Page 50 - November 2021

RLI LEISURE INSIGHT

UK Leisure Industry

Welcomes Innovation

Leisure activities in the UK are a key part of the economy and yet have mostly been
overlooked in terms of innovation and investment. Here, Michael Harrison, Chief Growth
Office and Co-Founder of Gravity, discusses how the sector has been reinvigorated and how
immersive experiences are the way forward.

Some activities have seen some revitalisation, such as the new wave According to the Immersive Economy report in 2019, the UK’s
of trampoline parks that brought a breath of fresh air to the sector six VR entertainment market was likely to grow faster than any other
years ago, upgrading from aging leisure centres to exciting, colourful entertainment and media sector. While this may have been delayed
trampoline centres with fun for all ages. However generally, other by Covid-19, we are still seeing strong growth, and is still on track to
activities haven’t had the investment needed to properly develop. It be worth £294M in 2023.
is only the last few years, with pressure from consumers for more There are standalone providers of VR experiences, such as
experiences, combined with struggling retail companies that has led DNAVR or Otherworld, and at Gravity, you can experience at our
to more investment, both financially and strategically into the leisure Electric Gamebox which invites you to interact with projection
sector, signalling a new era for the industry. mapping, touch screens and motion tracking.
For some sectors, this has just been as simple as upgrading the Immersive isn’t just about technology though, we are also seeing
offering to appeal to consumers, for example indoor golf has been consumers want more from their environment. This goes back to
invigorated, with the likes of McMulligans, Puttshack, and Swingers the likes of indoor golf locations creating club atmospheres with
growing rapidly over the past two years. Previously seen as an neon lights and loud music, and now can be seen across other
outdoor destination with aging parks, these are now destinations activities. We have embraced this atmosphere for our e-karting
for consumers who want to have some fun while socialising with track which has bright music and lights, really elevating the traditional
colourful layouts, neon lights and loud music. go-track experience.
Other providers have gone even further; Rogue Productions are
Diversification has helped one of the leading providers of immersive escape games, having
For others, rather than upgrading, it has been about diversifying launched the likes of Heist, Jungle Escape and Crystal Maze. These

what is on offer, with consumers demanding more activities in have done so well, enabling the customer to be completely immersed
one location. in a different environment, even using actors to make the entire
Bowling has been an example of this; traditionally seen as a low- experience authentic.
tech industry the likes of TenPin and Superbowl in the UK have
embraced virtual reality as a way to diversify from their core offering, UK leisure has the opportunity to set trends
with TenPin also launching a laser arena with infrared light guns and Innovation has been really important for leisure activities, enabling
a 4D experience. it to grow and become more resilient to consumer trends, as well
At Gravity, we also saw the need for diversification. While we as helping other sectors such as retail. With these new offerings
started with trampoline parks, we quickly realised that consumers and investment, the UK is really becoming a country to follow
wanted more and we started to invest in different activities from globally. There are many exciting companies growing, with just a few
climbing walls to fitness classes to keep people entertained. We now mentioned in this article, and we are proud to be one of them, setting
have over 30 offerings across our portfolio, and our most recent the trends for what comes next in leisure.
opening in Wandsworth has 10 different activities across 85,000sq ft,
including the first ever indoor e-karting track. The aim is to ensure
consumers stay engaged and active when visiting a site and with
diversification, they never get bored.

Embracing technology
While most industries have seen a wave of innovation from
technology, leisure didn’t seem a natural sector to develop. Finally
we are now seeing some really exciting developments.
As we mentioned, bowling has been a traditionally low-tech
industry, and while others have just introduced diversified offerings
at their site, we have gone one step further, and combined
technology with bowling, something never seen before in the UK.
Using projection technology to revolutionise the game, players can
choose various different games to play that offer graphics such as
flames on the ball.
Technology has also been key for the development of immersive
experiences, another key trend in the UK leisure sector with the
UK now the world leader of immersive and experiential content.
Virtual Reality has been a key part of this and is expanding rapidly.

RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2021