How much are you willing to pay for activities like this?

[Ohdoleavemealone]

Last March we were meant to launch an inflatable theme park but thank to Covid it never opened.
We intend to open during the next half term but are having trouble deciding on a pricing structure.
For background, we have decided to use a school as our premises instead of a commercial property which means we have access only to the school hall and toilets. We can only fit in 10 tables to start with due to social distancing. This means we have to carefully balance the price to make sure we our making enough money and being good value. This is proving tricky.
Would people mind giving their honest opinion on the price structure below? If you haven't been to one of these, it is a bit like a trampoline park, but a giant bouncy castle instead.
For the prices below you will get :
1 hour bounce
A table allocated to your group (can mix 2 households) in full view of the only exit.
Table service
Everyone at the table is elligible to bounce, whether for 10 minutes or an hour.
Staff are instructed to play with and entertain the kids so the parents can drink their coffee in peace.

Numbers will also be quite low making it safer thna places like flip out.
Prices :
table of 2 - £20
table of 3 - £ 25
table of 4 - £30
table of 5 - £35
Table of 6 - 40

Would you pay these prices?
For comparison, local flip out charge £13.50 per person and £1 for spectators.
I appreciate comments.

[Ohdoleavemealone]

@Whythesadface We will be starting on the hour and the maximum number of people allowed in the room will be 60. There will probably be no more than 30 on the inflatable at one time.

[UhtredRagnarson]

It doesn’t sound like a viable business OP

[Ohdoleavemealone]

@BowserJr

How does social distancing work in a massive bouncy castle?

Only the cafe area has to be socially distanced. On the inflatable we have to wipe it regularly, a full clean between sessions and sanitiser every time you get on and/or off.

[Stompythedinosaur]

I think the price is too high. I might pay that for a really amazing activity but this sounds more like a sort of soft play equivalent, maybe even a bit less attractive than soft play because I don't think a bouncy castle would hold my dc's attention for a full hour.

[MsFogi]

I wouldn't expect to pay anything to sit at a table whilst my children bounced. I would be happy to buy a coffee or two though. Also, I am unclear - are you going to allow a mix of ages on the bouncy castle (I would not like that - mine are big but they would not have much fun having to avoid small children). Also are you going to allow the adults at the tables to bounce - if so, I would not be using the bouncy castle at all.

[Taswama]

Why do people have to be sat at tables? If everyone is mixing inside the bouncy assault course then having separate tables is a bit pointless.
As an adult I'd love to go on one of these, but agree I wouldn't want to be worrying about small children underfoot. Is there a minimum age / height?

[Ohdoleavemealone]

@sunflowersandbuttercups

Babies/toddlers shouldn't be allowed to bounce at the same time as 10 year olds, let alone at the same time as adults!

Every single indoor play area I've been to (that has a bouncy castle) has had age restrictions, so maybe under 5's, 5-8 and 8-12, then teenagers and adults at different, separate sessions.

If it's at a school, what happens during term time or when the school need the premises over a weekend for an event?

There is an under 5's section for little ones.
We only open weekends and bank holidays as our customers are at school/work during the week anyway.

[BottomOfTree]

A pp charge would be more palatable and fair. Tbh it sounds a strange set up. You paid £10k to paint a school hall and redo their lighting? Plus are laying carpet on their hall and have build a reception? I can’t get my head around how that works for either your business or the school. Also agree with pp I hate adults bouncing with my children and think it’s really dangerous.

[SavingsQuestions]

I used to take mine to a similar ser up in a sports centre. Although a selection of bouncy "things". No way would I want a small child on with teenagers never mind adults!!!

Also Id pay up to £8 a child, maybe £1-2 for a spectatoe and expect to buy drinks.
We just wouldnt pay £40 for an hour of bouncy castles sorry.

For context that would get us a day at a local purpose built trampoline park with rock climbing/soft play built in!

[jackstini]

Can you post a pic of the set up?

I would do a price 'per bouncer'
You can control numbers better and those not bouncing will buy more food & drink..

[Ohdoleavemealone]

@Taswama they have to have an allocated rules as that is the COVID rules. If not adhered to the council can shut you down!

[UserAtRandom]

You can't charge for parents. You need to make it per child.
And you need to think about how you will organise it - will you want toddlers bouncing at the same time as 12 year olds, or will there be separate times for separate age groups? Though if you do this, it will be less attractive for families.

