Eat, drink, compete, repeat
When the focus for spending leisure time is all about the experience and living for the moment, the hospitality sector adapts. And it has adapted very well in recent years. In appealing to customers looking for more than a quiet night in the pub, experience-first environments have emerged and the traditional setting, whilst it still has its place (shout out to our local boozer!), doesn’t quite cut it anymore. Especially amongst millennial and Gen Z crowds.
Now, it’s all about combining your pint with ping pong or your plate with problem-solving. In this world of competitive socialising - a trend that’s smashing records and redefining leisure time – design plays the ultimate role. Get it right and everyone’s winning.
The rise of the competitive socialising trend
Immersive venues are where food, fun, and a little friendly rivalry come together. They take many forms from retro-inspired crazy golf like Birdies, to parlour game nostalgia at Bounce Battersea. The UK market for competitive socialising has boomed with a 38% increase in the number of venues from 2018 – 2023 mostly driven by younger generations who are more sober-curious than previous generations.
For Gen Z, it’s all about good vibes and good values. They’re savvy, socially conscious, and constantly chasing experiences that are worth snapping and sharing. Understanding this audience to develop design that cuts deep makes all the difference. This group cares deeply about quality over quantity - whether it’s in their choice of venue or the plant-based sliders they’re Insta-storying. Meanwhile, millennials are driving demand for better food and drink options at these venues with popular items like truffle fries and an artisanal sourdough making it on many a menu.
Don’t get us wrong, we don’t expect traditional settings to disappear, there’s a beauty in a timeless setting that is rooted in authenticity. One of our Directors, Matt Smith, explains how the heart in many a project comes from keeping things simple, “Substance over style is a good way of defining our approach as a studio. This is our guiding principle when coming up with an original scheme. It’s easy to get carried away with a concept and add layer upon layer which can dilute the original idea. We think simplicity leads to beauty and makes a scheme more impactful. It’s what gives it heart. And that’s what we’re here to do, create memorable experiences which leave a lasting impact.
Original design will always outlive trend. We also think that if you can create an environment that connects with the customer, then it can transcend the space to become a following, a movement and even an institution. This is especially important in the world of competitive socialising. This can then truly deliver longevity.”
Growth in competitive socialising continues to reach new heights. New cities, new concepts, new thrills. Design holds the rare ability to heighten and immortalise the experience, making venues famous and hospitality ventures made.
Why design is the differentiator
Increasing competition, means hospitality businesses turn to design to stand out. Strategic design choices with lighting, layout, colour schemes and materials enhance not only the mood, but create an atmosphere that is palpable. A little bit electric.
Take Birdies Crazy Golf, which has won awards for its design at the Restaurant & Bar Awards. The world we created for Birdies is a kaleidoscope graphic landscape that turned the idea of crazy golf on its head. One of the first to do it, and very much still thriving today amongst new competition. Surreal and playful, each hole is a new discovery. Lighting plays an integral part in this discovery, exaggerating colours, movement and mood, moving from dark to light and creating an amplified sensory experience.
Bounce Battersea takes the concept of social gaming up another notch. Recently winning Best Leisure & Entertainment Venue at the FX Awards 2024, this venue stands out not just for its nostalgic nod to the parlour games of old where ping pong originated, but for the sheer enormity of its transformation, from historic listed building and all its confines, to a vibrant and playful space that’s full of joy and life.
New life comes from the old. In the process of designing Bounce Battersea, we couldn’t fail to pay homage to the industrial exterior and Turbine Hall B, both relics of the brutalist architecture of the 1950s. Inspired by an unapologetically brutalist, no nonsense sports hall, the design concept elevates ping pong as a sport, and all there is to love about it. Concrete tiled floors and concrete-effect walls nod to the industrial style, paired with bold modern artwork and contemporary wooden panelling that introduces a bit of warmth. This space makes socialising easy, whether you’re relaxing or playing.
What’s next for competitive socialising venues?
From urban golf to karaoke bars with a twist, these venues are redefining the way we now spend time with friends and family. They’re not just for entertaining; they’re a way to make memories that last longer than the night itself. Matt Smith leaves some final thoughts on where this trend could go, “The diversification of hospitality is getting broader and more and more we are asked to design environments which provide escape. People want to be taken somewhere different and novel. It could be an original 70’s cafe, a Lower East Side dive bar, a Hibachi restaurant with cabaret, bingo in a fisherman's shack or just an old-fashioned pub.
Escapism in design works if it’s genuine, and we’ll see more creative iterations of this as brands try to achieve it and new concepts we haven’t seen before emerge.”
So, bets are on, where to next…