Seeing Soft Play from both sides of the fence

If you’re a budding entrepreneur about to embark on running your very own Soft Play Centre, I know exactly how you feel, and there’s no job in the world that will prepare you for running a Children’s Indoor Play Centre!

In 2002, my wife to be and I decided our business in Ireland needed a base to expand and so we began to search for premises from which to grow our modest partnership. 12 months later, and with one building lost due to planning refusals, we were only 1 day away from opening our Soft Play Centre. In truth we were both woefully unprepared but also intoxicated by the excitement of it all.

The trials and tribulations of those first 12 months will not be forgotten in a hurry. Learning how to manage staff who are more interested in last nights nightclub gossip, pacifying over demanding parents convinced their little darling is not the cause of another child’s pain and juggling the bank account to make sure the bank manager or main supplier doesn’t come knocking on your door; a steep but important learning curve for challenges to come!

Little did I know that within 12 months of opening our Play Centre I would be sitting on the other side of the fence, becoming Managing Director and part owner of Indoor Play Equipment supplier, SuccessPlay Ireland. My previous experiences put me in good stead to understand the mindset of potential operators, and helped me to work with over 25 Play Centre owners in developing their own unique offering for the Irish market.

Those 4 years turned into a wonderful mix of; weekdays spent travelling across the Emerald Isle meeting like minded individuals about to embark upon a journey and experience the same emotions I had been feeling for the past 2 years; weekends spent making cappuccinos and paninis at our Play Centre, with my ear drums ringing for 8 hours at a time!

Having sat on both sides of the fence I have seen first hand how difficult and frustrating it can be to set up and run a Play Centre. The industry has grown substantially in the past 10 years but it has remained extremely fragmented and lacks innovation to this day. There are individuals out there trying to make a difference; New suppliers entering the market with unique and cost effective services and products; Health and safety standards continually rising to new levels due to diligent work in this area. However, operators are still not able to access the right type of independent and corroborated information and advice they need to assist them in their quest to operate a safe, fun and profitable Indoor Play Centre, and they receive very little support after they open their doors to the public. My desire to try and make a difference to the industry has taken me to where I am today, in my role with Share and Compare Play, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you as I try to have a positive impact on suppliers and operators alike along the way.