Top 10 reasons why Indoor Play Centres Fail

Last year, I received complaints from suppliers of Soft Play Equipment after an industry figure posted the following comments on Twitter:

“Sad day, another new playcentre has gone! A fantastic dream, in the hands of a liquidator. Sad news! Once again, sold by a certain manufacturer knowing they were building another a few miles down the road! I want their heads on a plate!!!”

“Please don't think about starting a playcentre without talking to the xxx first, certain manufacturers will give you incorrect advice!”

After these comments were once again referred to in a recent conversation, I started thinking about why it had upset so many people (is it the emotion, the tarring of all play suppliers or the use of the situation to try and build business / credibility for this organisation?) and perhaps more importantly, how inaccurate the comments are in identifying the reasons why play centres fail (do you blame a kitchen supplier when a restaurant ceases trading)?

It is without doubt tragic and sad to see Entrepreneurs suffer financial and emotional hardship, I say this from personal experience of starting several companies. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that businesses of all sizes and in all markets occasionally fail; the rate of failure for play centres is actually lower than for other businesses.

In reality, you could argue that the indoor play market has not suffered enough creative destruction, that as an industry, we haven't failed enough, learnt from and innovated upon the lessons of the past enabling a thousand flowers to bloom, the business model has not evolved to become more resilient and offer better value to the end customer; perhaps this is partly because it is all too easy to blame play suppliers (and others) for our failings.

So here it is, based on over fifteen years in the market, my top ten reasons why Indoor Play Centres fail:

1. Poor Management and / or Leadership
2. Ill-informed Business Plan / Business Model
3. Failure to achieve sales targets / over reliance on traditional sources of income
4. Lack of Experience
5. Lack of Cash / Finance and / or incorrectly structured debt
6. Loss of interest / passion by the owners
7. Location / too much competition
8. Overspending at the start of the project
9. Limited value in the offering / nothing unique to differentiate one play centre from another
10. Bad luck or timing

If your Soft Play Equipment collapses (that should never ever happen), the supplier goes out of business with your deposit or they just don’t show up, they would then make my list of top twenty reasons but other than that, sorry, they are not to blame.

I will begin to post details of how you can mitigate the risk of the above; after all, the entire industry should want every play centre to be a success.

PS. Choosing a Soft Play Supplier is an important part of your start-up process, this guide (How to Choose a Soft Play Equipment Supplier) will help you select the right supplier for you. Of all the criteria you use to make your choice, I suggest you don’t worry about whether they supplied a local play centre (indeed, to many it is seen as sign of a good supplier).

Emotion may mean that you want to stop them from supplying anyone else locally, that just doesn’t make sense. The play equipment will be a component of your success (or otherwise,) it simply won’t be the determining factor; you should want your supplier to be successful as well so that they can innovate and help you grow.

ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.

Learning from 7 Year Olds (Play Design)

“Design” and the adoption of its methods, tools and thinking will increasingly be the difference between success and failure for Indoor Play centres.

It is thirty years since Indoor Play Equipment was developed and it is changed little in a World that has changed a lot. It is time for us to re-imagine our industry and Design (not just of Equipment but of the entire Business System and overall Experience) is without doubt the key to transformation.

As part of this process, we must take inspiration from wherever it resides; we must talk to children, learn from the way they play and be the conduit for their imaginations. Our role is to interpret Children’s needs based on what they show / tell us and turn observations into ideas and subsequently into financially viable products and businesses.

In my experience, the play design pyramid is the wrong way around. Play areas are “Designed” by adults sitting behind a computer “Dragging and Dropping” standard items and the Environment / Experience is hardly Designed at all.

Although you could argue that Soft Play Equipment is proven, I would suggest that instead we are building play areas that are virtually identical and in time many will therefore become commodities and commercially redundant.

As part of our efforts to motivate and inspire Soft Play Suppliers and Play Operators, we have been planning “When I Play I Want.com,” a Crowd Sourcing competition where children get to participate in inspiring the next generation of Indoor Play Experiences.

