Let us entertain you
As restrictions on leisure activities ease, which operators are best placed to accommodate customers in the new age of Covid considerations? And how willing are the British public to return to them?
Leisure services felt an immediate and significant hit when initial restrictions were placed in the UK. While some operators in sectors like retail and F&B could pivot their business strategy, either moving online or offering home delivery, the closure of entertainment venues put an abrupt stop to the services that they could offer to customers. As restrictions ease on the visitor economy, we look at which leisure operators are most suited to capitalise on re-opening.
Success will pivot on these three key considerations:
How difficult is it to take part in the activity while social distancing?
How easy is it to implement changes to bring the activity in line with regulations?
What is the customer perception of safety?
Outdoor activities
Venues such as zoos, theme parks and outdoor climbing facilities all benefit from being outdoors, as open spaces make social distancing far more achievable. In addition, many of these venues have placed restrictions on the number of visitors at one time to limit overcrowding.
Chester Zoo typically sees 15,000 visitors per day at this time of year but is now restricted to a couple of thousand. Similarly, outdoor climbing operator Go Ape, has placed restrictions on its activities, with only one person allowed on a ladder, crossing or zip wire at a time. All these venues have also constructed ‘sneeze screens’ to protect staff, installed regular hand washing stations and committed to frequent cleaning.
Undoubtedly, these outdoor venues, have it easiest when it comes to pivoting to keep visitors safe, but with Chester Zoo reporting high volumes of booking cancellations and no-shows, are the public still reluctant to return?
Indoor activities
Active leisure venues such as indoor gyms, trampoline parks, cinemas and ice-skating rinks all re-opened on Saturday. Notable exceptions to the relaxation in indoor activities are casinos, indoor soft play, nightclubs and bowling alleys.
While social distancing inside presents more challenges than outside, operators are following strict measures to keep visitors safe. Numerous gyms shared their proposal to keep users safe, including no access to changing rooms, strict rules for booking classes, temperature checks and increased distance between machines.
Jump In, an indoor trampoline operator (seen above), has implemented a booking system and a QR code that all visitors must scan to register their visit for tracking purposes, and finally cinemas have implemented socially distant seating plans. Customer feedback from cinema visits has commented on how odd the experience was, though many are happy to return to an element of normality.
The arts
Indoor arts venues are one of the few remaining sectors of the entertainment industry that are still not open to the public. Key concerns revolve around the proximity of performers and audience members, making the changes required hard to implement. Over the coming weeks, pilot performances will be taking place to understand how feasible a return to the arts will be. In the meantime, operators such as the National Theatre have been entertaining and maintaining their audience by streaming online performances like ‘One Man Two Guvnors’ on YouTube.
While many operators will be happy to see visitors coming through their doors once again, the necessary reduced capacity for many will continue to limit income opportunity, so it is likely that operators in this sector will require ongoing financial support. Retail sales saw a bounce back in June, time will tell if the same can be said for leisure and entertainment facilities.
Tish Hewitt