Skip to the content
Looking for trusted playground equipment manufacturers? Explore FunXpertkids’ self-run indoor playground case study. Gain practical operational insights to guide your family entertainment center investment and project planning.
1. FunXpertkids 1st Franchise Store
Liben Group manufactures indoor playground equipment and children’s amusement equipment for buyers worldwide, and also runs physical family entertainment venues. We leverage real frontline operation insights from these stores to iterate product R&D, improving equipment safety, play experience and site implementation solutions. We operate two in-house venue lines: FunXpert and FunXpertkids. The FunXpert brand targets teens and adults with indoor sports and entertainment venues, including trampoline parks, VR attractions and fitness games. Differentiated from FunXpert, FunXpertkids focuses on younger children. The Hohhot venue in Inner Mongolia is our first self-operated store under the FunXpertkids brand, a family entertainment center designed for children aged 1 to 10. It opened in 2024 on one floor of a commercial building on Zhaowuda Road, Saihan District. The venue covers approximately 1,500 square meters with more than 20 attractions, with equipment investment exceeding RMB 1 million. Peak daily attendance exceeds 300 visitors. Under stable operation with healthy membership conversion and event revenue, the reference industry payback period is about 24 months.
2. Project Background and Decision Logic
2.1 Site Selection
Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, represents one of China’s faster-growing consumer markets in northern China with strong demand from young families. Its long, cold winters create favorable conditions for indoor entertainment venues. Located in Saihan District, the city’s most densely populated urban area, the site sits on Zhaowuda Road, a major commercial artery with steady foot traffic and surrounding residential neighborhoods. This FunXpertkids low-age family entertainment center targets local resident families instead of transient mall shoppers. We selected this community-focused commercial property in Saihan District for consistent repeat family visits. Most local competitors serve mixed age groups. Trusted Liben playground equipment suppliers equipped our venue exclusively for toddlers and young children to fill this market gap.
2.2 Investment Breakdown
The direct equipment investment for this 1,500 m² family entertainment center exceeds USD 139,000, supplied by our Liben team as trusted playground equipment suppliers. The full pre-opening capital expenditure includes play equipment & on-site installation、Interior fit-out, soft padding and themed decoration、fire protection upgrade, MEP, HVAC and lighting renovation、rent deposit and initial pre-paid rent for the community commercial premise as well as pre-opening expenses. We estimate all pre-opening capital expenditures, including extra work beyond amusement equipment. We provide these figures for reference only, and they shall not serve as a direct basis for investment.
- Play equipment & on-site installation: USD 139,000+ (core soft play structures, role-play stations, arcade attractions, delivery and assembly service)
- Interior fit-out, soft padding and themed decoration: USD 39,000
- Fire protection upgrade, MEP, HVAC and lighting renovation: USD 25,000
- Rent deposit and initial pre-paid rent for the community commercial premise: USD 11,000
- Pre-opening expenses: design service, safety inspection certification, POS & monitoring system, initial marketing and staff training: USD 8,000
Total estimated upfront investment: approximately USD 222,000. For investors working with playground equipment companies, equipment normally accounts for roughly 60% of total startup CAPEX for this scale of community indoor FEC. Many first-time operators underestimate construction, fire compliance and pre-opening costs, which is why partnering with experienced indoor playground manufacturer can help you build a more realistic budget.
2.3 Equipment Selection Logic
The product line selection for the FunXpertkids venue in Hohhot serves the venue’s target audience: families with children aged 1 to 10. These families prioritize experience over hardware, so equipment selection focuses on immersive, age-appropriate play value and extended dwell time, rather than high-thrill, large-scale amusement hardware. We selected more than 20 types of play equipment for this venue. Soft amusement equipment has a core attraction for young children and early elementary school children, occupying the largest floor area in the venue. The mini Ferris wheel and spiral slides serve as visual landmarks. Role-play zones, including princess dress-up, traffic town, sand pool and simulated fresh market, extend visitor dwell time and create strong repeat-visit motivation. The arcade zone is fitted with claw machines, racing simulators, fish-hunting games and fighting cabinets to enrich the overall play experience. We excluded large dynamic amusement facilities and facilities targeting teenagers because they do not belong to the younger target age group and would increase floor load requirements and safety compliance costs. As a reliable amusement equipment supplier, we have customized this package for younger tourists.
3. Equipment Configuration and Design Philosophy
3.1 Layout & Visitor Circulation
The entrance and reception lead into the soft play area — the largest zone — then climbing and sliding elements, followed by role-play and arcade clusters, with rest and dining areas nearby, and the exit passing retail and arcade counters. For similar projects, we recommend keeping this entry-to-exit design so children are engaged immediately and parents retain clear sightlines to all play zones. When clients collaborate with our indoor play equipment supplier team, we provide a full range of services including layout design, production, transportation, installation, and warranty, as well as operational guidance.
3.2 Zone-by-Zone Equipment Breakdown
Soft Play Zone – the largest zone, occupying over 40% of the total venue space. Equipment: Multi-level soft play structures equipped with spiral slides, ball pits, climbing frames, swings and foam blocks, all constructed with soft shock-absorbent materials. Star attractions: Spiral slide and mini Ferris wheel. They serve as iconic photo-worthy landmarks and act as the primary draw for first-time visitors. Play mechanics: Open-ended climbing, sliding and ball-pit activities.
Role-Play Zone – Princess dress-up room, traffic town, simulated fresh market and sand pit. Core play mechanics: Costume role-changing, social pretend play and small ride-on vehicles. This zone delivers the strongest repeat-visit incentive; many children ask their families weekly to “come back to the market or dress-up room”. It covers approximately 150–250 m².