As part of developing the competition, last week we visited Wat’s Dyke Primary School and spent a couple of hours with a Class of 7 year olds, these are a few of things we learned by listening and observing:

• Collecting: The whole class (boys and girls) love collecting things, everything from a series of dolls to stickers and cards

• Naming: Names were very important, not only the names of children and their friends but the names of their toys and teddy bears (by far the most popular toy they brought from home)

• Social: The play and learning experiences were more social than I recall; play was at the centre of the way children learned and developed / maintained friendships. The potential of play to develop social skills was evident, is anything go to be more important in the economy and child wellbeing during the next twenty years?

• Identity: The whole class loved to draw, to write their name, to leave their mark

• Safety: In the safe environment of the classroom and a teacher of whom they were evidently fond, they felt free to express themselves and share their ideas (if only workplaces could achieve the same freedom mixed with order)

• Noise: With children comes noise, full stop.

• Play time: Unstructured and with minimal interruption from adults resulted in all kinds of weird and wonderful games (aka total mayhem) and conversations that are part of the social learning experience.

• Classroom: Filled with artwork, the classroom was an expression of the Children’s creativity and I imagine it changes constantly. When was the last time a play centre covered its wall in paintings by Children (or even better, allowed them to draw on the walls)?

All of this in ninety minutes. If it doesn’t change the way you design and operate your play centre then sorry, you are missing a BIG opportunity; plain and simple, you must get out more and be prepared for constant trial and error to be successful in this or any other business.

PS. I never did get used to being called Mr Lymer so I settled for being called Mr Beardface, it seemed to cause much amusement.

Suppliers, the soft play industry needs you!

ShareAndComparePlay is an independent voice in indoor play; our purpose is to provoke thought and encourage innovation whilst providing transparency throughout the value chain (by providing comparison services) for those willing to invest in new products and services.

In my fifteen years in the industry, there has been virtually no value creation or innovation and consequently the ecosystem is in decay; soft play suppliers are not making enough money to spend on R&D whilst non-core suppliers don’t invest in the market because they cannot see the ROI.

If this continues, what will the market look like? More importantly, how will we design and operate the play experiences that children need to learn the skills required to their lives in an increasingly complex world?

Although at times it may not sound like it, we see a very positive future for the indoor play industry but it requires (perhaps painful) change. As a result of our blogs, website and soft play seminars, we are beginning to see the next generation of play operators demand new services and the option to work in a way that reflects their ideas and business ethos.

At present, the supply side of the ecosystem does not seem able and / or willing to meet the needs of this next generation of play operator.

This situation leaves us with a dilemma; we have helped to create demand for new products, services and ways of working that suppliers either don’t understand or aren’t capable of serving. As a result, we are frequently asked by frustrated entrepreneurs / operators if we will provide the service and thus potentially threaten our vow of independence (not sure if this can be true when the market is not providing a service).

In short, this blog is an attempt to encourage suppliers to meet this pent up demand; it is an invitation to all suppliers to consider the following opportunities (this list is by no means exhaustive) and get in touch, these products and services are in strong demand and one way or another we need to meet demand:

• Independent Business Consultancy (operational and business model innovation)
• Social Media / Web / IT Consultancy
• IP Free Soft Play Design and Costing Services (Chargeable)
• Property finding services
• Marketing / Character Development / Visualisation
• Product innovation (Particularly for children over ten years of age)
• Commercial Education products (Edutainment)
• Courses (ranging from Sports to Cookery and Art classes)

As the suppliers able to provide such services are likely to be new to the market (or an established supplier looking to innovate their business model) then we are willing to explain further the opportunities and standards required for participation. If you are unsure or confused about ShareAndComparePlay.com for any reason then please get in touch and we will reveal all.

I am not sure of the response to this call for action and so as our business continues to expand, the following criteria will determine our actions:

• Is our action for the overall good of the play industry?
• Are reputable suppliers able to meet the needs of the market?
• Does our involvement conflict with our independent position?
• Do we have the skills, capability and resource to deliver an exceptional service?

