.com.
PlaySmart, Inc., 107 N. Missouri, Sedalia, MO 65301; phone: 660-
829-0523; fax: 660-829-0526; e-mail: melissa@playsmart.com; website:
www.playsmart.com.