At a glance
- “Immersive experiences” are taking hold of the market in London, and spreading to the regions
- Finding suitable spaces is a difficulty for large-scale concepts, such as the mini golf venue Swingers
- Food and drink partners have a part to play in keeping the events and venues fresh, but not faddish
The terminology is as trendy as the concept names. “Social competitiveness” and “immersive experiences” are phrases used to describe interactive entertainment with food and drink, with the likes of You Me Bum Bum Train (theatre), Bounce (ping pong), and Flight Club (darts) all taking hold in the market in recent years.
And now there is Swingers.
Not quite what the name might immediately conjure up, although co-founder Jeremy Simmonds does smile wryly at the numerous innuendos that are often uttered. “It is a name that lodges in your consciousness. Hopefully you never forget it, and that is as far as we take it.”
In reality, Swingers is a crazy golf venue that is taking full advantage of the rapid rise of venues offering ‘social competitiveness’ across London and, to some degree, the regions (see panel).
Started as a pop-up in Shoreditch, E1, Swingers ran for six months from September 2014. Such was the success – 3,500 visitors per week – that Swingers will open its doors as a permanent fixture in June. It will be housed in an ex-second world war bunker at Bankside House, 8 Brown’s Buildings, EC3, opposite 30 St Mary Axe, EC3, aka, The Gherkin.
The 16,000 sq ft site, with a capacity for 500 people, will have something for everyone: two nine-hole mini golf courses, a two-storey clubhouse with a gin terrace, three street food outlets, four cocktail bars, and spaces for private, group and corporate hires.
Simmonds and co-founder Matthew Grech-Smith think so much of their concept, they have a trademark pending for the phrase ‘Institute of Competitive Socialising’. “It is an umbrella term for the types of leisure concepts we are trying to develop,” says Simmonds.
Originally from an event production background, Simmonds and Grech-Smith sold their business – Rough Hill – to VCCP, a top 10 advertising agency, in 2012. The transition from working in a 30-strong team to a corporate team of 700 was something of a cultural shock for the pair. “There was a big difference in the speed we could move at when
we were small and independent and privately owned, versus a big corporate machine,” says Simmonds.
It was during their time in events that they noticed the increasing popularity of immersive experiences – both digital and real world. “We were seeing the emergence of things like Secret Cinema, and You Me Bum Bum Train, which are experience-led bar and restaurant concepts. Swingers is a blend between immersive theatre, bar and restaurant, and what sets us apart from the likes of bowling-led All Star Lanes or the table tennis or darts concepts is that golf has this incredible heritage, rules and dress code. There are lots of other activities that gives us a platform to create a fully immersive world.”
Simmonds and Grech-Smith are already working on another concept, which Simmonds will not discuss in detail. “Property is a challenge for us,” he admits. “We need a minimum of 8,000 sq ft up to 20,000 sq ft for a Swingers, which is difficult. This is partly the reason we have developed a new activity, which works on about 4,000-5,000 sq ft. It is hard to protect the concept, so we need to get it [the new idea] launched and put it out there in to the public domain. We are talking to landlords, but we have not actually secured a site.”
All sites would be freehold.
Financing for both projects is coming from a group of high net worth private investors that includes Omar Kayat, partner at Graphite Capital, and Ben Grossmann, investment executive at William Pears, who sits on the board of restaurant chain Hawksmoor. Of his investors, Simmonds says: “We wanted to put together an interesting group of people who had passion for what we were doing and could add strategic value – we did not want to just take money.”
At the moment, Simmonds is concentrating on London: after opening in the City, he hopes for a second Swingers in the West End. But the regions, and taking The Institute of Competitive Socialising international,
are on the agenda. “We do not want to saturate London,” says Simmonds. The five-year plan is for up to six Swingers, and six sub-brands, with an outdoor festival concept. “We do not need a lot of passing trade as we are a destination venue, and also we are particularly good at the marketing PR side of things.”
Part of being a destination venue is having a good food and beverage offer. “We want the food and beverage to be
as important as the golf and the environment so we were very keen to bring in the additional expertise of interesting, young restaurateurs. It is a crucial part of the marketing as well because these people have incredibly large social media followings, and being able to tap into their reach is valuable.”
Swingers already has Pizza Pilgrims signed on a three-year lease, with burger chain Patty & Bun on a six-month agreement with an option to extend. A third operator, who will also be on a six-month lease, has yet to be announced. “We like the idea of having rotation and keeping it fresh,” says Simmonds.
Being fresh in what is rapidly becoming a crowded, competitive socialising market, is crucial. Bristling at the word “fad”, Simmonds is adamant the concept he and Grech-Smith have spent the past two years building has longevity.
“This is where quality comes in and there are lots of examples of businesses that are sustainable in this space, like All Star Lanes, which has been around a long time. Fundamentally, what we do is incredibly fun so in order to have longevity, we have to deliver all the elements that create an incredibly high standard,” says Simmonds. “We are super hungry to grow and see what happens.”
Other competitive socialising ventures
- Flight Bar: the City (darts)
- Bounce: Bloomsbury (ping pong)
- Secret Cinema, various locations (cinema)
- The Bat and Ball: Westfield, Stratford (ping pong)
- You Me Bum Bum Train: various locations (theatre)
- Café Kick: Shoreditch (table football)
- Gravity: Castleford, Yorkshire, Maidstone, and Norwich (trampoline)
Where else can you take on your boss in a team dodgeball game while bouncing off the walls? Where else indeed, but at Gravity. Joining the growing plethora of leisure plus food and beverage experiences, the trampolining venue is set to open its third site, in a 30,000 sq ft former nightclub owned by Land Securities in Norwich next month.
Advised by Savills, a further three sites are under offer, with plans for several more across the UK in 2016 and 2017. Clearly bouncing off the walls with your boss is big business.
Director Harvey Jenkinson says the appeal of trampolining lies in both having fun and health benefits. “Gravity offers an opportunity for all ages to experience an exhilarating and aerobic activity suitable for families, businesses and individuals alike.”
Sharing its space in Yorkshire as part of Xscape, the food and beverage offer is Nando’s, PizzaExpress, Primo’s and ASK. Jenkinson says: “As Gravity’s brand strengthens, it makes sense to partner with food and beverage operators that believe quality of experience determines the difference between a good visit and one that impresses on every level.”
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