VOL. 42 | NO. 37 | Friday, September 14, 2018
Add some bounce to your party with trampolines
By Ivan Aronin
Altitude Trampoline Park will feature trampoline basketball, dodgeball, trapeze, an obstacle course, gymnastics and more at its Hermitage location.
-- SubmittedKyle Nagel has all the excitement of a child when he talks about the latest addition to his Hermitage entertainment and recreation complex, and he hopes other adults and kids are jumping for joy when the new facility opens in November.
Nagle, owner of Planet Fitness and Strike & Spare bowling alley, both on Lebanon Pike, will soon launch the first Altitude Trampoline Park in Tennessee with all three facilities side by side.
“What we are trying to do with this one is turn it into an entertainment center,” Nagel says. “We have Planet Fitness right next door and the giant bowling alley, Strike & Spare, has been there forever, and hopefully, this will complement that. If people want to do something with entertainment then this is a good spot to check out.’’
Nagel isn’t concerned about competing against his own interests.
“I don’t worry about that. I think people are going to do what they are going to do when they want to do it. One day you want to bowl, you bowl, one day you may want to jump so you jump.”
Altitude Trampoline Park
Where: 3432 Lebanon Pike in Hermitage next to Planet Fitness and Strike & Spare.
Expected opening: November
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays (10 p.m. or 11 p.m. on Fridays); Saturday 9 a.m.-10 p.m. or 11 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Cost: Not set. Similar Altitude facilities cost $9 for 30 minutes of jumping to $20 for two hours of jumping. Non-skid Altitude Trampoline socks must be worn ($2 per pair) but are reusable.
Reservations: Online booking for jump time is available but not required. It is recommended to use the online registration on weekends and during school vacation times.
Food and drink: Concession stands will have soft drinks, chips and candy. Sit-down cafe may be added.
The trampoline part of the business offers considerably more than jumping up and down. Using the trampolines, approximately 40 twin bed mattress-sized trampolines that go wall to wall, there are any number of activities and games to play such as trampoline dodgeball, basketball, trapeze, a Ninja obstacle course, gymnastics and more.
Dodgeball is a big hit. “It is really popular with corporate events is dodgeball, doing an employee versus bosses’ game,” says Courtney Skallerup, Altitude executive vice president for global operations.
Both Skallerup and Nagel point out the site selection for the 45,000-square foot Altitude is intended to provide some unique event possibilities.
“We have seen with many of our other sites that when we are around fitness-oriented or family entertainment-based businesses that they do really complement one another instead of taking business away,” she adds. “It makes it convenient for the customer to come and have a variety of places to choose from.”
Nagel realizes the value of the location.
“Nashville is growing so quickly, and it is rare to have a vacancy like that,” Nagel says. “We thought it would be great to tie in another use like that instead of retail in the same market.”
There are approximately 70 Altitude Trampoline Parks open in the U.S. and other countries. A site in Memphis is under construction, and the company’s goal is to have at least 150 parks open by the end of 2019, Skallerup says.
She adds Altitude, whose headquarters are in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, Texas, has been trying to get into the Nashville market for a long time.
“We just had not been able to find the right partnership as far as franchisee and space until now,” she explains. “Our CEO Curt (Skallerup) is always pushing us in terms of how many parks we can get open but also what Altitude can add to the family entertainment field.”
Altitude isn’t the first trampoline venue; Sky High Sports is in Donelson near Nashville International Airport about eight miles from the Altitude site. Urban Air Adventure Park is scheduled to open this fall on Old Hickory Boulevard in the Bells Bend area, the company’s website states, and JumpStreet has a trampoline park near RiverGate Mall.
Skallerup says birthday parties are a huge revenue stream for Altitude facilities, as well as events for schools, churches, sports teams, and businesses for team-building activities.
She also adds the Hermitage facility will have Toddler Time each week (discount jump rates both for kids 6 and under and their parents to jump with them), a sensory group time for special needs kids and teen nights.
“Our teen nights are very popular,” Skallerup notes. “There is a DJ and disco lights all over the jump area so there is a fun, safe place for middle school and high school kids to come in and socialize and burn some calories and have fun and still mingle and be kids in a secure environment.”
Soft drinks and vending machine-type snacks will be available, but Nagel says he plans to increase the food area significantly. He said there is 3,400 square feet of space inside the facility that has not been designated.
“Hopefully, we will fill it with some type of food service and hopefully put a small restaurant in there,” Nagel says.
“The crowds that will move around the trampoline park – and I think Planet Fitness has about 10,000 members, and the bowling alley is always busy. It would be nice to have a full-service food spot to eat before or after those activities.”