Out to play

This morning Mum and I headed off to 360 Play in Leicester for a meeting with other members of BALPPA (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions). We are part of a sub-group - the Family Entertainment Centre Association - so it was an opportunity to meet other operators and have a free lunch!

360 Play is a lovely, very modern play centre and this particular branch of the chain had only been open a year so it was all shiny and new. We had a coffee and then listened to a presentation on Marketing by perhaps the most boring speaker I've ever had the misfortune to listen to... We said hello to Phillip and his manager, Ben, who run another play centre in Northampton and who we are friends with, having formed an informal alliance to try and fight off the new, much bigger venue that opened last August.

Talking of which...the owners were sitting on the same row as us which was very interesting! We recognised them from their Facebook page but I'm not sure, at first, whether they knew who we were. Phillip said he was going to go and have a chat with them, which was admirable! I didn't dare!

After a very good lunch we had a wander around the play area trying to pick up tips for our own place. They have a large outdoor area which must be great in summer, but I still don't think it's enough to bring people in when the weather is good.

The afternoon session kicked off with an open forum and the owners of the new place certainly had a lot to say. For the new kids on the block they were brimming with self-confidence, which I suppose you need in this difficult industry. We all had a lot to say about Facebook (both positive and negative) and some of the points discussed were very interesting. At least it was a good opportunity to all come together and have a collective moan!

Phillip did indeed talk to one half of the couple but he didn't go into too much detail about what was said when I spoke to him. Perhaps I should have plucked up the courage to have a chat but I think Mum would have wanted to start an argument so maybe it was better to have maintained a dignified silence!

We drove back to Northampton in the pouring rain and rather than go all the way back to work we called it a day and went home. The evening was spent relaxing and listening to the rain pounding against the windows. More is expected over the weekend so flood warnings are being given...I really am behind with building that Ark!