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.

I am surprised the school allowed you to paint the hall and modify electrics.
Is the LA OK with this?
Do you work at the school by chance?

I ask this because a local dance group wanted to install new speakers and brackets- in a hall they hire from a local school. Met with a firm no.

While many schools rent out space, I can't imagine many allowing permanent modifications- including allowing work to electrics.
H&S issues may come into play?

I wouldn’t pay this for an hour - I wouldn’t want to bounce so I’d only be happy to pay a nominal amount for me.
Also for an hour I’d not expect to make much from the cafe. I’d get my child a drink but no food as if they only have an hour then I expect them to spend the whole time bouncing to get their fill (and my monies worth) otherwise they’d be annoyed when we left. I think you’d be better doing longer sessions maybe one aligning to mid morning, one over lunch and one that would incorporate an early tea. You might find you may more from food that way.

Sorry op but I’m another one saying I don’t think this is viable long term. Not in a school. No matter what modifications you have made or will make, it will almost inevitably feel like a pta fundraiser rather than a day out.

I am also surprised that the school have allowed the kind of work that you have described. Is it an independent school? I can’t imagine a state school being allowed to have a new, unproven start up company change their electrical set up for example.

I went to Ninja Warrior in Wigan last summer (when capacity was limited) for 1 hour we paid £10 per over 5 and £5.95 for an under 5. So for our family of 5 it cost just over £40. I also bought the kids a slush. The main part my kids used was the bouncy area and they loved it. Though there was more in the obstacle course that they could have used. I was happy to pay this as a one of treat (it was part of our 'staycation' as summer holiday was cancelled). But it wouldnt be something I would pay for regularly.

You shouldn't have adults on there at the same time as children, especially toddlers. That's crazy, and dangerous. I wouldnt want to bounce so wouldnt want to pay those prices. You should only charge children who want to do it, stamp their hands. Some children will not want to do it, but sit with mum and dad. You shouldn't call it a theme park, as that suggests multiple things to go on and do. This is one super inflatable, so advertise it as that. Make sure you have the right level of insurance. Our local ball pit closed down 3 years ago, due to too many accidents resulting in multiple claims. This made their premiums shoot up, they couldnt afford to continue.

Is it really 450 square meter or is it 45 square meter? I don’t see how 450 square meter would fit in a school hall. That is like the size of 11 or 12 one bedroom flats.

450 square metre is the size of a basketball court

[quote Ohdoleavemealone]**@SpringSparrow* @MyDcAreMarvel*

Our original plan was to charge only £7.50 per person but as we can only have 10 tables, and due to COVID regulations, everyone has to be sat at a table, we would make no money if everyone just came and only paid for one or two children.
It is a hard call to make at the moment but what people are saying is what I expected to hear. My husband disagrees that people will feel this way.[/quote]
What you're saying then is that your plan isn't (currently) financially viable. Don't waste your time or money.

A fool and their money are easily parted.

We live near a trampoline park and an inflatables place and they each charge £10 per child and nothing for adults. The trampoline park also do a toddler session for under 5s for £7.50 and the adult could accompany the child for free. Your prices look good value for larger parties, but expensive for a single parent bringing one child by comparison.

Both places seem to offer a bit more variety though - the inflatables place has a load of different castles, ball pits, obstacle courses and inflatable slides. I can’t imagine anyone just bouncing on one thing for an hour.

Also “in full view of the only exit” doesn’t sound that relaxing. It implies I have to watch my child like a hawk to ensure they don’t escape, rather than sit and drink coffee.

I think where you are in the country will have a massive impact on the price. Where I iive, there is an outdoor thing like what you describe and that is £5 per hour. There's a one at a local leisure centre which they put up and down for the day and that is at most £3 for the hour. Then you have the likes of inflatespace which one of the bigger, permanent places which is minimum of £12 for the hour.

So basically, at what you describe, I would expect to pay £5 per person for what we have around here

I can’t see kids wanting to jump on the same bouncy castle for an hour.

One of these inflatable parks popped up in a local park once. The one we went to was a variety of inflatables, but set up like an assault course (similar to total wipeout), so you could go on different inflatables if you wanted to.