I hope this helps clear things up for now (or at least encourages communication); any thoughts, comments or questions, please let us know.

PS. I would suggest that the answer to the lack of spending on R&D is collaboration and an open-source approach to the development of key products but that is a post for another day.

Now we all have the power; "Yes sir/madam, of course"

Leading and working in transparent times is challenging and even scary to some; however, this same risk offers untold possibilities as we discussed in "Twitter in Play".

Each day, we encourage soft play suppliers and other organisations to open their business to social media and in the words of Seth Godin, lead with their glass jaw.

Once again, Seth has written a concise insightful note for leaders in transparent times who are worrying and planning rather than doing, listening and evolving; an excerpt:

When your staff sees how much power you've given random consumers, they'll freak. And then, magically, they'll start treating customers differently, because maybe, just maybe, this customer is the one who's going to use the power. Suddenly, the answer to, "do you know who I am!!" is, "yes sire, forgive me."

Social media and transparency, jump in and see what happens.

ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.

Follow us at Twitter.com/shareandcompare or (Un)subscribe to our Blog by e-mailing us.

Why is play not all aflutter about Twitter?

Depending on who you believe, Twitter is either:

1. “A real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices”

Twitter

2. “A playground for imbeciles, skeevy marketers, D-list celebrity half-wits, and pathetic attention seekers.”

Daniel Lyons, Newsweek

3. “A tool for connecting people with people and people with information; a tool that at its highest manifestation can change lives and empower people to change the world”

Gareth Lymer, ShareAndComparePlay.com

Whatever your thoughts, you have likely heard about Twitter (we have been presenting on Social Marketing in play for almost twelve months) but as of yet, the play industry has yet to embrace Twitter or Social Marketing to reach anywhere near its potential.

Let’s go back to basics and remove the distraction of technology and hype.

Organisations exist to create products, services and experiences so valued by people that they are willing to exchange their time, effort and money to benefit.

In the case of Play, we are asking parents to trust that we are creating and providing valuable experiences for the most precious of people who cannot fully articulate their thoughts and needs whilst the impact of the experience may not be felt for many years.

As the indoor play centres we design, build and operate impact children for the rest of their lives, is it not our responsibility to figure out new ways to create value; to observe and listen to customers, sharing information and collaborating to invest in the play experiences of the future?

Today, technology enables us to listen and observe children and parents, to gather, analyse and utilise information so that we can better provide transformational (play) experiences and yet we choose to ignore the opportunity; why?

There are a woefully small number of soft play suppliers (three to my knowledge; as it happens, the same three suppliers that have embraced our website / transparency) and a relatively small number of play operators that use Social Media to exchange information with (prospective) customers and the broader community.

Furthermore, those organisations that use Twitter et al waste the valuable attention of their customers by talking solely about their business. This is like being the guy at a party who continually talks about himself rather than genuinely being interested in others.

Just because you are being ignorant using Twitter rather than in person, doesn’t make those that just talk about themselves any less of an ass.

In terms of opportunity, the potential of Social Media in play is infinite. To get the ball rolling, here are three simple opportunities where Twitter and / or Facebook can be used by play centres:

• This prototype toy for kids sends Tweets to parents to say what the child has been playing with. Why can’t we use a similar principle to gather information as to what children use and like on indoor play equipment (so we can track which events they like rather than us guessing)? Why can’t we communicate this to parents on a big screen so they can “see” what their child is doing?

• Weather often equals a busy play centre and yet it is difficult to predict either. Why not incentivise customers to use Twitter to let you know if and when they will be visiting so that you can adjust staffing accordingly? A better service for customers and more profit for play centres.

• Why not establish a social network around your play centre so that parents can exchange information on parenting and then meet at your play centre when they like; if you can facilitate new connections, you will win (and so will your customers)

Whether you believe Twitter is for “imbeciles…/…half-wits”, has the potential to change the world or somewhere in between, in coming weeks we hope to persuade of the potential of social media to provide additional value to customers of play providers / suppliers and significantly grow the value of the play industry.

