Climbing Wall Design for Membership and Programming Success

Transcription

1 Climbing Wall Design for Membership and Programming Success pre-conference seminar With Jerad Wells and Jason Thomas

2 Agenda Introductions Programming: Instructional vs Party Time vs New Climbers Building and Layout Overview Throughput and Capacity Programming Wall Operations Wall Design: Do s and Don ts Design Review and Q&A

3 Planning Overview Demographics Focus on age groups Competitive Analysis Bouncy Rooms Birthday Party Venues Corporate Team Building Camps Bowling Movies Etc. Internal Real Estate Where do you put your programming walls?

4 Demographics Proposed Location

5 Demographics Data Sources: U.S. Census Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Paid data sources Melissadata.com

6 Competitive Analysis Direct: Climbing Gyms Indirect: Other Fitness Facilities Bouncy Houses Bowling Birthday Parties Movies Amusement Parks Local Universities, YMCA s, Rec Centers etc

7 Building and Layout Overview Layout What does your building offer? Climbing Styles Bouldering, TR, and Lead Volume Walls and Peeps Height Plan for new climber success

8 Layout Facility flow When creating layouts think about how you want visitors to move through your space Social space When possible, designate traffic lanes ~6-8 wide Traffic lanes should be located away from fall zones and community gathering spaces Restrooms Amenities Traffic lanes should also give A to B access to amenities

9 Layout Locating Your Programming Walls If programming traffic must be driven through climbing active areas (arches) use visual cues (shift flooring color) to alert the visitor If possible, avoid moving groups through canyon-like spaces when laying out your walls Use climbing wall layouts and traffic flow together to tell a story or create moments of discovery

10 Layout Climbing v. Social Spaces One of the best things about climbing is the community that will naturally form around a climbing area Designed-in gathering spaces strengthen the community bond, provide areas for resting and spectating Use cubbie seating to provide storage for personal goods (keeps the gym looking neat and clean) Gathering spaces should always be located away from fall zones and traffic lanes

11 Throughput and Capacity Separating user groups When thinking about the layout of your climbing walls consider terrain difficulty, programming, proximity to main entrance, and age groups Delineating difficulty and climbing style zones open up the opportunity to teach classes without interrupting other areas of the gym Psychology of wall and hold sizes Planning the percentage of dedicated programming terrain that drives and fuels membership

12 Indoor Climbing Styles Small goal While great for members, steep terrain is not great for new climber success Small goal

13 Volume Walls and Peeps Belayer movement is an often overlooked factor when laying out climbing walls Some wall configurations create better scenarios from a programming perspective Elements such as slacklines, seating and flooring transitions can also be used to confine user groups

14 Volume Basic climbing terrain categories The combination of climbing terrain and routesetting determine the final climbing difficulty of a wall. Combining a range of these difficulties is important for programming wall functionality.

15 Volume Pop Quiz, Hot Shots! Which wall allows for the best ROI?

16 Height Typical indoor wall heights

17 Throughput and Capacity Capacity how many? Throughput how fast?

18 Climbing Lane ROI Capacity Programming Wall Capacity = (Linear Feet) / 4 x 2 per lane

19 Climbing Lane ROI Throughput Total Time in Lane = (Avg. Time on Route + Transition Time) x 2 Example: (4min + 2min) x 2climbers = 12 minutes, assuming a 26 ft wall Climbers per Hour = (Route Turnover/Hour) x (# Lanes) Example: (12min/60min) x 1lane =.2 hours or 10 climbs per hour per lane, assuming a 26 ft wall Pop Quiz, Hot Shot! Based on the above information, how many climbs per hour would you have with 5 climbing lanes? Answer: 50 climbs!

20 Programming Wall Operations: Staffing needs: staff to climber ratios With or without auto-belays Staff Interaction Role of programming staff members Route Setting SOPs but GOOD Program Marketing Upsell Promote BOGO

21 Wall Design: Do s and Don ts Building/Construction Constraints Features that Fuel Programming Growth and Retention Gym/Layout Examples

22 Design Review: Example 1

23 Design Review: Example 2

24 Design Review: Example 3

25 Design Review: Example 4

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