3 Top Tips for Reopening During Covid-19

What can indoor adventure and trampoline parks do to ensure that they have customers ready and waiting when their doors re-open?

The first thing to make clear, is that we really don’t know how people will react to the lifting of a lockdown and permission to enjoy leisure attractions again.

But what we do know, is that people are still going to want to have fun. In fact, after weeks of restrictions and spending the majority of their time at home, they’ll be longing for it. Just look at how quickly Shanghai Disneyland sold out when they reopened last week (minutes!). 

So, what do we suggest your priorities might be?

1. Hygiene is Key

It goes without saying that cleanliness and hygiene will be at the forefront of every guest’s mind, so it’s important that you’re prepared for reopening safely. General advice for frequent hand-washing, cleaning/reducing touch points in your park, and having a plan ready for if a guest or employee becomes ill, are all important factors to consider. Remember that guidance differs between countries and states, so be sure to check your local advice and input the required measures. Your customers will want to see that you’re keeping them safe as best you can. 

The American leisure industry organisation, International Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) and the International Association for Trampoline Parks (IATP) have both put together some very detailed and helpful advice for reopening adventure parks. 

IAAPA’s Covid-19 Reopening Guidance outlines some key considerations and hygiene rules that are likely to apply to your site. It also includes detailed information on how to calculate the capacity within your park, and how to manage your employees during this time. Read the full document.

IATP’s Guidebook for Reopening suggests some useful tips on how to communicate with employees and guests ahead of opening. There is also a checklist of considerations for your park, including the operation of cafés. Read here.

It is likely that as the virus develops and as scientists learn more about how it’s transmitted, hygiene considerations will be updated. However, one thing will always stand - the clearer you are with guidance for guests and employees, the better they will adhere to your rules and operations. 

2. Communication is Everything

As we all try to adjust to a new ‘normal’, it’s important that you clearly and concisely communicate any changes to the operation of your adventure park. It is recommended that you outline information on your website and social media channels that explains any changes to operations, and any new rules that visitors will be expected to abide by. Posters with this key information should also be provided at the park for your visitors to read. 

For example, if visitors are expected to wear a face mask during their visit, or if new socks only are allowed to be worn in the park, you should make this clear in your communications. If you will be carrying out temperature checks on entry, then it is important that visitors know this ahead of arrival. You may also need to update them on the availability of food and drink at your park, and whether the café will be open for business. 

It can also be useful to explain your rules around social distancing in your park, and how this will apply to queuing and the use of attractions. If any particular attractions will be closed during this time, you may want to consider noting this on your website. 

Finally, if visitors are expected to follow specific hygiene rules around the washing and sanitisation of their hands during a visit, it can be helpful to include information on your website for how this will be introduced. For example, when will guests be expected to clean/sanitise their hands, how often and with which products?

The more information you can provide to guests ahead of their visit, the more understanding and prepared they will be when they arrive. During your first few weeks of opening, it could also be helpful to gather feedback from visitors to find out whether they feel comfortable with your new operational approach, and whether they would like to see any additional measures put in place to improve the overall experience, or make them more likely to return again.

 3. Create a Fun, Safe and Memorable Experience 

For park operators and staff, it is important to realise that your customers are likely to have a different mindset to that pre-Covid, and they may expect different things from their experience. 

Your guests will want to feel safe in your park, whilst still enjoying the attractions you have to offer. Although hygiene and safety are key, creating a memorable experience for your customers during this time should be at the core of your thinking. The more fun, the more excitement and the more joy you can bring to the experience you’re offering, the better. Consider running simple competitions, challenges and leaderboards to create an unforgettable experience that we all could do with a dose of these days. 

To summarise, ensuring your guests feel safe whilst they’re with you, and focussing on the overall experience you provide, will be the key factors that contribute to repeat visits and new visits through word of mouth. Just remember, we’re in the business of fun, and there will always be people out there who want to embrace it!

Cleaning Rugged Products

For any parks that have Rugged Interactive products installed, we have filmed a short video to show you how quick and simple it is to clean them.

If you would like more information on how best to clean and disinfect your Rugged products, please get in touch with one of the team.