This past weekend Bounce! Trampoline Sports opened for businesses in Danbury and marked the fourth indoor trampoline park to open in Fairfield County in two years ”” a testament to the growing business trend of indoor trampoline parks.
And it is not just a trend in the county, said Danbury Bounce co-owner, Lisa Cannon.
“It is sweeping the world,” she said.
The International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) states by the end of 2015 there were 460 parks open in North America. The organization expects that number to increase to 563 by the end of 2016.
Internationally the IATP counted 220 parks open at the end of 2015 with an additional 85 to open by the end of this year.
Trampoline parks first sprung up in the county in 2014 with two national companies opening franchises within months of each other. Missouri-based Sky Zone opened its 26,000-square-foot Bethel facility in February, 2014 followed by California-based Rockin”™ Jump”™s 22,000-square-foot facility in June.
Sky Zone recently opened an additional 40,000-square-foot franchise in Norwalk this spring.
Despite the abundance of locations in the county, Lisa and her husband Rob were drawn into the business model after they experienced it firsthand after their 12-year old attended a birthday party at a trampoline park.
“I loved the model, nothing breaks, there is nothing mechanical,” said Rob, a former hedge fund manager. “I said ”˜this is fantastic.”™ I looked at how lucrative it could be and decided the business model makes sense given the massive capital investment. In this day and age it was right in line with a traditional return.”
With more than $2 million invested to build and set up the 43,000 square foot Prindle Lane park, including $60,000 in franchise licensing fees, Rob declined to specify revenue projections, but conservatively estimates 1,000 customers a day on busy weekends.
“The one thing I”™ve learned in my life from analyzing hundreds and hundreds of companies is there is no such thing as worst-case scenario,” he said.
Multi-million dollar insurance coverage is a $100,000 yearly expense alone, he said.
The park features several activity areas set on floors entirely made of trampolines. Entertainment includes bungee slingshots, dodgeball, slam-dunk basketball courts, extreme obstacle courses and glow in the dark nights.
Prices at the park range from $10 to $25 per guest, depending on the how much time guests play in the park, and price reductions for children ages six and under.
In charge of marketing and sales, Lisa expects the facility to offer a variety of programs including toddler, fitness and special needs classes in addition to parties and corporate events.
Lisa, who worked as an oil trader prior to raising her and Rob”™s family in Weston, said she was particularly attracted to the business model by the fitness benefits the park provides.
“You can”™t find this anywhere else ”” where you can do this range of exercise,” she said. “You can burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour. You can be very innovative in the workout and its fun, that”™s the difference between running on a treadmill and working out on a trampoline.”
The Danbury Bounce will also feature volleyball, a unique offering within the franchise and a personal request by Danbury Mayor Mark D. Boughton, Lisa said.
“Volleyball is very big in Danbury and the mayor personally asked us if we”™ll have volleyball,” she said.
The unique offering, in addition to the park”™s slingshot bungee, was developed by operations manager and former Cirque du Soleil performer Victory Byrne.
Rob and Lisa said their Bounce park is expected to hire up to 70 part- and full-time employees and they have partnered with local businesses to provide construction and catering services.
Bounce opened its first park in 2011 in the Rockland County hamlet of Valley Cottage. A second location opened in September 2013 in Syosset, Long Island followed by the company”™s first franchise in Poughkeepsie in 2014. Since 2015 three more Bounce parks have come online including locations in Springfield, Mass. and Naples, Fla. as well as Danbury.
Sky Zone, which Rob said is considered to be the largest company in the trampoline park industry, opened what is recognized by the IATP as the first trampoline park with a Las Vegas location in 2004 under the name Sky Mania. The company has since grown to more than 100 parks across five countries and 30 states.
Bounce, Rockin”™ Jump and Sky Zone are just some of several large franchise companies in the industry anticipating significant continued growth this year.
According to a statement on Rockin”™ Jumps”™ website, as of May 2015 the company had three corporate parks and 11 franchises open. The company states it has more than 45 additional franchise locations in various stages of development across the world from two additional Fairfield county locations in Norwalk and Stamford to as far away as Bangkok, Thailand.
Despite the explosion of trampoline parks over the last few years, Bethany Evans, executive vice president of the IATP said growth in North America has recently slowed down, “but we are seeing a spike in international growth.”
Despite the multi-million-dollar startup costs, which Lisa acknowledged has been more than expected, the Cannons are confident they”™ve picked a winning franchise with their park located off of Interstate 84 and in close proximity to well-established retail stores and restaurants.
“This of kind of like a field of dreams,” said Rob. “You build it and you hope they will come.”
