Opening a Family Entertainment Center (FEC) is an exciting venture that requires careful planning and strategic decision-making. One of the most crucial aspects of creating a successful FEC is determining the right mix of attractions that will draw in and engage your target demographic. This article provides insights and best practices to help you design a FEC attraction mix that maximizes appeal and profitability.

Understanding Your Target Demographic

To create a successful family entertainment center, it’s essential to understand your target demographic.

• • Focus on Specific Demographics: If you try to be all things to all people, you’ll be special to no one. Focus on a primary demographic and a secondary demographic.
  • Research and Adapt: Make a profile of your ideal customer – take time to research what they really want. Understand the industry trends and how you should evolve for the future.

When planning your family entertainment center, consider the following questions to understand the marketplace better:

• • Age groups: Are you catering primarily to young children, teenagers, adults, or a mix of the three?
  • Interests: Do your customers seek thrilling adventures, physical challenges, or creative play?
  • Local demographics: What are the unique preferences and needs of your community?
  • Major trends: What important trends in the industry and your market are relevant to your project?

Demographic Profiles

iGen / Gen Z (Junior High / High School / Early College)

• Characteristics: Connected to a digital device for 10+ hours daily, prefer cool products over cool experiences, entrepreneurial, and tech-savvy. They value uniqueness, authenticity, creativity, shareability, and recognition.
• Marketing Tips: Mobile marketing is key – 70% of Gen Z watch 2 hours of YouTube per day. Leverage platforms like YouTube and social media to reach them effectively.
• Buying Behavior: Gen Z commands a remarkable buying power estimated at $360 billion globally, with significant influence over an additional $600 billion in family spending. Their spending behavior is characterized by a strong preference for convenience, value, and social responsibility.

Millennials (Exiting College to Mid/Late 30’s)

• Characteristics: Value access over ownership, look to their personal network for buying decisions, wellness junkies. They are the largest generation in the U.S. labor force as of 2019 and are coming into their spending prime over the next five years.
• Marketing Tips: Offer social experiences, highlight health-conscious options, and create an exquisite brand experience. Millennials are likely to recommend your facility on social media.
• Buying Behavior: Millennials are entering their prime discretionary spending years, spending proportionately more on out-of-home entertainment.

Gen X (Late 30’s to Mid 50’s)

• Characteristics: Desire flexibility and value work ethic. They started their main focus on work/life balance, using technology as a tool, and are heavily tied with iGen/Gen Z. They value variety in entertainment as a “break” from the norm.
• Marketing Tips: Focus on family-friendly options that also appeal to parents. Gen X values stability – 25% have been with the same employer for 15+ years.
  Buying Behavior: Spend significantly on their children and family activities.

Baby Boomers (Mid 50’s through Retirement)

• Characteristics: The largest, wealthiest, and most active generation. They are workaholics and entrepreneurs who are driven by facts, track records, and dependability. High value is placed on relationships.
• Marketing Tips: Highlight reliability and value, and offer engaging out-of-home experiences. Baby Boomer markets are expected to grow 20% over the next eight years.
• Buying Behavior: Spend the most on out-of-home entertainment compared to other generations. They are highly informed buyers who take longer to decide on purchases and heavily research.

Creating the Ideal FEC Attraction Mix

The Rise of Active Entertainment

The digital revolution has led to a more sedentary lifestyle, characterized by increased screen time and reduced physical activity. Simultaneously, a growing health consciousness drives people to adopt healthy lifestyles, fueling a broader wellness trend. This trend toward health and fitness allows facility managers to incorporate fitness-oriented attractions. Millennials, in particular, value health-conscious activities that can be enjoyed with their families. By offering an attraction that involves physical activity, you tap into this trend, promoting a healthy lifestyle and social interaction.

Consider Capacity and Revenue Streams

The attractions that draw customers to your facility and generate significant revenue are your anchor attractions. They will play a significant role in ensuring the desired return on investment (ROI). Aim for attractions with high throughput, high repeat visit potential, and additional opportunities to boost revenue. This will ensure a steady flow of guests, boosting your overall profitability.

Variety – Balance Thrill and Fun

Ensure a mix that caters to different preferences and skill levels to keep your guests engaged. Offer a mix of adrenaline-inducing attractions for older children and teens. Include plenty of options for younger children and families to enjoy together. Ideally, your attraction mix should appeal to all ages – kids, teens, adults, seniors, and even the corporate market. Consider incorporating themed areas for added excitement.

Repeatability and Longevity

Choose attractions that offer a new experience with each visit, such as a multi-level ropes course and Fun Walls. They provide space for progress and development, making them repeatable and enhancing their long-term value. For example, the gradual progress in climbing skills makes the experience of Fun Walls more exciting each time.