In the meantime, can we persuade you to take the first step of visiting Twitter and registering your name? 5 minutes could change your life, or at least, your business.

ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.

Follow us at Twitter.com/shareandcompare or (Un)subscribe to our Blog by e-mailing us.

Developing a Mission Statement for Play

A few days ago, researching for our Starting a Soft Play Centre seminar, I stumbled upon this article about a Montessori School in San Francisco and these words jumped out at me:

“Nature lays down a plan for the construction both of personality and social life, this plan becomes realized only through the children’s activity when they are placed in circumstances favorable to its fulfilment...”

… Montessori who based every idea she developed about childhood learning primarily on years of observing children doing what they naturally do… understood child’s “play” to actually be what we adults think of as work. It’s how they come to master their environment.”

Supporting what children naturally do; a simple philosophy that the modern day Indoor Play Centre should have at its core, from Design to Operation.

Intrigued, I conducted a little more research and again was excited by the Mission Statement of the Montessori School referred to in the article:

"We provide a foundation for the excitement of learning, at an age when learning is effortless for children. And we create a harmonious atmosphere so children can develop all aspects of their personalities—physical, social, intellectual, and emotional."

Judith Flynn, Founder and Director, Montessori Children's Center

As we encourage new Play Operators to look beyond focussing solely on the purchase of soft play equipment and instead facilitate the use of all senses in play area design, these words and this purpose resonate as reflecting our vision for Indoor Play Centres as Centres of Communities that support the Development of Children through Play.

Recently, ShareAndComparePlay.com began to prepare a revised Mission Statement to reflect our Purpose and Values; this is what we prepared a few weeks ago:

“We Dream of a World where Children freely create and enjoy Play experiences that help them to live their Dreams.

Our role is one of facilitating the sharing and comparing of valuable experiences and information within the Play Community.

Learning through listening, observation and collaboration, we help organisations to profitably provide Play Experiences and support children in the natural process of play; to the benefit of all.”

If you are starting a Soft Play centre, do you have a mission that guides your thinking and communicates your purpose? If not, can I suggest that you start developing one that reflects your purpose, values and core proposition?

A little more Research shows that Wikipedia refers to “Child Centred” Education being at the fore of the Montessori Method, as it should be at the Centre of Play Design; the following statement is intriguing from a Design perspective:

“From the moment the child enters the classroom, each step in his education is seen as a progressive building block, ultimately forming the whole person, in the emergence from childhood to adult. All focus is on the needs of the child.”

Exchange the word “Classroom” for Play Centre and this begins to reflect the holistic approach to Soft Play Design that we must begin adopt if we are to develop the Next Generation on Indoor Play Facilities.

In summary, three questions:

- If you are Starting an Indoor Play Centre, are you thinking holistically and adopting a child centred approach to the Design of your Indoor Play Experience?

- Are you communicating your vision to Suppliers, Investors and Community in the same passionate tones as the examples above?

- If Dr Montessori was your Play Designer, how do you think your Indoor Play Centre would look and operate?

An interesting and potentially prosperous future awaits those that can answer these questions positively.

ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.

Follow us at Twitter.com/shareandcompare or (Un)subscribe to our Blog by e-mailing us

Children, please teach us how to Play...

Although an Indoor Play Supplier Comparison website, the broader purpose of Share & ComparePlay.com is to help transform the Play Experience for Children whilst enabling businesses to profitably meet the needs of Families.

As part of this broader role, we hope to lead the Industry towards a more innovative approach to the Design and Provision of Indoor Play Equipment.

In recent weeks, we have started this Evolution in Play with a Competition that is outlined in the Press Release below.

As you can see from the above Photographs, the “Industry Figures” have already met and we will be releasing more details in the next few weeks; needless to say, significant change was on the agenda and ideas were plentiful.

One small change that was decided as part of this Open Collaboration was to change the name of the Competition to “When I Play, I Want…”, an open invitation to Children to tell us what they want when Playing.

