What Makes a Great Soft Play Centre?

Whether you run a play centre, aqua park or a trampoline park, the competition within the family entertainment business is fierce. Having worked with family entertainment centres of all shapes and sizes, we have learned a few things along the way. In this series of articles, we will share with you how to make your venue stand out from the crowd; starting with what makes a great soft play centre.

Soft play venues have always been a favourite for families with small children. It is the go to for parents to catch up with friends while the kids are safely playing on the equipment. It’s an easy option that ticks many of the boxes that kids and grown-ups are seeking in an activity.

However, all soft play centres were not created equal. There are a few things that you can do to ensure that yours is the “go to” soft play centre in your area.

Top tips on how to have the best Soft Play business

Something for the bigger kids

Although soft play centres and indoor playgrounds were designed with younger children in mind, there are of course those tweenagers who are too young to stay home but are not interested in the younger kid’s soft play. These bigger kids are too cool for that less challenging apparatus and will be enticed onto the equipment with something that holds a little more appeal. Investing in equipment such as drop slides, speed slides and assault courses will tap into their competitive nature and keep them busy challenging themselves and their friends to brave the highest drop slide.

Ball games

An area reserved for basketball and football is common at soft play centres. Again, this can encourage older siblings to join in as they practice their skills. Netted ball game areas are great since the balls are contained and will not disrupt the rest of the venue. A ball game area always brings children together, whether they have met before or not, give them a ball and they will start to play. This is particularly appealing for a child who may be visiting the soft play alone with their parents. They can always find someone to play with. You can go a step further and arrange tournaments where the children can win prizes.

Preschool soft play area

Of course, it isn’t just the bigger kids that need an area specified for them. Preschoolers and toddlers need an area where they can play safely away from the risk of getting hurt by boisterous children. A low area with plenty of soft cubes, building blocks, sensory equipment and of course a little slide for daredevils in the making is an essential addition to your soft play.

Role play

Once again with preschoolers in mind, a role play area adds a fun, educational dimension to a soft play centre. Create a miniature town with shops, doctors, hairdressers, houses, soft toys, pots, pans and play food. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. Parents will love this area of your park as it will develop children’s awareness of their surroundings, improves their communication skills and gives them a chance to explore and experiment. You will even find that older siblings visit the role play area for a chill out and a well needed rest. Offer branded soft toys for sale to add a revenue stream.

Party time

Offering parties at your soft play venue is all about delivering a special experience to your guests, not only to create a memorable experience but to also encourage repeat happy customers resulting in recommendations online and via word of mouth. Make it that better by offering a fun party pack. Not only is a party pack a fantastic revenue stream, but it will also help market your brand when the kids take the products home or to school.

Health and safety within your soft play

It isn’t the most glamorous tip, but health and safety is absolutely imperative if you want your indoor playground to be a success.

Cleaning: Firstly, a soft play centre, if not cleaned regularly, can be a hotbed for germs. Kids are notorious for not washing their hands, picking up all sorts off the floor and inevitably putting it in their mouths as they explore their surroundings. Establishing a reputation for rigorous cleaning will ensure that your guests feel safe when they are visiting your venue—place signs around showing your cleaning schedule. If you close for 10 minutes every few hours to disinfect, let guests know. They will appreciate the efforts that you are going to in order to keep their children healthy. This is something that has become more prevalent since the emergence of COVID-19. Reassurance will go a long way to attracting visitors.

Safety: Children are always supervised by their parents at a soft play centre so you needn’t have staff that are watching their every move. However, accidents do happen. Making sure that you have fully trained first aiders on the team at all times will give parents peace of mind that should an accident occur, there is someone qualified on-site to help. Display photos of first aiders who are on duty so parents know who to look out for. Recommend guests wear your branded soft play socks since they are designed specifically for gripping the equipment and keeping children safer.

Inclusive deals at your soft play

The cost of living crisis is hitting families hard, so when they are searching for something to do with the kids, value for money is at the top of the list. One of the best ways to offer value for money is by including a meal in with the price of entry. Parents will love that they don’t need to worry about feeding the kids and if you offer sandwiches, crisps and squash, you will make a profit, while parents are getting a great deal. Everyone’s a winner.

Another way to offer your guests value for money and encourage repeat visits is with a loyalty scheme. For example, visit four times and your fifth time is free.

A good cafe

Finally, keeping the parents happy is crucial if you want your soft play centre to be successful. It is all very well offering the best play equipment if the parents aren’t happy, the chances are they won’t return. A  great soft play centre needs to invest in an amazing coffee machine! The food on offer should be easy, quick to prepare and reasonably priced. Practising good food hygiene and displaying food safety ratings will reassure customers that you are serving quality food prepared well.

With these tips in mind, you will be enjoying a hugely successful soft play centre.

Samurai are excited to announce that we are now trade members of the Association of Indoor Play (AIP). We share their dedication to improving industry standards and safety and raising awareness of the importance of indoor play. Find out more about AIP here.

Samurai can work with your venue to establish what custom products you require and help add value to your products. We offer custom and generic soft play and indoor playground socks which are made with safety at the very core. Grip socks are a great marketing tool, provide additional safety and have antibacterial properties to increase hygiene in your venue. But we don’t just sell socks, we can supply your venue with a full custom-branded product solution from staff uniforms to party packs to toys and everything in between.

Find out more about the products we can provide for Soft Plays here or speak to an account manager today.