Thank you for visiting our booth at IAAPI 21st Amusement Expo Mumbai

DP Leisure had a great week in Mumbai at the IAAPI expo which saw up to 3,500 visitors a day walking the show floor meeting suppliers and other operators in the first show since 2020.  Taking front stage the 360 play booth had a record amount of enquiries showing how strong the growth in the FEC sector is across India.

“We were literally overwhelmed with the volume of enquiries we received on the booth during the three day show demonstrating the strength in growth of FEC’s in India particularly from western brand and operational models.  I would like to personally congratulate all at IAAPI for putting on such a great show in 2023.“ Founder and Managing Director DP Group and 360 Play Ltd

DPA are looking forward to following up all enquiries at the show as 360 continues to look at ways to deliver its unique brand of FEC to new families in new territories.

DP Associates Group are Proud to be Back at IAAPI 21st Amusement Expo Mumbai

With just under one week till the opening of the 2023 IAAPI Amusement Expo DPA are excited to be back in India with 360 Play as Proud Show Sponsors but also taking space on the show floor for the first time.  The Expo is to be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre Mumbai from the 1st of March to the 3rd of March.

“This is the first show back since 2020 and we are so pleased to be going back out to meet with industry friends and make new contacts at this exciting time for the amusement industry in India.  This show is the ideal platform for us to launch Partnership opportunities for 360 play sites across India as the sector is rebuilding strongly after the global Pandemic. “ Quoted Duncan Phillips, Founder and managing Director of the DP Group.

360 play will be taking front row space on the show floor at booth B1 as we relaunch 360 play Partnership opportunities to the Indian market post the Pandemic.  During the show Founder of the group Duncan Phillips will be speaking at the IAC Discussion Panel Event about the Future of the Indoor Amusement Centres in India to providing a global perspective on this fast growing FEC sector.  360 Play are also this year’s proud event sponsors for the National Award of Excellence event and Gala Dinner.  A keystone event in the sector calendar where success is rewarded and best in class shared for both operators and suppliers.

 

“The three day exhibition will provide a platform to share and learn new ideas. Big players from the Indian industry will share their learning, innovative ideas, schemes and experience. Many important issues related to the amusement industry will also be discussed in depth. IAAPI Amusement Expo brings a comprehensive range of products and services offered by the industry under one roof. It provides an opportunity to interact with the end users. “ IAAPI 

Duncan Phillips gives thanks for the support through his term as BALPPA Chairman

The BALPPA Annual Dinner on the 9th January marked the handing over of the BALPPA Chair role from Duncan Phillips to Terry Monkton of Simworx.  The annual event hosted at the Sea life London marked the end of Duncan’s two years as Chairman following two years as Vice Chairman.  

Joined by his wife Sarah Duncan spoke of his time as Chairman giving thanks to the support he has received;

I would like to start by thanking to all the BALPPA Management committee who volunteer their time to push forward the industry while supporting it in times of need.  

The BALPPA executive team of Paul, Lisa and Kim, who work behind the scenes to make events like this happen, but most impotently give us the operations of an industry association we all shelter under at times of need.  

My past Chairman Richard, and incoming Chairman Terry, thank you for your continued commitment to the association and skills you willing share every day. 

But finally I want to thank you the industry for allowing me to serve as your chairman through what has been the most turbulent, challenging, scary, but most of all rewarding time for me.  My first opportunity to serve the industry was at a BALPPA visit to our Family theme Park in 1984, helping serve food and drinks to members during the visit.  Now slightly older but still young at heart you have given me the opportunity to serve you as Chairman, thank you.  

Over the past 18 months I have had the opportunity to get round many member attractions and organisations,  thank you all for the warm welcome I have experienced in every location. At each visit I have been reminded how diverse yet how similar we all are, the common passion to deliver great experiences and products to our guests unifies our industry at every level.  I continue to be inspired by these visits and hope to continue to visit more over the coming years thank you.

Duncan remains on the board to continue to support the industry as it recovers from the impacts of the Pandemic, serving as past Chairman for a further two years.  He remains committed to the organisation and his personal passion to increase a diverse membership of individuals as well as organisations in BALPPA to help support career pathways in the industry he loves.

