The first and most important decision facing a future laser tag Entrepreneur is location. Even though every city and country has its own unique characteristics, there are a number of common considerations that can point you in the direction of success.
To start with we will break this down into four main sections, population, locality, area, and what type of building should you look for, we will cover this over a short series of posts
So, let's jump in covering how big your local population should be, and how things in the locality of the store can effect you
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The population base surrounding your Laser Tag Facility, or Entertainment centre can have a huge influence on your success, especially when you take into consideration the existing competition close by. The rule of thumb in the Laser Tag Industry is that you want to have at least 80,000 guests within a 15-25km radius from your centre, or your business will struggle.
There are of course exceptions to every rule, for example;
-You may have a large city close by that brings a high traffic count past your location. This, alongside things like motorway visibility, could make the location more viable.
- In a similar fashion, the area you're in might be the community centre for a group of smaller towns. In this case, you can combine the local populations of these other nearby centres into your catchment zone.
-The location may be a well-established entertainment/tourist destination. With a vast amount of multi-entertainment offerings available within a dedicated area, customers will be attracted from afar.
Past this, you can also increase your catchment area, by increasing the time guests want/can spend in your centre. The more attractions you have the longer guests will stay and further they will travel.
While considering population density, we recommend taking the location of your existing competition into account. Consider how the population is distributed around these centres, as well as how near they are to your future location. If it appears that your catchment population will be limited due to the central or strategic location of existing competition, it may be time to go back to the drawing board!
Also, make sure to check if there have been other entertainment centres that have closed in recent history, and try and find out why. When doing your research, make sure to visit your competitors and rate them on their offerings. Consider things like;
- Similarity to what you’re planning,
Quality of their service,
Arena and laser tag equipment,
Total range of attractions, is it more or less than you will have,
How long would it take you to do all activities within the centre
How busy they are (for this, ideally a few visits to gather a trend)
Try and identify what they do well, and what they do poorly so you can make sure to exceed them at every turn! If the local competition isn’t great, then maybe a nearby location isn’t too bad after all, there's nothing better than bad competition to raise your reputation!
Now you've got an idea on the population and what you should check is around it, where should you put your future centre?
Laser Tag centres can be located in a variety of places. There are pros and cons to each location within a city, and they vary significantly depending on the country, its culture, and its density. Jump in here to find out more.