Press Release

Mike Whincup, chief operating officer of Do The Beach, speaks on the brand's launch, expansion plans, how to maximise food and beverage and the importance of marketing to the correct demographic.​

An estimated 3.4 billion beach visits are made each year in the US. It’s easy to see why: parents can unwind while children entertain themselves by building sandcastles or swimming in the sea, with nearby piers and boardwalks offering plenty of additional attractions. 

For those living near the more than 12,000 miles of US coastline, beach trips may be a regular part of life. For the nearly 60 per cent of Americans who do not, however, a visit may be a once-a-year occasion at most, one that can be ruined by even the slightest hint of bad weather. Who is to say that families shouldn’t be able to enjoy a beach-like experience at any time of year, whether it is a wet weekend in summer, or a freezing winter’s day.

Do The Beach Inflatable Adventure Parks, a US-based entertainment franchise of highly-themed, inflatable adventure parks, is aiming to do just that by providing families with everything they love about the beach in an immersive environment that operates year-round, according to Mike Whincup, the brand’s chief operating officer. 

When it comes to branding and design, the experienced industry veteran says that nobody within North America has created an inflatable park that is able to offer the same highly-themed, immersive environment for guests to enjoy as Do The Beach.

Whincup explained that he set out to create an experience that feels like a day at the beach, from the boardwalk planks and an epoxy flooring that is like sand beneath the guest’s feet to giant sandcastles, big waves and sharks.

“A day at the beach transcends all ages and gender boundaries, and although a couple of the locations that we’ve launched have been in Florida and coastal areas, the idea is that if you’re in the middle of Idaho or Minnesota, you’ll be able to visit the beach on any day of the year.” 

From a design perspective, the inflatable park is the key anchor attraction within each location, but depending on the total floorspace available, there could be up to a total of 20 activities included within that inflatable space within any one adventure park. 

“In trying to create this immersive environment, I’m trying to blend as many attractions into one space as possible. So, we have ninja courses, air courts, soft play and other attractions that are built into the inflatable park. 

“When looking at other attractions that could complement the inflatables, it’s about how we can either increase play capacity, or how we can increase the overall revenue for our franchisees.”

"There is a balance between charging too much and trying to offer these additional revenue streams. I think the best example of that is us working with Pixel Games, it fits the theme, it can be unattended and we’re only going to charge around US$3 a play."

Mike Whincup - Do The Beach

Whincup explained that the entertainment options that are chosen shouldn’t be overly expensive and instead need to focus on providing a family-friendly experience to guests. His examples of low-cost options included mini-golf, as well as mini-karts.

“There are certain things that we won’t do, especially if we don’t think they are going to drive traffic. I’d never say never, but I don’t expect that we’d do something like VR, just because of the level of investment required for the return that you get on it. 

“There is a balance between charging too much and trying to offer these additional revenue streams. I think the best example of that is us working with Pixel Games, it fits the theme, it can be unattended and we’re only going to charge around US$3 a play.”

The full attraction range guests can expect to see in Do The Beach locations currently includes a roller coaster-themed obstacle challenge, a climbing frame, slides, a toddler zone, a Ninja Warrior-esque obstacle course and dedicated spaces for parties and events.

Marketing to the Correct Demographics for Your Adventure Park

While pitched and marketed as an indoor adventure park for younger children, Whincup says that Do The Beach is capable of providing amusement to visitors of all ages, including older siblings and even parents. 

“Everything that goes into the inflatable park, from a design perspective, is designed so that teenagers and people around my age can have a good time. When those older siblings come with their brothers and sisters, it is important that they are still entertained.

“I am under no illusion that we’re going to attract 16, 17 or 18-year-olds, but when they do come, because that’s the age of my staff, I know that they are going to have a great time. The number of dads that come in and their faces suddenly just light up, and they turn into kids would surprise you.”

"We’ve actually seen our average age drop, and while obviously it drops month-to-month based on what is going on, midweek our average age is around six or seven years old, which is really positive for us."

Mike Whincup - Do The Beach

Instead of choosing to operate Do The Beach in the afternoons, evenings and weekends, Whincup explained that each centre is able to maximise revenue by providing events throughout the week. 

He explained that while the park already has an area dedicated to toddlers, the entertainment venue also hosts specific toddler times to allow the youngest visitors an opportunity to explore the entire venue with their parents, who enter for free. 

“It’s added value for the visitors,” Whincup added. “It’s at a time that most parks don’t utilise enough, or when they are usually closed. We are also able to reduce the staffing ratio because we’ve got somebody, an attendant so to speak, with every single child.

“It’s been a roaring success. We’ve actually seen our average age drop, and while obviously it drops month-to-month based on what is going on, midweek our average age is around six or seven years old, which is really positive for us.”

Maximising Food and Beverage Opportunities

Due to the state of the economy, parents are watching their spending more closely than ever. They do not want to overpay for poor-quality food or overpriced cold drinks. For Whincup, pricing guests out of potential additional spend is a mistake; he believes food and beverage pricing should reflect quality.

“I don’t understand the locations that gouge people for food and beverage. We make our own pizza, and I’d say it’s pretty good, but you can’t charge US$12 for it. We’d never sell it, and we’d only frustrate our customers. It’s more important to provide good value to our guests, so that they leave a good review and are more likely to return in the future."

Crafting a Strong Staff Culture at Do The Beach

One of the most rewarding aspects in the creation of Do The Beach’s entertainment centre, for Whincup, was putting together teams of young people who are ultimately responsible for the day-today operations within each location.

With a predominantly younger workforce, he described how ice-breaking activities that he picked up from conferences and events over the years, while alien in nature to him as a British-born person, have proved to be useful.

When on location with the young staff, mostly aged between 16 and 18, he said that it was really useful to discover the personalities within the group, helping to decide those that will make good party hosts, or who will be better suited to the attractions or kitchen.

“We know these are young people and we try to be accommodating and understand while also teaching them some life lessons. There will be days when they might have to empty the bins and soda might leak on them, but it’s not the end of the world. I want to help them understand how to deal with low-level problems, while also creating a fun environment for the guests."

"There will be days when they might have to empty the bins and soda might leak on them, but it’s not the end of the world. I want to help them understand how to deal with low-level problems, while also creating a fun environment for the guests."

Mike Whincup - Do The Beach

“For a lot of our staff, this will be their first job. I want them to see this as an opportunity to learn and take these skills into their future careers, or even possibly with us as we are expanding aggressively as a franchise, and as part of that we’ll be promoting from within.”

One such situation that Whincup described came on the opening day of Do The Beach’s adventure park in North Port, Florida. The facility, which is equipped with a redundant power system so that the inflatables remain safe in the event of a power cut, experienced a power outage while at peak capacity.

He explained that the training and drills that had been practiced ahead of opening were executed perfectly by the young staff, who he said asked if it had all been pre-planned. Even though it wasn’t, Whincup said that the experience allowed the young staff to grow in confidence and ultimately deliver a great service to the guests.