Arcade-Play Zone – Claw machines, racing simulators, fish-hunting games and fighting cabinets. Core play mechanics: Prize redemption and high-score competitions. At this venue, this zone exists purely to enrich the overall play experience. It occupies roughly 80–150 m².
Rest & Dining Zone – Seating, snack counter and vending machines to support multi-hour stays. The area spans about 80–120 m².
This zone segmentation balances varied play experiences across different age groups from 1 to 10, while maintaining good parent visibility. Every zone is sized and positioned to fit within the overall visitor circulation path.
3.3 Materials and Safety
All soft play structures adopt soft, impact-absorbing materials: sponge and pearl cotton cores wrapped with PVC or PU leather covers. Protective rails, bumper strips and impact pads are installed on every edge and fall zone for injury prevention. The flooring beneath all play equipment uses EVA or rubber safety cushion mats. All foam and fabric materials are fire-retardant and compliant with Chinese GB safety standards. Since all equipment is manufactured in Liben’s own factory, raw materials and surface finishes can be traced down to individual production batches.
3.4 Replicability Statement
This zone combination — featuring a core soft play area, role-play zones, arcade section and rest & dining space — can be scaled for venues ranging from 300 m² to 2,000 m² by adjusting the proportion of each functional zone. B2B buyers of amusement equipment may contact Liben Group for detailed information. Our indoor playground equipment suppliers team can tailor the solution according to your site conditions.
4. Project Operation Insights
4.1 Visitor Traffic Characteristics
This community centered low age family entertainment playground mainly relies on returning customers from local families, rather than temporary mall foot traffic. Most visits occur on weekends, school holidays, and after school hours, with lower attendance rates on weekdays. Families discover the venue through local social media posts, word-of-mouth recommendations, and offline community promotion. The design of the venue prioritizes repeat visits over one-time sales.
4.2 Daily Operation & Safety Management
Continuous safety management is the foundation of long-term operation for low-age playgrounds. The venue implements hourly patrol checks across all play zones. Staff members are assigned to high-risk areas to supervise children and respond quickly to minor incidents. All soft play equipment follows strict material standards with fire-retardant foam and fabric. Regular routine maintenance and periodic inspection of soft structures, slides and fasteners help reduce wear and tear. As experienced soft play area equipment suppliers, we provide operation guidance and equipment maintenance suggestions for our clients alongside product delivery.
4.3 Operational Experience
First-time indoor playground investors often underestimate two critical factors: the demand for continuous family re-engagement and the cumulative long-term maintenance cost of soft play components. Unlike thrill-focused trampoline parks targeting teens, low-age family venues win by nurturing repeated, routine visits. It is not enough to build visually attractive play equipment; operators need immersive themed zones such as role-play areas that spark children’s ongoing imagination and create reasons to return. Soft play parts experience constant abrasion from daily use. Foam, PVC covers and padding will need periodic replacement every 1–2 years. This recurring maintenance expense must be included in your project budget from the initial planning phase.
5. Customer Feedback and Business Takeaways
5.1 What Consumers Say
Reviews collected from one of the venue’s ticketing platform:
“There is a wide variety of play attractions. Sufficient staff are on-site to clean the area regularly. The venue is generally kept clean. Lockers and a snack area are available. Overall, it offers excellent value for money.”
“Parking space is available outdoors, which is very convenient. The indoor area is equipped with hair dryers and air conditioning to keep visitors cool. It features diverse attractions including a corn pit, ball pool and slides, and maintains good hygiene.”
“My kid had a wonderful time. The venue is fully air-conditioned and stays nice and cool. It is quite spacious with a full range of play equipment.”
“Our child enjoyed the visit greatly. Special themed mini-classes are offered during holidays. It is so fun that we plan to come back often.”
“The environment is great with good ventilation. There are plenty of play facilities at a reasonable price. It’s a good place to bring kids on a regular basis.”
5.2 Key Takeaways
The user reviews validate the core design and operational strategy adopted in this 1,500 m² community indoor playground. Parents of children aged 1–10 prioritize hygiene, comfort and practical supporting facilities when selecting a kids’ play venue. Cleanliness, air conditioning, ventilation and convenient parking quickly build trust with family customers. A complete set of supporting amenities including lockers and snack zones greatly improves the whole-day stay experience.
Varied play zones, especially immersive role-play and interactive activities such as holiday mini-classes, successfully create strong repeat-visit motivation, which aligns with our original design concept. It also proves that the zone portfolio dominated by soft play and role-play works well for local community families.
For investors planning a similar low-age project, simply purchasing playground equipment is not enough. Successful operations require balanced investment in daily cleaning staffing, site environment maintenance and value-added parent-child activities. These service details are key differentiators that generate positive word-of-mouth and stable recurring revenue, rather than relying only on hardware attractions.
6. About Liben & Cooperation
This project is undertaken by Liben Group. As a professional amusement equipment manufacturer, we deliver one-stop solutions. Our full-range services cover site planning, 2D/3D design, production, installation and after-sales maintenance. Apart from the indoor soft playground shown in this case, Liben Group and its official website libengroup & libenplay offer a complete product portfolio, including trampoline parks, outdoor play equipment, interactive games and inflatable play products. All items support customization in size, theme and color scheme.
If you intend to build a similar indoor playground, our team can provide free site evaluation and preliminary space layout sketch based on your venue size, budget and target age group. We will also share material samples, certification documents and reference project photos for your review. If you are searching for reliable indoor play equipment suppliers for your project, welcome to contact and visit us.