If you would like to get involved or have any contribution to make, please let us know, we would love to hear from you.

The Share & Compare Play Team.


Press Release

Background

In a recent interview with ShareAndComparePlay.com, Rupert Oliver said that he was saddened by the lack of innovation in Soft Play since he founded the industry in the 1970’s. In his opinion, commercialisation has stifled creativity and restricted the potential of play, he wished for a return to children being at the centre of play design.

Similarly, as we recently watched three children build their own play area using only grass, ducting tape and a cardboard box, we realised that the Indoor Play Industry frequently misses the opportunity to provide environments where children create their own play experience that complements Soft Play equipment designed by adults.

Free Play

Inspired by these events, we conducted initial research and discovered support for so-called ‘Free Play’; http://tinyurl.com/mfo645 this excerpt from an article published in the Scientific American Magazine is an example of our findings:

“Data suggests that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving”

Not only is Free Play an important part of a Child’s development, it represents one of the most exciting opportunities for the play industry. If we can learn to observe, learn and subsequently Design Play Experiences based on the natural inclination of children to explore and play without restriction, we will benefit not only as a society but as businesses meeting latent needs.

Rupert’s comments combined with several months of research caused our team to ask what role we could play in bringing “Child Focussed Design” back to the fore; we are pleased to say that “When I Grow-up, I Want To Be…” is the resulting Play Design Competition.

We hope that in naming the competition we have captured the sense of possibility inherent in children. We are often taken aback by the scale of the ambition or the way in which “What they want to be” changes on a regular basis; maybe after this we will have a few more children saying “I Want to be, a Play Designer.”


The Competition

Launching in August, “When I Grow-up, I Want To Be…” is an open invitation to Children to use their innate creativity and imagination to Design the Play Experiences of tomorrow with a promise that as an industry we will listen and learn.

Using Social Media, Children, Parents, Schools and Indoor Play Centres will be invited to use videos, drawings, photographs and prototypes to communicate what their dream play area would look like. Unrestricted by convention, economic feasibility or what is possible (previous answers include “Rocket boots”), the ideas we hope will inspire businesses and individuals to create play experiences that reflect the needs of future generations.

The launch event will see Industry figures designing their ideal play area and sharing ideas online; the real experts (Children) will then be given six months to change the future of the Play industry and numerous events will take place during this process.

In January, a Panel of Experts (including Rupert Oliver http://tinyurl.com/dbqtf7) will shortlist up to twenty entries and the Play Community will be invited to vote for their favourite entries and decide the winning entry.

Prizes will be awarded for the first three entries with the Design with the most votes winning a prize of £1,000.

Participation

This is an invitation to Play Operators, Suppliers, Parents and Schools to participate by listening to children when they tell us how we can provide play experiences that challenge, inspire and prepare them for a world significantly different to that in which Soft Play was born.

For example, Play Operators are invited to sign-up to promote the Competition with their customers and run activity clubs. In return, they will be listed as Partner of the competition (and be recognised as a Company interested in creating better play experiences) and be given the chance to learn how to prepare their businesses for the future.

Details for the competition will be listed shortly at http://www.shareandcompareplay.com and regular updates will be provided via Twitter @shareandcompare, http://www.youtube.com/user/shareandcompareplay and http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwshareandcompareplaycom/38182708219

We hope you that you choose to participate in whatever way you can, please register your interest at ShareAndComparePlay.com to keep updated.

We are open to all ideas and suggestions regarding all aspects of this competition and are looking for Corporate Sponsors and Partners who will benefit in several unique ways; please contact PaulSmith@Shareandcompareplay.com for more information.

ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.

Follow us at Twitter.com/shareandcompare or (Un)subscribe to our Blog by e-mailing us at contact@shareandcompareplay.com

Involved in Play? Are 'we' asking the right questions?

