The most important things to keep in mind while designing the play area (from a purchase perspective ... we are assuming that you have already done the calculations of whether its financially viable, government regulations etc)
Size is the most element of your play. It can determine what all fun elements you can bring into the play area, what different age groups you can target (smaller the area, lesser the age groups you can target). But as you grow bigger so does your invetment into the project as well as the monthly operating expenses such as rent, AC, electricity, Staff salary etc. (Use our monthly profit and loss calculator)
A lot of play areas need to be located only in those areas where you have a good height as only then can you accommodate large slides or trampoline park or rope course adventure.
A lot of customers don't always pay proper importance to interior decoration and ambience. This is one of the most critical aspects of your play area.
You need to ensure that the store entry, store interiors, colors and ambience create a vibrant and inviting look and feel for parents and customers. Parents are also very particular about store cleanliness.
I would suggest you either look up on google and go for a designer from China as they are very creative and have done many play area.
Food is very important. So if you have space, we always suggest to our customers to ensure that they have a proper food area. If you cannot ensure good taste and hygiene, its better to sub contract to a known food brand in your area so that customers can enjoy good taste and you also get more time to focus on play area. Getting in a local branded player also helps you to attract more footfalls for your indoor play area.
A significant revenue of play area is also from birthday parties. To get birthday parties for your softplay / indoor play area you need to ensure that your store interiors are beautiful because people also want to show their status while throwing parties. You also need to have adequeate seating area for mothers and children while serving food.
If you cant manage food inhouse or through sub contracting, then another option is to find a high quality wedding caterer. But please always ensure that food quality and taste is very good.
The menu and the package is also very important. Based on our experience, you make it like this
Package 1
Cold drink
Choice of two starters ( Pizza / Fries / garlic bread etc )
Choice of any two combo ( Noodles + machurian or Chola bhatura )
Desert - Choice of ice cream
Cold drink / Mocktails
Choice of 3 starters ( Pizza / french fries / chilly panner )
Choice of 3 combos ( Chola bhatura / noodles manchurian / Fried rice )
1 desert
You can price it starting of 499 upwards per person and take a minimum guarantee of 20 (that means even if 10 people turn up the customer needs to pay for 20) so that food cost can be recovered.
This is a kids play area and you have to ensure that the indoor play area / softplay is very well maintained. You must ensure there are no broken parts, no sharp edges, no riskly parts that can hurt children.
You also must have a proper cleaning schedule and house keeping to ensure that it is followed. You need to chart out each area of the indoor play area / soft play so that every part is cleaned.
You also need to ensure the staff is properly trained and equipped to handle emergencies like a child vomiting or urinating or worse shitting in the play area. Yeah, mad stuff can happen.
We always advocate allowing both or at least 1 parent inside the play area. The children feel more secure in the indoor play area when their parents are around. It also builds get memories for the chidren and parents inside.
This is the most critical aspect of the play area. One consistent mistake we find in play areas, is that operators use nylon / semi cotton socks for children in the play area which are very slippery on plast slides etc
We suggest you buy non skid socks. You also need to ensure that you plan for proper and quick evacuation in case of fire or any other emergency. Its better if you have multiple exits for emergency. It goes without saying that you need to have proper fire standards as per local governement norms.
CCTV cameras are very important for monitoring things remotely.
A very crucial point is ensuring there is proper lighting. Children like bright places and in many multi tiered softplay it often happens that areas inside or below the slides are not well lit. This needs to be ensured during the designing stage.
While designing the play area, you also need to ensure that you leave space for a small office room. Even a space of 6' x 8' is okay. No need for anything fancy or big. You also need to leave some space for storage. Its based on the size of play area. You also need to plan a waiting lounge, cash counter, a locker for staff to keep their bags and a place for them to have lunch / break etc.