2023 Sees DPA Launch Partnership Opportunities in India

2023 sees the launch of new partnership opportunities for the 360 Play Brand of FECs outside of the traditional UK market.  Following the Global Pandemic at DPA we have been concentrating on the positive outcomes from this most challenging of times for the Leisure and Hospitality Sector.  One of those positive outcomes has been the transformation of how we run our face to face operations from a central head office.  We have re-developed our standard operating procedures, remote management tools and operational frameworks for governance and compliance remotely. 

Following these advances in operational support systems we can now support the business model in new territories not before viable for us to enter.

“Due to changes in the way we had to operate through the pandemic we have developed new efficient ways to deliver management operations remotely.  Pre the Pandemic most of our processes relied on in person management, this all had to change in 2020 but the up side was new ways of working which would mean we can support a management team in Mumbai India as easily as Basildon in the UK from our HO here in Milton Keynes.”  Serena Lawrence, Head of Operations at DPL 

The DPA team are now looking for partners in the following regions who want to share in the successful business model and customer experience that is 360 play. DPL will be attending the upcoming IAAPI 2023 Expo on March the 1st where the partnership packages will be officially launched.

Contact a member of the team on partnership@dpleisure.co.uk

IAAPA Expo Runners Leave Footprints From the Heart

The 16th annual 5K run/1-mile walk benefits Give Kids The World

As the sun rose on Thursday, Nov. 17, attractions professionals from around the world began affixing their race numbers and stretching their legs in anticipation of the 16th Annual IAAPA Footprints From the Heart 5K Run/1-Mile Walk Benefitting Give Kids The World Village.

Held on-site at Give Kids The World Village, the event attracted individual IAAPA Expo attendees, as well as groups of employees from exhibiting companies.

Runners warming up

Sophie Masse, marketing specialist at Falcon’s Creative Group, attended the run with several of her colleagues. “At Falcon’s, we’ve been doing the race here every single year for a very long time, so it’s a cause that’s close to our hearts,” she shares. “This is my second year personally doing it, and last year we had such a fun time … it’s just great to get together with your coworkers to do it and help motivate yourself.”

Runners at the start

The event drew in many international participants as well, with 35 individuals from the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) opting to run. Duncan Phillips, United Kingdom-based theme park and family entertainment center (FEC) operator and chairman of BALPPA, detailed his long relationship with Footprints From the Heart.

Duncan Phillips Duncan Phillips

“I came here ten or eleven years ago, saying, ‘Well, I’ve never run in my life, but I’m just going to run it,’ and I’ve not missed one since,” he reflects. “I just think [Give Kids The World] is an amazing organization, and for me, it rounds off what we do in the industry. It puts a smile on everyone’s faces, and nobody needs it more than those here.”

Give Kids The World provides cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. The week-long vacation includes visits to beloved Orlando area attractions and theme parks.

Before the start of the race, 2022 IAAPA Chairman of the Board, Ken Whiting, welcomed the crowd and thanked sponsors for supporting the event. Pamela Landwirth, president and CEO of Give Kids The World, also took the stage.

“I know you’re getting ready to walk the show floor. From what I understand, that’s 11 miles, so this is going to seem like a piece of cake for you this morning,” she joked. Landwirth then took a more sentimental turn, noting the impact that the attractions industry has had on the Village. “And when you look at the Village, every single inch of this village has been touched by IAAPA, a member, a partner, a manufacturer, a supplier. We couldn’t have this incredible village without all of you.”

After the speech concluded, IAAPA Expo attendees took off running with their attractions industry family—kicking off a new day of IAAPA Expo on a joyful and charitable note.

Duncan Phillips – The Incoming Chair of BALPPA

Duncan Phillips, owner and founder of 360 Play, will be taking the Chairmanship role of the UK attractions group BALPPA for the next 2 years. Having been brought up in the leisure and theme park industry and filling the vice chair position throughout the pandemic, his experience will be invaluable in taking the UK attractions out the other side of the lockdown.