I wonder, are we asking ourselves, our colleagues and eachother questions that might lead to valuable insights, creative breakthroughs and ultimately, more desirable outcomes?/p>

Just maybe, if we were to start projects with the ‘right’ questions then we might explore with a childlike curiosity and consequently discover unexplored potential and opportunity.

For example; in the small (but important) world of Indoor Play provision, how often do we ask:

• How can Play Centres and Play Equipment support children in their inherent quest for discovery and exploration?
• What is the role of parents when they visit Indoor Play Centres and how do we provide a rewarding experience for all participants (including staff)?
• Is there a way that we can provide an individual and unique Play Experience for each and every child that visits a Play Centre?
• What is the role in the Community of our Indoor Play Centres and how can we best fulfil and expand that role?
• How do children play naturally and what does this teach us?
• What is the role of technology in the Play Experiences of the future?
• What would it mean for society as a whole if we could design Play Experiences that help children to grow into self-confident and anxiety-free adults?

Typically, I fear that our questions are focussed too narrowly on short-term needs and swayed by self-interest. It is easier for us all to base decisions and formulate ideas on what already exists rather than taking a step back and asking the questions beyond which may lie opportunity beyond expectations.

At Shareandcompareplay.com, we believe that these are challenges faced by all organisations that interact with families and that finding solutions requires a collaborative process.

As a first step, we will continue to post questions and comments using the #WIGU call sign on Twitter or you can comment below. Whatever your interest, if you care about Children and / or the Future of Play, please think of your questions and participate by sharing your questions, comments or answers to questions asked by others.

Shareandcompareplay.com is the Indoor Soft Play Comparison website.

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"Free Play" for Indoor Play; inspired by Scott, George and Charlie!

At http://www.shareandcompareplay.com, we continue to research how Indoor Play areas are designed.

Our hypothesis is that potentially significant opportunities are being missed by play suppliers and operators to provide the best possible play experience and to benefit commercially as a result.

One particular aspect of our research leads us to believe that there may not be enough “free play” within most indoor play areas. Watching our neighbour’s children playing during the weekend provided further insight for those interested in designing the play experiences of tomorrow.

In summary, the camouflaged ‘box’ you see above is the end result of two hours of unstructured play between three friends, all under 9 years of age. This started as a box, progressed to being a kennel and ended as a camouflaged hideout (who knows what else it was during the process?).

Each of our neighbours children are fortunate to be surrounded by friends and family who willingly spend time with their children in whatever way entertains. However, perhaps the best play experience is derived when the children are free to invent their own improvised play experience in ways that adults cannot imagine.

Our earlier blog, http://tinyurl.com/da48sz referred to a Scientific study published in the Scientific American Magazine that stated the following:

“Data suggests that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving”

Free Play seems to be what children do naturally when they are given time and space to explore. In recent weeks, I have also seen a brother a sister play for over fifteen minutes with only two sticks as they mocked a fight, any school playground will reveal the same experience repeated with the most basic of items.

It is this kind of “free play” that offers the most exciting possibilities for play suppliers and operators; if we Design based on the natural inclination of children to explore and play without frontiers then not only will we be meeting our responsibility to provide the best possible play experience, we also benefit from this untapped business opportunity.

Finally, this view was re-enforced during a recent conversation with Ian Kearney of Cheeky Monkeys; a successful play centre operator for many years. Ian recently told me that a small plastic house (available from Toys ‘R’ Us for a few pounds) that he recently added was one of his most popular play elements (he also provides a stage for singing and other creative play activities) because Children liked to interact and mirror what their parents do.

In summary, there are perhaps a few things to consider for prospective play operators:

• If you are opening a play area, consider reducing the amount of Soft Play equipment by at least 10% and instead designate a space as a ‘free play’ area
• Provide a variety of loose “play equipment” (a cardboard box seems to be a great start), leave the children to decide what to do with the space and encourage its reinvention every few days
• Designate a wall where children can draw and create, leaving their mark seems to be particularly important
• Observe children at play (away from a Soft Play centre) and see what they naturally do; seek to provide a play experiences that challenges them in these activities

These are just a few ideas to encourage further thought with regard to the design of Indoor Play areas because Soft Play Equipment alone will no longer suffice.

