It is obvious that the entrance area should be both attractive and functional. After all, the main distribution of customer traffic will take place in this zone of your arena. The mission of this area is to present your game to customers and give them maximum information about the arena.
It is better to design the entrance area in the same style as the rest arena, although the design is not the main issue. The most important issue for customers is to get a conception of the place where they came in. You can meet this goal by hang up the arena schema on the wall, make posters with game prices, promotions and discounts, make wall charts with battle rules and the “board of honor”, with most active players and teams. It would be convenient to place a couple of sofas and a large screen for those who want to watch the battle that is going at the arena right now.
Convenience first
The administrator’s workplace can be organized as a small mobile drawer unit (if you want to save room space) or a fully-featured reception desk with a height of 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters), where the desk will have a high partition. High partition is useful when there is no separate room for the game operator. The partition will allow an operator to do his job without being distracted.
Very often the arena owners make the same mistake. In order to save the room space, they locate the reception desk, sofas for the waiting team, lockers for gaming equipment, wardrobe and other things in one reception room. That is, instead of allocating several zones for different purposes, arena owners put together all employees and customers in several square meters. Such an approach only creates inconvenience for guests and employees, especially when the arena is popular and high traffic and teams play almost one after another.
Accordingly, noise and confusion will forever take place in the reception area, because some of the players have come to play, the others have already played and shared their impressions, some have just come for reconnaissance of new location, and so on. However, all this can be avoided by usual drywall partitions or, as an inexpensive option, baffle-plates. So, If you don’t have a separate room for the recreation area, operator room, and a dressing room, simply zone the room by other means.
Zoning not only helps to separate parts of the room visually but also allows arena employees whose duties do not include meeting customers work more efficiently.
The traffic arena is the purpose of this business, that’s why the owner should examine these issues before planning.
Do you need WOW-effect?
Of course, if the rent costs are very large, sometimes the owner has to save on important things and some laser tag operators do not equip the entrance zone at all. Indeed, some customers, such as professional laser tag teams, do not need design, special effects, and a beautifully decorated reception zone. They come only for the game process and enchanting their skills. However, such pro players are not the target audience of the arena. The most common customers of arenas are children and teenagers, families, companies of friends and colleagues who want to have fun and get new positive emotions. Such customers pay attention to all the details: they need design, comfort, and a smiling game manager. If they feel the mood of the arena at the entrance, you will get satisfied customers who will come to your laser tag location again.
If the arena is located in a shopping mall, where there is a lot of advertising, whether you like it or not, you will have to compete with other entertainment attractions and use all available means for it. In general, if the arena is targeted at beginners or players that like playing from time to time to play with their team or one by one, you should surprise them. The WOW effect is very important for such clients and you need to surprise them right at the entrance. It should be recognized that most people still pay attention not only to the arena itself but also to the general mood of the arena. We all make up the first impression of a new object during the first minutes. Therefore, be sure to keep this in mind when you think about whether you need a reception area.
