Recreation Facilities Market Orientation

Based on the demographic makeup of the service areas and the trends in indoor recreation amenities, there are specific market areas that need to be addressed with such community facilities. These include:

General

  1. Drop-in recreation activities - Critical to the basic operation of any community recreation center is the availability of the facility for drop-in use by the general public. This requires components that support drop-in use and the careful scheduling of programs and activities to ensure that they do not dominate the center and exclude the drop-in user. The sale of annual passes and daily admissions, potential strong revenue sources for a center, requires a priority for drop-in use.
  2. Instructional programming - The other major component of a community center's operation is a full slate of programs in a variety of disciplines. The center should provide instruction for a broad based group of users in a number of program areas. The primary emphasis should be on teaching basic skills with a secondary concern for specialized or advanced instruction.
  3. Special events - There should be a market for special events including kid's birthday parties, community organization functions, sports tournaments and other special activities. The development of this market will aid significantly in the generation of additional revenues and these events can often be planned for before or after regular operating hours or during slow use times of the year. Care should be taken to ensure that special events do not adversely impact the everyday operations of the center.
  4. Community rentals - Another aspect of a center's operation is providing space for rentals by civic groups or organizations as well as the general public. Gyms and multi-purpose rooms can be used as a large community gathering space and can host a variety of events from seminars, parties, receptions, arts and crafts sales and other events. It is important that a well-defined rental fee package is developed, and the fee schedule followed closely. Rentals should not be done at the expense of drop-in use or programming in the center.
  5. Social welfare programs – An emerging area for many centers is the use of space for social service activities and programs. Special population activities, teen and senior assistance programs, childcare and other similar uses are now common in many facilities.

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