Safety

Safety is paramount. Choose attractions with robust safety features and reliable equipment. Check the safety standards they comply with. Provide clear instructions and supervision for all activities.

Maintenance and Operation

Consider labor costs and the ease of maintaining each attraction. Attractions that do not have mechanical parts lower maintenance costs. Low levels of supervision make attractions more cost-effective. Check how many staff members will need to be present at all times to operate the attraction. Consider the workload in different periods of the week, month, and year, including special events, and make an adequate staff schedule. Can the operator do other things, or does he have to be there at all times? The labor costs are the number one cost of every attraction. If you get too high labor costs, you can’t cost-justify having it, no matter what the revenue of the game is.

Pricing Strategies

To optimize the attraction mix in your entertainment center, consider implementing pricing strategies such as multi-attraction tickets or pay-one-price models. These approaches are designed to enhance the overall guest experience while boosting per capita spending. By creating package deals, you can provide visitors with a greater sense of value and encourage them to extend their stay.

For instance, offering a two-hour unlimited pass for $30 can significantly increase each guest’s expenditure while enhancing their overall experience. Guests benefit from the freedom to enjoy multiple attractions without worrying about additional costs.

By increasing the spend per guest, your center can generate more revenue without relying solely on attracting new visitors. Instead of needing additional customers to boost profits, you maximize the revenue potential from each visitor. This efficient use of resources leads to better economic outcomes for your center, as you can achieve higher profitability with the same number of guests.

Design Considerations

Positioning FEC Attractions

Design the layout to create a natural flow and guide guests intuitively through the center. Consider the natural progression of activities from low to high energy. Ensure key attractions are visible and accessible from main entry points. Create the attractions flow naturally, with specific signage. Put thought and attention into all small details.

Enhancing Guest Experience

Immerse guests in unique and engaging experiences through thoughtful design. Combine practicality with originality to cater to peak periods and ensure staffing efficiency. When you design your FEC you should consider peak periods, such as parties, events, and weekends. This means that you’ll have to design the space to be fluid and easy to go from one point to the other, while still maintaining a spacious, light, and airy feel to the facility.

Marketing Integration

Use the design of your center to reinforce your brand’s identity by incorporating creative elements such as branded flooring and themed decor. Building a story around your center through design is crucial when planning a new facility. Align your brand’s identity with the design elements in your center to create a cohesive and memorable experience. For example, while flooring can be easily overlooked, it presents an opportunity to showcase your brand. It’s essential to keep the design timeless and true to your brand, avoiding temporary trends that may quickly become outdated. A simple, brand-consistent design will save you trouble in the long run and enhance the guest experience. By not overly theming your center and wisely choosing equipment and attractions, you will attract more customers and increase profitability.

Planning and Evolution

Always have a thorough plan with your supplier to control the project’s outcome. Ensure the design allows for easy updates and additions to keep the center fresh and exciting. The design choice has to allow the facility to constantly evolve.

Don’t forget that apart from the visual appeal and feel of the design facility, it also has to be about practicality. The way you position your attractions, equipment, and the way your guests move around the center is one of the most important aspects that you’ll have to start with. You should be able to move around some pre-existing attractions or add new ones easily.

Walltopia’s Active Entertainment: Your One-Stop Shop for Active Fun

Walltopia offers a diverse range of attractions to cater to various age groups and interests:

Thrill Seekers:

• Rollglider: An unparalleled flying experience, suitable for all ages. This is a premium offer that can be upcharged. Its uniqueness brings superior value and differentiates you from the competition.
• Ropes Courses: High-flying challenge with varying difficulty levels. Provide both low and suspended ropes courses to challenge and entertain visitors while maximizing vertical space. Ropes courses are the perfect base for building a themed Adventure Hub by adding a Rollglider using the same construction, a slide, or a Free Fall.
• Ninja Courses: Obstacle-filled challenges for those seeking physical fitness and fun. Attract athletic teens and adults with a competitive obstacle course designed for maximum engagement. Our modular Ropes Courses and Ninja Courses provide scalable options to suit your facility’s size and budget.

Family Fun:

• Fun Walls: Interactive climbing walls for children and beginner climbers combine fun with physical and cognitive development. Perfect for birthday parties and group events.
• Elevated Playgrounds and Soft Play Areas: Engaging and safe spaces combining different play zones for the youngest ones.

Active and Social:

• Trampolines: Energetic fun for the whole family. Can be part of a multi-activity playground suitable for all age groups.
• Net Mazes, Cloud Climbs, and Adventure Trails: Unharnessed safe spaces for creative and imaginative play.

By following these guidelines and leveraging industry insights, you can create a compelling FEC attraction mix that appeals to your target demographic, ensures safety and repeatability, and drives profitability.

For further assistance, reach out to our industry experts at Walltopia.