Playing it cool

Hot weather used to kill indoor play trade. But, says AIP member and indoor play entrepreneur, Jamie Hall, for air-conditioned centres, that may be changing

For years, indoor play operators have had a fairly simple relationship with the weather. Rain was good. Cold was good. Grey, miserable weekends were often brilliant. Hot weather, on the other hand, was usually bad news. When the sun came out, families went to parks, beaches, paddling pools, splash pads and beer gardens. Indoor play centres, especially those without effective cooling, could become quiet very quickly. In some cases, extreme heat did not just reduce visitor numbers; it created operational and safety challenges. If temperatures inside the building, or at the top of a play frame, became too high, some centres had little choice but to close.

But live insight from AIP members during the latest heatwave suggests something interesting may be starting to happen. Hot weather may no longer be one simple story for indoor play. For some centres, it is still a serious threat. For others, particularly those with proper air conditioning, it may become a genuine trading opportunity.

Heatwave trading snapshot

Proper aircon + busier / sold out Proper aircon + normal / quiet No proper aircon + busier / sold out No proper aircon + normal / quiet

34.3%

11.4%

4.3%

28.6%

Closed due to heat

17.1%

Closed anyway / N/A

4.3%

Aircon making the difference

Share of centres that were busier / sold out

Proper aircon

75%

25%

Busier / sold out

Normal / quiet

No proper aircon

13%

87%

Busier / sold out

Normal / quiet

What AIP members says

During the heatwave, the Association of Indoor Play (AIIP) ran a member poll asking operators how they planned to respond. The first snapshot showed a mixed picture. Some centres were closing due to heat, some were staying open, and a significant number said they were open and had air conditioning.

That alone was interesting. But the follow-up poll told us much more.

AIP then asked members to look at their busiest or hottest trading day that week and choose the option that best described their centre. This was not formal research, but it was a useful live member snapshot of what was happening on the ground.

Of the centres with proper air conditioning, 75% said they were busier or sold out. That is 24 out of 32 air-conditioned centres.

Among centres without proper air conditioning, only 13% said they were busier or sold out. That is 3 out of 23 centres. Worryingly, 17.1% of centres without proper aircon shut their doors.

But the opportunity is not simply “hot weather is good for indoor play”. That would be far too simplistic. The more useful insight is this:

If it is too hot outside, are we ready to become the cool, safe place families choose?

Extreme heat may become a trading opportunity for indoor play centres that can offer families a genuinely cool, safe and comfortable environment. For everyone else, it may remain a risk.

The school closure effect

The most striking result came from centres where schools were closed or finishing early and the venue had proper air conditioning. In that group, 13 out of 14 centres said they were busier or sold out. That matters. It suggests the strongest trading opportunity may happen when three things combine:

When schools close early, parents suddenly have a problem. Children are home unexpectedly. The weather may be too hot for parks, playgrounds or outdoor attractions. Families need somewhere safe, cool and active.

That is where a well-prepared indoor play centre can become the obvious answer. This is a very different mindset from the old summer pattern. Operators have spent years thinking: “If it is sunny, we will be quiet.” The new question might be: “If it is too hot outside, are we ready to become the cool, safe place families choose?”

The sweet spot: school disruption + proper aircon

Share of centres that were busier / sold out

Schools open + proper aircon

61.1%

Schools open + no proper aircon

5.6%

Schools closed / early finish + proper aircon

92.9%

Schools closed / early finish + no proper aircon

40%

Not just one hot week

This matters because the UK climate is changing. The Met Office’s State of the UK Climate reporting says the UK has warmed at around 0.25°C per decade since the 1980s, and that temperature extremes have become more frequent and intense. It also notes that the hottest summer days have warmed around twice as much as average summer days in some UK areas when comparing the latest decade with 1961-1990.

The Met Office has also reported that the chance of the UK exceeding 40°C is now more than 20 times higher than it was in the 1960s, with an estimated 50-50 chance of seeing another 40°C day in the next 12 years. That does not mean every summer day will be good for indoor play. Normal sunny days may still pull families outdoors.

But extreme heat is different. A warm pleasant day says: “Let’s go outside.” A dangerously hot day says: “Where can we go that is cool?” That difference could become commercially important.

Spain may be showing us the future

Maria Cantarella, AIP’s CEO, has already seen similar behaviour in Spanish operations, where very hot days can drive strong indoor trade rather than suppress it.

“The UK is not Spain, and operators should be careful about making direct comparisons. But the direction of travel is worth watching,” she says.

“In hotter climates, indoor leisure is not automatically disadvantaged by the sun. In fact, when the outdoor environment becomes uncomfortable, indoor venues with proper cooling can become more attractive.”

The AIP member poll suggests that some UK operators may now be seeing the early version of that pattern.

Operators should now be looking at cooling as a strategic issue, not just a maintenance issue

From luxury to revenue protection

For many indoor play businesses, air conditioning has historically felt like a big cost. It can be expensive to install, expensive to run and difficult to justify when the worst heat may only appear for a limited number of days each year. But that calculation may be changing.

If heatwaves become more frequent or intense, cooling is no longer just about customer comfort. It becomes part of the operating model. It can affect whether a venue can open safely. It can affect dwell time. It can affect reviews. It can affect staff welfare. It can affect party bookings. And, as AIP members have shown, it can affect whether a heatwave becomes a lost trading day or a sold-out trading day.

This does not mean every centre should rush into a major investment without doing the numbers. Building type, ceiling height, insulation, frame layout, café/kitchen heat, energy costs and local customer behaviour all matter.

But operators should now be looking at cooling as a strategic issue, not just a maintenance issue. In future, “air-conditioned indoor play” may become a much stronger selling point than many operators once imagined.