Founded in 1936, BALPPA is the non profit-making Trade Association representing the interests of owners, managers, suppliers and developers in the UK’s commercial leisure parks, piers, zoos, family entertainment centres (indoor play and soft play centres) and static visitor attractions sector.

Amongst BALPPA’s principal aims are to represent the needs and concerns of the industry to HM Government departments, policy-makers and influencers and to promote safe practice throughout the industry.

BALPPA has been particularly active over the past year representing and fighting for the leisure and hospitality industries that have been devastated by the pandemic.

A few words from Duncan:

“Our sector has had one of the most difficult times ever experienced in our lifetimes and the need to work together for the good of all has been the defining value of BALPPA this last 12 months. Under the careful Chairmanship of Richard Mancey the association has had to respond to unprecedented challenges as we have worked to serve the membership in new ways. At this time I would like to pay heartfelt thanks on behalf of the industry for Richard’s commitment to the sector and working hard to ensure our collective needs are put forward at the highest levels, at all times. On a more personal level, working alongside Richard these last two years as Vice Chairman has enabled me to appreciate his calm approach to even the most challenging of situations, thank you Richard.

As we all start to look towards our industry opening back up again, BALPPA has learnt much through the pandemic that I hope will enable us to shape the Association in a way fit for the future and become even more responsive to the needs of all its members. The Pandemic has forced us to do things differently, some of which have been successful, and some of which we can’t wait to leave behind and get back to traditional methods. As your incoming Chairman I want to focus on what we have learnt to do well while still remembering what brings us all together as a body and has served us so well for many years.

The use of new methods of connecting and working has certainly been one of the key learnings for me through the pandemic. Through my Chairmanship I hope to build on this to widen the reach and access to BALPPA. Not just to the key decision makers and thought leaders of organisations but to the many talented, passionate individuals who deliver our great products every day across the UK. These industry professionals, either starting out, or part way through their industry journey should be able to access all the benefits our association has to offer. By widening the organisation’s reach I think we will find greater strength and diversity of members to equip BALPPA as a must-have for tomorrow’s industry professionals.

I would also like to thank Terry Monkton in agreeing to support me and the BALPPA team on this journey as my Vice Chair and I very much welcome his wider understanding of the sector from the trade side. Over the coming months as we emerge from “pandemic crisis management mode” I very much welcome meeting up with many lifelong industry friends and colleagues across the membership to see what we have learnt and what BALPPA needs to do tomorrow.

Finally on a very personal note I still remember my first BALPPA event experience back in 1986 as a very young helper serving food to guests during a BALPPA Summer Conference visit to our family’s theme park Gulliver’s Kingdom. It will therefore be a great honour to serve you as your Chairman in 2021-23.”

One year on from DPA trade trip to India

IAAPI Mumbai February 2020

It’s now one year on from DPA’s first trade trip to India and co exhibiting at the IAPPI trade show in Mumbai.  What a year it has been for the global attractions industry, many projects have been put on hold as organisations find pathways to survive the lockdowns and significant dips to trade.  

Duncan Phillips, founder of DPA and the 360 Play group, kept conversations and relationships alive through the very difficult year, sharing best practice learned from the global attractions industry coming together like never before.  From supporting existing clients we are now ready to share our own operational learnings from the start-stop operations of covid-safe indoor leisure in the UK.

Now one year on from the trade show in Mumbai DPA is working with a number of opportunities to further expand the 360 play group with Licence and IP arrangements with partner operators across the pan Indian market.  

 “As the experience economy comes out of its year long hibernation I think we are going to see strong growth in our sectors globally.  We predict the FEC sector to grow fast now in part responding to the changes in other sectors, such as retail, where there is significant structural and organisational changes occurring.  We are now in live conversations on a number of retail focus schemes where experience in leisure is sought as a major restructuring tool.   

One year on from IAAPI we are pleased to say our conversations and development has picked back up as we look to explore opportunities to partner with organisations to bring the values of 360 play to operators and the public.“ Duncan Phillips, Founder and Managing Director DPA GB Ltd – 360 Play group.

If you are looking for new ways to widen your offering, be that a second gate attraction or a new FEC concept for your shopping mall, please do reach out to us and we would love to join your conversations and support your thinking. 

