The recent health crisis that we have lived through has brought with it many certainties, but also many uncertainties. The leisure sector, and concretely that of ice rinks, doubted whether the public would see skating rinks as a safe place to go during their free time. After the Christmas campaign, it was time to analyze and see how society responded and how had the attendance of skaters to ice rinks during the coronavirus pandemic changed. Do you want to know what the conclusions of the study have been? Go for it!
Increased attendance of skaters at our rinks, how is it possible?
Yes. That has been the general and definitive conclusion of our study. Ice rinks that we installed this Christmas and that in previous years had also opted for us, have managed to increase their attendance in general terms.
The following are the main reasons for the increase in attendance to our ice rinks:
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Lack of leisure options
Due to the uncertainty generated by the pandemic, leisure activities have been reduced, which has caused the population to have fewer alternatives and they have opted for ice skating.
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Safe leisure activity
Xtraice ice rinks are a safe leisure activity in times of COVID. The use of masks, of social distancing, washing of hands before entering the rink, and the recommendation to skate in one direction have made the rinks a safe place for attendees.
A success story in the suburbs of Paris
Let’s take a look at a successful case study of a rink installed in a shopping center in the suburbs of Paris. It is the third consecutive year that Xtraice installs this skating rink during the Christmas period. This season they broke their record of ice rink attendance, with a year over year increase by 50%. This becomes even more impressive if we consider that the record ticket sales were achieved despite the following limitations brought on by the pandemic:
- Rink capacity was cut in half. Last year the recommendation was 8 skaters / m2; this year it has decreased to 4 skaters / m2 to accommodate social distancing.
- Shuttered restaurants. Both the bars and restaurants in the mall were closed.
- Time limitation: There was an 8pm curfew in effect.
- Time consuming sanitation of the rink and accessories. A lot of time was spent on daily disinfection of the rink material (skates, fences, accessories, etc.), time that was subtracted from the management of the rink.
It is also important to note that being the only local rink, people have attended regularly, being recurring users almost in all cases. In addition, the classic approach to rinks in shopping centers has changed: this year the population went to the shopping center principally to go to the synthetic ice rink, whereas traditionally it was a secondary activity to holiday shopping.
Do you still have doubts on whether to install a synthetic ice rink in times of COVID? Don’t hesitate, contact us now!