We will be sharing our research and action plan with you in the next few weeks; in the meantime, please share your stories and experiences by commenting on this blog.

PS. Thanks to Scott, George and Charlie

PPS. A straw poll of parents revealed they will pay for a “free play” area because someone else will be cleaning up the mess!!

Shareandcompareplay.com is the Indoor Soft Play Comparison website.
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Inspiration for (Soft Play) Entrepreneurs

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

Like all Entrepreneurs, people starting soft play centres have the odds stacked against them.

However, Entrepreneurs like any small group of committed people can change industries and add significant value, whatever the economic circumstance; this video is worth a few minutes of your time if you are thinking of starting a soft play centre.

Shareandcompareplay.com is the Indoor Soft Play Comparison website. You can subscribe and unsubscribe to e-mails with special offers and information releases by e-mailing us at contact@shareandcompareplay.com

The play inspector calls.....part 6

There are some advantages to working from home. There is also a downside! The office is always but a few steps away and both business telephone line and computer work on regardless. Finding a balance between home life and work commitments can be a stiff test. Fortunately I seem to get it right most of the time. At least that is my story but I think Veronica would concur. Hope so!

Inspection jobs started up immediately after Easter. So close in fact that the first one in Keighley needed to be combined with saying goodbye to family at Manchester Airport. Convenient geographically at least.

Wednesday: Post installation inspection. A large new extension to an existing and clearly very popular play centre. Very good to see business success leading to an expansion of a facility especially during this severe economic downturn. And a new team leader appointment seemingly working so well there. The owner seemed very pleased and certainly she appeared to me to have the right range of organisational and team management skills during our brief encounter. So very important staffing and staff management. Now that the design, manufacture and installation of these indoor play facilities has markedly improved over the last 20 years their safety more and more depends upon the operational systems in place and how well they are applied. And that comes down to staff and their management. Get that right and everything else falls into place.

Thursday: Today I’m heading for a Sure Start children’s centre in Greater Manchester. And quite the smallest multi-level indoor play frame I have ever inspected! Tucked into an alcove in a community play room it almost resembled a rather deep bookcase! Certainly it tested my own climbing capabilities. Must lose weight! Unknown supplier and an interesting use of perforated plastic panelling instead of mesh netting. Some repairs and maintenance needed and these were identified and photographed for my Report.

Monday: The first of two trips this week to Ireland. That means a very early start to get to East Midland Airport on time for the BMI Baby morning flight to Belfast International. But it doesn't stop there for the job is almost on the Donegal coast way over to the west. Breathtakingly beautiful journey along generally quiet roads and the drive through the Glenveagh National Park was stunning, a wilderness landscape so remote and so hauntingly beautiful. New play centre located in a health club that is itself located within an impressive hotel. Already in use whilst I was there and a small child found my clipboard and Biro whilst I was inspecting a horizontal roller squeeze and when I got back to it to make notes it had been totally scribbled upon! Occupational hazard - force a smile and press on!

Wednesday: An even earlier start for an even earlier flight this time by RyanAir to Dublin. And if that’s not enough there’s the morning traffic into the city! Only 45 minutes to the site I had been told! Well, two and a half hours after touch-down I was walking through the new play centre’s front door! But a great new site and a lovely client to do business with. He makes good coffee too!

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.

Exclusive Twitter offer for Share & Compare Play

We are presenting to a Group of industry figures in the Soft Play industry tomorrow.

This is the first of several Workshops scheduled and to celebrate we are offering an Exclusive offer on Twitter for those attending.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/46qlfx for details

Please be quick, offer ends at 10am on 20th April 2009.

Something for the weekend...the world's best complaint letter!

