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What is Competitive Socialising?
Competitive socialising is the much needed break we all want from our busy lives. Ultimately, it consists of playing games over food and drink. It's a reason to bring friends and family together to laugh, have fun and create lasting memories - which is why it's no surprise that competitive socialising is so appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Pool, darts and snooker are some of the most enduring and popular competitive socialising activities in the UK hospitality market.
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When did it all start?
Competitive socialising has been a centrepiece of social rituals since ancient times. For example, knife throwing has become massively popular in the last five years but is largely unchanged from the ancient Nordic sport played by Vikings!
Even pub games like darts have hundreds of years of history. King Henry VIII reportedly loved darts and was given a set by Anne Boleyn, while snooker was popular among 19th-century officers and gentlemen stationed in India. As such, competitive socialising has been a proven and valued part of life for hundreds of years.
Why is Competitive Socialising important?
One pub closes every twelve hours in the UK, with businesses struggling under pressure from increasing rates, the highest beer taxes in Europe and rising food prices due to economic uncertainty. Competitive socialising provides a valuable alternative revenue stream for businesses, immune from many of their other cost pressures.
On top of this, many customers are increasingly looking for something different to do rather than just go out for drinks, with a huge number of young people now choosing not to drink at all. This shift in social patterns, particularly by millennials, has led to an increase in venues which feature competitive socialising products. The products are able to draw in customers and encourage them to share their experiences online through social media content, creating a FOMO effect online which, in turn, entices new customers.
Adding a lucrative and exciting new revenue stream
For businesses, competitive socialising is the venue upgrade that keeps on giving. Any product from a shuffleboard, our interactive darts system or a series of pool tables will drive groups of customers through your door for a memorable night out. Those customers are excited and ready to pay for several rounds of play. In a world where social media is king, customers snapping pictures and uploading them across all platforms act as free advertising for you.
Many of the venues we work with also report a noticeable upswing in food and drink sales as customers keep themselves fed and watered throughout their experience. Customers also love coming back to venues that suit their ideas of fun, so expect repeat business.
With a range of finance and profit share arrangements available, Home Leisure Direct can also help remove the financial obstacles for most businesses. Competitive socialising products are an easy choice when you’re looking for a boost to your revenue streams.
What are the most popular types of Competitive Socialising?
The most popular types of competitive socialising in the UK have traditionally been closely linked to pubs and include: Pub Quizzes, Snooker, Pool, and Darts. That said, people are finding new ways to disrupt the traditional competitive socialising market.
What is the Future of Competitive Socialising?
With more and more people conscious of their health, time, and money, going out for a boozy night in a club has drastically diminished. Gone is the time when a mere conversation is enough to stimulate our minds. We want memories, experiences, and something way out of the ordinary. That means vendors have to provide the entertainment and individuality that represent value for money to these consumers. It’s a challenge that a range of suppliers and manufacturers are ready to meet with passion, expertise, and imagination.
This is where the future of Competitive Socialising comes in, with leisure activities evolving in recent years from classic pub games to utilise modern technology and give punters maximum bang for their buck. Augmented reality is now revolutionising the way we look at classic types of Competitive Socialising. We're excited to bring to market Augmented Reality Darts - including Bullseye games, Shufflepucks Shuffleboards and even augmented reality indoor cricket/baseball/tennis..
By adding a new element of interactivity and social share-ability, young customers make activities the core of their night out, rather than a sideshow. This makes competitive socialising venues the destination rather than just a background to customers' nights out.
Competitive Socialising 2024 Event
After the massive success of Competitive Socialising 2020, 2022 and 2023 Home Leisure Direct and Inntegra Ltd are thrilled that the event will return in 2024!
This year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever, hosted once again at the stunning art deco Lighthouse Theatre in London. Date and further details to follow but expect an action-packed day filled with exciting talks, hands-on demos, incredible products to experience, and unforgettable entertainment.