DPA developed covid-safe operating practices for 360 Play group of FECs

The Global Covid 19 Pandemic has had a devastating effect on the attractions industry and any sector that delivers their product directly to the customer face to face.  The smiles and the contact are the life blood of our industry and finding ways to deliver our smiles with a mask has been a global challenge in 2020.  With the light at the end of the tunnel finally coming into sight, DPA are offering new levels of business support that have been created for its own group companies throughout the past year.  

As the global attractions sector emerges from its near year long hibernation, DPA see there will be many needs across new sectors as a direct result of the pandemic.  As the economic adjustments continue to be felt for some time, park, attraction, and local authority operators are looking at more efficient ways to deliver their products and ways to develop new offerings with limited budgets.  The multi disciplinary teams at DPA are now on hand to offer cost effective support at all levels of the industry.  

New key business support areas are in:

Covid-Safe Operations Procedures 

Company Restructuring

Board Level Support roles

Full on-site operational support

Masterplan makeovers

Place making support to the shopping mall sector

“This has been a year of learning for us in the attractions sector, particularly from our first hand experience from within our seven operating sites in the UK.  We have also learnt much as the global sector has come together to share experiences good and bad.  As we look to 2021 and beyond we stand ready to share our learnings and support other organisations through our passion for the industry.  We have now got some more bespoke support we can give operators, local authorities, and shopping centres when facing the positive effects of the pandemic as well as the negative ones” Lee Waters Director of Operations 360 Play Group-DPA

If you are looking for support in the reopen, from operational issues through to strategic short term management workshops, please do reach out to us and we would love to join your conversations and support your thinking.

Retailtainment with DP Associates

DP Associates are about to bring a new leisure tool to the market, in the growing trend to deliver experiences in shopping centres. Working in partnership with specialist manufacturers, DP Associates’ operational and construction teams in the UK are pleased to offer this new product.

DP Leisure opens seventh 360 Play at Rushden Lakes

Following in the footsteps of its six existing venues, DP Leisure (DPL), operator of the 360 Play family entertainment centre brand, opened their seventh UK site on Wednesday 13th February 2019, at Rushden Lakes in Northamptonshire.

Local Mayor of Rushden Cllr David Coleman was on hand to help open the doors to the region’s newest and brightest family attraction last week. Already a well-established and highly successful name within the UK’s children’s entertainment centre sector – with sites in Milton Keynes, Stevenage, Leicester, Basildon, Redditch and Farnborough – the latest addition to the group is located  Rushden Lakes Shopping Centre, a unique venue offering a mixture of retail, lakeside restaurants and cafés and leisure/entertainment options.

The site is owned by the Crown Estate which in conjunction with property development company LXB Properties, which specialises in developing leading, high profile and vibrant new retail and leisure destinations, is working to develop the Rushden Lakes scheme. The addition of 360 Play brings yet another key leisure offering to the venue as it continues to build on its reputation as a fun and entertaining destination for families.

Designed by sister company DP Associates (DPA), the newest 360 Play centre is housed in a 20,000sq.ft. unit spread out over one floor and features the familiar array of fun, active and creative play opportunities the brand has become renowned for.

The newest addition to the 360 Play ‘family’ continues the company’s practice of building venues around children’s development. As a result, the centre features numerous opportunities for young children, from toddlers up to the age of 12, to use their imagination and to enjoy fun, creative and physically active play in a safe, clean environment.

The attractions at 360 Play Rushden Lakes include a multi-level central play frame from SPI Global Play, a dodgem car track and carousel from IE Park/SOLI Bumper Cars and the creative play area 360 Street – a series of play shops and other ‘buildings,’ includes a supermarket, pizza parlour, vets and pets, fire station, garage and more – all designed and built in-house in workshops at the company’s headquarters premises in Milton Keynes. This role play and free play element is designed to stimulate the creativity in young minds, while also providing an opportunity for parents to get involved in play with their children. A party zone and a dedicated toddlers’ area are among many other elements on offer, alongside a family café and comfortable seating areas throughout.

For more information on 360 Play visit www.360play.co.uk