Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

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

280 replies

Ohdoleavemealone · 07/05/2021 18:32

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.

OP posts:
bettybyebye · 07/05/2021 19:52

OP I have to ask are you in a city in the north west beginning with C? I do recall one supposed to open here pre lockdown last year. I was quite excited for it. If it is the city I am thinking of people will definitely pay the prices you are suggesting...

UhtredRagnarson · 07/05/2021 19:52

I think you’d be better off having private groups of the same age range rather than tables with 10 different groups.

Babysharkdododont · 07/05/2021 19:53

OP there have been about 80 respondents saying they don't like the set up / price / concept. I don't think a single response has been positive.
Have a good hard think before sinking any more money in to this.

SimonJT · 07/05/2021 19:53

How will you pay the wages of the people all around the inflatable?

Do you have a business coach?

I started a rugby tota franchise fairly recently, they provide training etc, but I also employed a business coach who would look at it properly and identify weaknesses etc. It did obviously have a cost, but it was definitely worth it.

sherrystrull · 07/05/2021 19:53

I'd pay £7.50 for an hour for my children. They'd love it.

I wouldn't be happy at a mixed group though. My 4.5 year old dc would hate a toddler section and want to bounce with older dc.

flashylamp · 07/05/2021 19:55

OP if you have a business plan how on earth are you in a situation where you can't describe the product, have spent 10k on a school and have Capet tiles to lay every time you want to open your business?

C152 · 07/05/2021 19:57

I've seen these set up at summer fairs (pre-COVID) and my child LOVES them. However, I pay £1 or £2 for 10 minutes. I really wouldn't pay £20 for an hour, as I have no intention of bouncing. I also wouldn't want my 5 year old going on this with older teens and adults - there's bound to be an accident or upset.

The comparison with trampoline parks really isn't the same, as I pay for my child to go and nothing for myself. I appreciate you've invested and tried to make the environment you're renting as positive as possible, but anything held in a school hall is bound to feel a bit 'cheap' in comparison to something in its own building. I think you could probably get away with a higher price (per person, not table - that's not working and it's not feasible long term) if you had your own site.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 07/05/2021 19:58

What training have the staff had?

I've been reading through the link for the park in Wirral and one of their "selling points" is that they're the only inflatable park that allows adults on at the same time as children.

Do you not think there might be a reason that other places haven't taken the same risk? All it takes is one accident and nobody will want to come back. Surely it's safer for everyone (including yourselves as owners) to do it in age ranges?

Isittimenow · 07/05/2021 19:58

Is it the same idea as Inflatanation?

We’ve been once and didn’t rush back. For us it was a one time thing, once you’ve done it once that’s enough.

Sorry OP, not what you want to hear!!

Can you do other things like adult fitness classes?

Lulu1919 · 07/05/2021 19:58

So one adult and one child is £20 for an hour ?

TheWatersofMarch · 07/05/2021 19:59

Hi neither me or my OP would bounce so if we took our 2 DCs that would be £15 each. I would avoid for this reason.

Dustyhedge · 07/05/2021 20:00

I think you’re mad to have spent 10k before even trialling the concept. There is something similar near me where there are multiple inflatables in a big hall. It’s about £7 a child, only for 18m to 12 and separate areas for under 5s.

I wouldn’t pay £30 for us to go as a 4. My older one would love it, my toddler would need close supervision and someone to help. I would not find it fun. I’d pay for a coffee though.

Whythesadface · 07/05/2021 20:00

It's the constant advertising your going to have to pay for, plus your wage bill.
Your biggest problem will be getting people to go more than once, as your a destination not a place people walk into as they pass the door.
The school children would make a good venue if you did parties, allow parents to pay for a lunchbox and bring their own cakes. The novelty of a castle party should pull you through the start up costs. £10 per child is normal with food and drink. Do them late afternoon evening.
The add ons will be needed to bump up to income so you give value for money.

titchy · 07/05/2021 20:00

A school have agreed to the project and are really excited for it to open. If they were concerned they wouldn't allow it.

Well legally liability won't rest with them, and you've gone and refurbed their premises for free! I bet they're loving your business!

Respectivehomelands · 07/05/2021 20:03

I can't get over paying 10k to decorate someone else's premises 😳

PatriciaHolm · 07/05/2021 20:04

Have you seen this, OP?

funzy.co.uk/booking

15,000 sq feet (so around 3 times the size), charging £8.95 for a hour with a free supervising adult for 18m-4yrs, and spectators free too.

PrincessesRUs · 07/05/2021 20:04

My child (3) wouldn't go on without me so I would need to go on as an adult but I wouldn't be keen if there were lots of big kids/adults. I'd want a separate little people session maybe (with accompanying parents). I'd pay maybe £10 for a child/£5 for adult ?

Brieminewine · 07/05/2021 20:04

The issue for me is safety. I don’t want my 22MO on at the same time as preteens. If you had designated times for each age group as others have said then maybe. I also think it’s too expensive and don’t like the pay per table idea.

TheWatersofMarch · 07/05/2021 20:05

I do like the idea though and if you were in our local school I'd defo be interested. I hate those warehouse trampoline parks, takes ages to get there and there's such an impersonal conveyer belt atmosphere, I find them really stressful. Could you offer a discount for next time to non bouncers or food and drink? This would sway me.

flashylamp · 07/05/2021 20:05

How do you access the school?

Original poster
Ohdoleavemealone · 07/05/2021 20:06

@PatriciaHolm Thank you. This is what we are aiming for. Our original price was set at £7.50 an hour, spectators free. Unfortunatley due to SD rules having to half our numbers, we need to review it which is why I was looking for opinions on what people would pay.

OP posts:
Abraxan · 07/05/2021 20:08

I can't quite picture it it think it's because I can't figure out the size properly in my head.

I've been to trampoline parks - big warehouse type places on industrial estates..

And I work in a school. Our school hall is a fraction of the size of the trampoline parks I've visited. Even the secondary school halls I've been too haven't been anywhere the kind of size I'd imagine a trampoline park, or soft play for that matter.

Do you have a photograph of the type inflatable you have?
I know you've sent a link but most of the pictures are just cropped 'bits' of an inflatable.
Is it one inflatable or several? Are there different sections?

Janxyb · 07/05/2021 20:08

I would only want to pay for my son as I wouldn't be bouncing so £20 is too much imo. Maybe you need different ages at different times as I wouldn't be happy for my 2 year old to be bouncy with older kids/adults

Original poster
Ohdoleavemealone · 07/05/2021 20:08

@PrincessesRUs

My child (3) wouldn't go on without me so I would need to go on as an adult but I wouldn't be keen if there were lots of big kids/adults. I'd want a separate little people session maybe (with accompanying parents). I'd pay maybe £10 for a child/£5 for adult ?
We will have a toddler area and had intended pre-covid to do the first hour as an under 8's session.
OP posts:
HamAndCheeseToastie5032 · 07/05/2021 20:09

I'd pay £6 - £8 per child for an hour. If I saw I was expected to pay for me as well I'd think you'd lost the plot tbh.

I mean, sure, I've been one of those people who says 'it's a shame we can't go on, it looks like fun' but it's a quick throwaway comment, not 'here let me pay to bounce my hefty grown ass for a full hour'.

Swipe left for the next trending thread