Making the Most of Indoor Sports Facilities
For some, the idea of indoor sports facilities is typically associated with specific activities, and often limited to certain times of the year. At Sports Facilities Management, we know that indoor sports facilities have the potential to be profitable and viable year round, with the right amount of planning and forward thinking.This blog entry will outline some of the ways you can keep your indoor sports facilities active all year.
Update Your Indoor Environment
If you already own and maintain any kind of sports complex, you know how important good upkeep is. Poorly cared for facilities will lose functionality, and lose business as a result, not to mention become potentially dangerous to the public. While this is obviously a vital part of keeping your facility running well, there is an added dimension to this consideration if you want to keep your indoor sports facilities open and in use year-round.
Temperature controlled environments make all the difference in indoor sport and physical activity areas, and it is more than worth spending the extra money on modern, versatile environmental controls. Maintaining an adequate, accurate temperature that you are able to quickly adapt is important for the health and enjoyment of your users – from good air conditioning in sport and fitness areas, to keeping your dining areas cooler or warmer depending on the time of year.
Diversity of Service
Most sports complexes and recreation centers have some kind of dining area, but it is important to put as much work into the design and quality of your dining areas as your leisure areas. A high-quality, high-tech sports facility is no reason to neglect the food and drink you offer your users.
If a dining area is the only addition you have in your indoor facility, you might also want to think about diversifying what your location can offer. Adding things like laser tag or a video game arcade are common ways in which you can appeal to a wider, more varied audience, and offer more indoor activities for different times of the year.
Adding more leisure and recreation-orientated elements to your building will also increase the opportunity for holding different events, such as birthdays or annual office parties. You might also want to consider adding a sports bar but remember to research the correct licensing and legal requirements before you commit.
A Slow Season Is Inevitable
A key part of any good business management, whether in regards to indoor sports facilities, sports complexes, recreation centers or any unrelated industry, is being prepared for a slowdown in business. Although the ideal situation for everyone would be an elimination of a slow season – and the goal is, ultimately, to avoid it as much as possible – it is important to prepare for it nonetheless.
A combination of outside factors and inclement weather will sometimes make it impossible to maintain a strong, steady stream of customers. Therefore, it is better to financially and mentally prepare yourself and your staff for the possibility of stretches of time with few users. Remember that, at times, a slow period can offer an opportunity – either to assess what else you can offer the community or even to repair or renovate indoor sports facilities.
Indoor Sports Facilities and New Ideas
If you are looking for new and innovative ways to improve, expand, or even totally reinvent your sports complex or recreation center, contact Sports Facilities Management today. With many years of experience in the industry, our world-class leadership team is here for you.