We are in Greater London and paid £10 per hour, which slightly cheaper than other similar activities. I would pay £10 for the children, but I have no interest in going on myself. If I'm honest, I don't think it's something my children would want to do regularly in the same way they would a proper trampoline park.

I agree with what the other posters have said about devaluing your product by having it in a school hall. If it's in a residential area, many people won't know you are there. The one went to was a touring one, so it was put up in parks etc, but this does mean you are reliant on the weather.

I would charge £10 per kid and £5 per adult which would include a jug of squash or water on each table and coffee or tea for the grown-ups, with free refills.

I've been to the one you linked and I actually would pay your prices. The kids enjoyed it and were active the whole time. Being honest though, I would take bottles of water and probably not buy a drink for myself to balance the cost.

Oh wow so it’s only one bouncy castle?

Hmm I would have said yes I would pay those prices but I was imagining many different inflatables and comparing it to the local trampoline park.

Pre covid there was an inflatables park at the local garden centre, there were about 6 different inflatables (slides, castles), a trampoline house thing and some ride ons. I think it was about £5 per child and no time limit as no arrival slots so how can you keep track of how long people have had.

Feels a bit weird going to a school hall as well. There’s another local soft play to us in a village hall which has a bouncy castle plus soft play equipment, for under 3s I’d say, and that’s only a couple of £ for 90 mins.

Good luck!! Can’t wait for this stuff to open up again.

It sounds like a place near me. This place is cheaper than yours and is there all the time/runs different sessions/has toddler discount etc. Based on that I would say yours is too expensive.

www.wackyworldparks.com/

And even the trampoline parks near me- Flip Out & Energi have discounted toddler sessions and they are both massive with loads of different things to play on.

If people are paying that sort of money to bounce for an hour, I wouldnt expect them to sit out and eat even a snack for more than a couple of minutes UNLESS they could eat after their hour session. Sounds like that wouldnt be viable,

How are you going to clean? thats going to take time between sessions.

When you structure your sessions, especially as they are short, please dont butt them up against each other. You really cant do 9-10 AND 10-11. etc If I pay for an hour I want an hour, especially given your price idea

I can’t see how this would be a viable set up tbh.

But at the very least it needs to be charged per child.

I would not want to get on nor would I expect any adults bouncing with smalls.

And the same goes for teenagers- I’d only expect my kids to be on at the same time as others their own age. So you’d have to have different times for different ages which is a headache for parents - you might get away with broad age groups though (under 6, 6-10 and 11+ for example)
And the big difference with a trampoline park is I wouldn’t be able to see them which would put me off.

I took my 10 year old and her friends to flip out the other day and their main complaint was adults and toddlers. They couldn't bounce properly as there was too many small children running about and they were worried they would hurt them.

One girl ended up in tears as the mum of a young child shouted at her when her toddler ran onto the trampoline she was on and ended up falling. (I was watching, 100% not her fault, but I also understand toddler mum would have got a fright)

If it was just a big bouncy castle it would be a hundred times worse! You would not get repeat business from families with older kids and you would not get repeat business from younger kids as it would be a nightmare to try and stop your 3 year old from running into older kids.

Also, flip out has a huge cafe, so after your hour you can dig and get kids a snack, and theirs lots of video game type things designed to make you spend another few quid.

I think you need to rethink your business model. Even if it means walking away from the money you have already spent.

My family is 2 adults, 2 kids (3 and 11 years). I would gladly pay £10 each for the kids once in a while - making a £20 outing but I wouldn’t pay for all of us and go at £40 for an hour. That’s too much for us, even on a wet day with nothing to do.

Quote: “It is comparable to a trampoline park which charge between £11 and £14 per person and £1-2 for spectators.
They also allow adults and children to mix without issue.”
I don’t think it is. The trampoline park we went to there should only be one person in a trampoline so if someone is on it you wait or use another. The hall was vast.

@Miseryl

And even the trampoline parks near me- Flip Out & Energi have discounted toddler sessions and they are both massive with loads of different things to play on.

The toddler sessions are during the school day though. You wouldn't get a toddler discount at the weekend.

@speakout

I am surprised the school allowed you to paint the hall and modify electrics. Is the LA OK with this? Do you work at the school by chance?

Me too