Page 29 - #185 October 2023

Bounce, Battersea Power Station
London, UK

and foremost as a hospitality company they seek positive engagement So what would Toby say are the key drivers behind the success the
with their guests in their venues. group has enjoyed in its eleven years of operation and what makes the
They want them to have a great experience and remember their time company stand out?
with us as much for the quality of the service, food and drinks as for “I would highlight two key differentiators with our concepts. Firstly the
the gaming and entertainment. He continues by saying that word of tech enabled nature of the gameplay means our guests enjoy enhanced,
mouth will always be the most important marketing channel for them. immersive and modern versions of classic, much loved activities. Secondly
Naturally, they engage digitally with their guests so they can remain front the level of quality we deliver throughout the customer journey is at the
of mind and become their venue of choice next time. top end of our industry, as evidenced by our high guest satisfaction scores.”
“At State of Play, we harness the influential potential of platforms like He goes onto say that at the heart of the business is an incredibly
Meta and TikTok to connect with our diverse audience. Our immersive talented and diverse team of professionals with a genuine passion for
and playful venues provide the perfect backdrop for collaborations hospitality, who take great pride in doing business in the right way.
with influencers and content creators, who authentically convey the “We have always wanted to use our business as a force for good,
excitement of our spaces to their followers,” Harris comments. particularly within the communities where we operate. The State of Play
Another key focus for the group is the reduction of its environmental Foundation, which acts as an umbrella to stimulate and highlight charity
impact and they have a program called Play with Purpose which operates and community work across the group. One example of the Foundation’s
green committees both in the US and in the UK. They have various work is an annual ping pong charity event called the Bounce City Cup,
initiatives to keep their emissions as low as possible which includes which raised over £20k last year. This year will be the third Bounce City
energy and waste targeted reduction programmes. Cup and over the years its benefits have shown themselves to be broad
The last few years has made company’s around the world focus more including the awareness and fund raising for the charity partner, the bonds
on their digital offerings and this is the case for State of Play, who are all it creates within the participating companies and the sense of purpose it
about delivering jaw-dropping, immersive experiences that bring people brings to the whole State of Play team,” Harris highlights.
together – they are harnessing the power of technology to engage an even Just before our time with Toby is over, he comments on what lies
broader audience as well as using the latest innovations to improve their ahead, saying that as people yearn both experience and physical social
in-venue offering, especially with their Bounce concept where they are contact more than ever, they have a huge opportunity to expand their
looking to exciting new technologies to improve the digital ping pong game footprint and bring their concepts to more locations internationally.
they currently offer. Meanwhile at Hijingo they have recently installed a “Our greatest challenge with that growth will be delivering the quality
state-of-the-art system which allows them to give an even more immersive of experience to our guest’s day in and day out across a geographically
experience to their guests and to change up the content more easily. dispersed portfolio,” Harris concludes.

Flight Club Ace Bounce
Boston, US Chicago, US