The way that people use their leisure time has changed quite a bit over recent years. Instead of traveling to venues with a single purpose, more and more attendees are choosing to visit venues that combine a range of activities into a single, easy-to-visit location. Bowling alleys, arcade rooms, eateries, and activity zones can all be found in the same venue or sometimes even in the same room. It’s not hard to see the appeal when thinking about the ease of planning an outing.
Convenience of These Venues Has Made Them Popular
One of the difficulties of planning an outing for a group is that it typically requires multiple stops along the way. Group members need to agree on a dining location, then drive from that location to wherever the main activity will take place. If dessert or drinks are involved, that becomes another stop in the process.
Multi-activity entertainment venues have eliminated the need to make several stops throughout the evening. Everything is conveniently located within “walking distance” of itself (walking distance meaning that attendees tend to remain in the same general area for the entire evening). This makes outings much easier to plan; less time is spent on planning logistics and getting from one location to another, and more time can be spent enjoying activities.
In a family setting, it’s much easier to keep children from having to get in and out of car seats multiple times throughout a single evening; the children can simply remain in the same area for nearly all activities. In friend groups, people can separate to participate in different activities and still remain within each other’s lines of sight. Even in a romantic couple outing, avoiding the friction that can accompany moving from one venue to another is reduced when all activities are available in the same location.
Environmental factors, like weather, can also disrupt traditional outings. With everything available in one spot, being unable to go outside or having to change locations as a result of inclement weather is no longer an issue.
Attendee Preferences Don’t Have to Be Compromised
Anyone who has attempted to plan an outing for several people with varied interests knows how difficult it can be to keep everyone satisfied. One person wants something active, another wants an opportunity to relax and socialize, and someone else usually has at least basic preferences for the food that will be present. Old-school venues that only include one primary activity force the planners of those events to compromise in a manner that can make at least some attendees unhappy.
Multi-activity entertainment venues ensure that nobody needs to compromise over an event that they do not want to attend. For example, venues like Spinners in Touchwood, Solihull indicate that combining elements like bowling, arcade games, and a good restaurant into one venue can enhance the flexibility of its attendees.
Groups can bowl a few innings before moving on to other activities; those who partake can all eat when they are hungry; and those who want to play games can enjoy those games without feeling like they’re being forced to have a good time by being present at an event at which they do not want to participate.
The flexibility of these new venues allows different age groups within each grouping, as well. Teenagers can challenge each other to competition on the more-strenuous arcade activities while parents choose (and are able to walk up to) less-strenuous and less-competitive video games.
Younger children can be entertained using age-appropriate (but still fun) activities while older relatives do not have to feel forced into playing games with younger children; they can enjoy simply waiting and supervising within designated waiting areas.
The Nature of Socialization Changes
These newer types of venues seem to change the dynamics of socialization itself. The dynamic feels far less-stressful than traditional forms of entertainment like theaters or restaurants that typically come with established or expected patterns. Nobody is forced to commit themselves for three hours immediately. If the group’s enthusiasm for bowling begins dropping off after one game, they have the ability to naturally slip into another activity or even another venue.
These venues encourage attendees to move around during a single event rather than sitting in one place for the entire duration of their stay. Walking from one activity area to another creates natural breaks in activity that allows people within a group (especially those in the midst of making new relationships) to allow for “fresh starts.” The fluidity of these venues (versus those with expected paths like restaurants or theaters) means that there is no internal expectation of what should happen next; socialization can easily evolve along with the desire of those present.
Food and drink being available throughout the venue rather than being separated into different sections for different beverages increases this feeling throughout multi-activity entertainment venues as well. Being able to stay within an entertainment area while still being able to grab a snack or drink really enhances these feelings.
Multi-activity venues offer value
Cost comparison with multi-activity entertainment venues is usually less expensive than attempting to visit several venues throughout a single evening (or afternoon). Package deals often reduce costs per individual while maximizing time spent at each individual location.
With these groups being less likely to attempt splitting bills between each outing onto multiple vendors, the costs associated with older-yet-popular forms of entertainment are easier to calculate through experiences like Spinners (and others).
Value doesn’t just come through cost; these multi-activity entertainment venues offer inherent value through time management as well. Multi-activity entertainment venues allow attendees to glean three or four hours of variety from one place instead of needing half that time spread between various locations.
With families especially (but also groups of friends), many people rarely attend these events unless they are granted sufficient entertainment opportunities for every hour spent outside their house or hotel room.
Why These Venues Are Succeeding
The rise of multi-use venues highlight changes across society in how leisure time is valued and used. These new evening get-togethers boast flexibility and ease without sacrificing quality of experience in any way.
Social media encourages a different kind of post that gives additional attention and free advertisement for certain aspects of multi-activity/entertainment venues. Newer forms of entertainment open visitors up to indirect self-promotion opportunities on social media platforms when multiple items that deserve their own shots are involved. People post about all different sections of their experience rather than being forced into posting about just one element alone.
These venues seem to thrive on their capacity for transforming old socialization patterns into experiences that work in their favor while reducing friction between members in a group in age, status, expectations, or comfort levels. Whether an event is expected or unplanned, these venues open attendees up for adaptable options during new or established relationships.