This is a complaint letter sent to Sir Richard Branson that is considered to be one of the funniest complaint letters ever. We thought we would share this with you for the following reasons:

- It is a reminder (if one were needed) that 'feedback' can be global within minutes and can damage the most valuable of brands
- It is a case study in how companies should respond to feedback (engage personally with the customer / community; addressing customer issues is a job for the most senior in a company; be seen to take action, we understand Virgin have subsequently offered the writer a job evaluating the food offering)
- It is very amusing...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4344890/Virgin-the-worlds-best-passenger-complaint-letter.html

Have a great Easter Weekend.

The Share & Compare team.

The play inpector calls...part 5

The inspection pace that hotted up during March shows little sign of abating, at least pre-Easter. Since my last blog I have carried out four inspections: a new indoor facility in a huge shopping centre needing its post-installation check, followed by a large established play centre in County Durham needing its annual inspection. Then quite the smallest community play centre I have ever had to annually inspect down in Essex and today to north London for yet another annual.

There may not be as many post-installations coming through as credit tightens but the demand for annuals remains. And so it should since the value of a yearly independent check must surely make good sense to all safety-conscious operators and if it doesn’t one really has to question their business judgement. If for no other reason the insurers back it and sometimes with reduced premiums.

Another interesting detail – four facilities and four different suppliers. I like variety.

Tuesday: A job in Sheffield followed the next day by another further north-east makes an overnight stop inviting. And as my wife’s Austrian family are over for a break an opportunity for them to do a little shopping and sightseeing whilst I get myself dusty! Finding a play centre in a busy shopping centre is always a challenge. Turn left along the mall then right at the next junction and down the escalator and you can’t miss it! Sensing my doubts the Customer Services Manager comes to my rescue and suddenly there it is. Easy really! The view from the top of the escalator is really something! This must be a prime location! A few last minute installation jobs are being finished off but in I go. There is always a value in arriving on site whilst the installation team are still there. Last minute queries arise from them and safety issues found by myself can be immediately addressed. And so they are. On to York. A beautiful historical city and a pleasure to introduce for the first time to visitors from abroad.

Wednesday: Family stay on in York whilst I hit the A1 north. Target Newton Aycliffe. SatNav works perfectly and I am guided to the front door. Very big site and how good to see a large toddler’s play frame with so much choice and play value packed into it. So often there is all too little. Certainly there is adventure and challenge at this Centre with drop slides, bungee trampolines and a climbing wall all vying for the older children’s attention in addition to the more regular features. Very helpful and hospitable Assistant Manager helped to make the job a pleasure.

Saturday: Yes Saturday! I sometimes work weekends when it is necessary at it was that day. A very small and cosy play centre for the lower age range and in the heart of a more rural Essex community. Clearly much appreciated by the local clientele and it was good to be able to pass on some advice to the two hard-working and very committed sisters who run the business.

Tuesday: A job in north London and close to a tube station makes rail travel from Stafford impossible to resist. And the trains ran on time both ways! Is this a first? Last went there in 2006 and it was good to see the facility still well used and being enjoyed. As usual followed around the play frame by a multitude of enquiring children. Feel like the Pied Piper of Hamlin sometimes! How many times do I have to say “I’m carrying out a safety inspection”? A husband and wife team own the business and both have very responsible and demanding first jobs in their community, one in health care and the other in the prison service. You have to admire their energy and commitment.

Looking forward to an Easter break now. Catch up with me again after that.

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.

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.

Monty Python on ShareandComparePlay.com...

After only a few weeks, Shareandcompareplay.com is becoming known as an organisation dedicated to revolutionising the indoor play market (we have some really exciting news on this in the next few days).

However, we also want to spread the word regarding how traditional markets, companies and customers can benefit by the introduction of tools that enable 'transparency', an 'open source' approach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source and 'freedom for information'.

I am often asked about the reaction of people in the soft play industry to these ideas and particularly the notion of giving information away for free. I recently saw this Monty Python video on http://www.youtube.com/; the reaction of traditionalists is best summed up by watching this video, take particular notice around the 1m 30secs mark.



http://www.shareandcompareplay.com/ is the Indoor Soft Play Comparison and Information website.