I assume you've looked at competition locally? We have a local trampoline park that charge £10 a child. I'd want to pay less than that.

[sunflowersandbuttercups]

There is an under 5's section for little ones.

How does that work when you say it's just one huge bouncy castle?

It's still not safe to allow a six year old to bounce with a 12 year old or an adult.

[Whythesadface]

So 6 is £40. So 30. Say 20 are children.
So you need £200 an hour for a profit.
How many hours are you running it for?
Could you decrease the price but find extras.
Face painting.
The balloon animals.
A sweet stand as they go out.
Do a hour turnaround, but offer in at reduced price for 30 mins on the day if not fully booked.
Maybe have a car boot sale outside, to help cover costs.

[Floralnomad]

I just can’t see the appeal in this at all , it sounds like a very limited version of a soft play centre , and I agree with pp that I wouldn’t want adults bouncing with children , it sounds like an accident waiting to happen . I also don’t think you will get much repeat trade unfortunately .

[Ohdoleavemealone]

@jackstini I don't have a pic of the set up as we never got to open. Never even inflated the inflatable as it was delayed due to COVID. Here is a link to business that is exaclty the same in a different area.

inflationparks.com/wirral/

[butterry]

I wouldn't charge per table, I would only charge for children who are bouncing. I wouldn't want adults to be able to bounce as well, it sounds dangerous in case they fall on children. I would expect a price point of around £8-10 per child especially with a 1 hour time limit.

It sounds a bit like a children's party set up. There's a company that does similar bouncy castle/soft play/laser quest in several school halls for parties and they charge around £250 per party of up to 30 children.

[BrilliantBetty]

A large bouncy castle in a school hall for an hour.... A tenner for my 6year old maximum. I wouldn't go if it was more than that and I wouldn't be paying for me as I am not going to be going on a bouncy castle. I would also be worried about adults messing around on there if my child was on.

Not keen on the description TBH.

[Ellieboolou33]

Personally I wouldn't want to pay £10pp as I wouldn't want to bounce, it would cost me £30 for an hours activity that I don't want to do myself, factor in a coffee and snack for the kids as an extra £6-7 that's quite an expensive way to spend an hour.

[SimonJT]

So to take my son for one hour will be £20, I’m 96kg, do you really want me bouncing around next to children?

Most childrens play centres where adults have to go in to supervise charge those adults a small fee such as £2/3 as they recognise that the adult won’t actually be using the equipment.

In your local area how much does softplay etc cost for one adult and child to attend?

[SavingsQuestions]

Wow their video puts me off more tbh.
I don't think backward summersaults should be allowed on bouncy castles for a billion reasons. They're usually not at tramp parks are they?

[Whythesadface]

So have you already laid out for the 10k?
I ask as we used to go to a smaller one, and paid about £5, for children only but it's not some I did lots and it was walking distance from my house.
How will you get the footfall needed to make a profit?

[flashylamp]

we are carpeting the rest, have built a cafe/check in desk and have paid £10k to have the hall painted

This is crazy. I'm sorry OP but your lack of business sense is showing through. You have paid 10k to have a school hall painted?

You can't even adequately describe what you are selling. First it's an inflatable theme park, then it's just a bouncy castle, now it's a direct copy of someone else's business

[VenetoResident]

We went to a similar sounding place here.

aspiretrust.org.uk/lunarcity/

I felt like it was a really bad deal for £6 each (had to pay for adults too). There were no tables though.

Mine were too old for it at 12.

I'd prefer to go somewhere they were occupied for longer. The 2 hour sessions at trampoline parks work well. I usually spend £20ish on coffee / slush puppies and snacks half way through.

[BottomOfTree]

In the video on the link you gave of the other similar set up all the children looked like they were around the same age. It looks like loads of fun. I’d now like to see a video with 6 year old children (as you said under 5yr is separate area) through to grown adults (inc big obese adults like myself!) all bouncing together .... I bet it doesn’t look anywhere near as fun and actually would look wuiet hazardous.

If aged sessions I’d pay £6-8 for my child to go in and for my to have a table. I’d spend in the cafe drink cake etc. If you make adults pay £10 for their on hour session you better believe they’ll make use of their session hence the cafe won’t do much business.