The last few years have been somewhat challenging for the hospitality and leisure sector. Rising energy prices and escalating wage and produce bills have meant a hike in operating costs.
The cost-of-living crisis has forced many operators to absorb these expenses rather than pass them on to the consumer, resulting in strained margins and closures.
But there's one sub-sector that is defying the trend - competitive socialising. Take a traditional pastime, say darts, give it a high-tech makeover, set it in a swanky venue to a pumping soundtrack and within a decade you've got yourself an entirely new, global business.
Flight Club opened its first venue in Shoreditch in 2015. The brand can now be found at 13 º£½ÇÊÓƵ and beyond, including in Las Vegas and Perth in Australia, and of course on Birmingham's Temple Street.
Arguably one of the first competitive/experiential socialising activities, Flight Club has helped change the face of a typical night out, providing an alternative to going down the pub.
It's axe-throwing, bingo, darts, golf, shuffleboard and virtual reality gaming that are luring Gen Z. What's more, Birmingham has become a test-bed for a number of experiential leisure concepts, with the city enjoying the fastest regional growth in the sector.
One of the city's attractions for operators is its young population, with 40 per cent aged under 25 - the highest of any European city.
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Birmingham also boasts the largest student population outside London - more than 84,000 are studying in the city's higher education institutions. In addition to the adrenaline fix this cohort gets from competitive socialising, Gen Z is also technology savvy.
They are seeking content for their social media feeds and operators are more than happy to provide the backdrop as these platforms play a significant role in promoting their venues.
Technology has also revolutionised the consumer experience. From ordering a drink, selecting a game or keeping track of the scores, the journey is seamless.
At Flight Club, you are even captured on film, with team photos and the final leaderboard emailed to you after the event. Evidence shows that Gen Z and Millennials too are increasingly shunning booze.
They are making more responsible choices, drinking less, with no and low alcohol options increasingly popular. Activity-based socialising fills that void, as the focus is not primarily on drinking.
These adult playgrounds are not entirely given over to a younger cohort, however. Corporates are also turning to competitive socialising as a way of connecting colleagues and driving social interaction.
With more people working from home and the consequent changes to working patterns, businesses are looking to build teams and add value when their staff and clients get together.
Many of these venues are clustered around the business district, likely an intentional move. Several new venues have sprung up in Birmingham to cater for this rising demand, including F1 Arcade, a simulated driving experience at Paradise.
Its Formula One racing experience is delivered via 53 full motion racing simulators. It is Kindred Concepts' first venue outside London, with the operator having now secured £30 million to fund its global expansion.
Hammerson's strategy to fill void retail space by diversifying its Grand Central and Bullring estates is paying off.
Incomers include Sandbox VR, a full-body virtual reality experience and Treetop Adventure Golf experience, two indoor 18 hole mini-golf courses set in a tropical trail.
Interactive football is also coming to Bullring this summer, in the shape of Toca Social, while Lane7 boutique bowling has opened with augmented darts, floor shuffle, pool and curling.
Lane 7's original outlet, at the Cube, has been joined by social cricket outlet Sixes which offers a multi-player batting experience.
At the Custard Factory, NQ64 Arcade provides retro arcade machines and consoles, with a side of laser quest. For more bowling, Roxy has a venue in Digbeth while its sister outfit in Victoria Square offers ball games.
For escape rooms, there's Digbeth's Escape Now, Grand Escape in Broad Street and Escape Live in the Jewellery Quarter.
Try axe throwing at Boom Battle Bar at Five Ways or Axeperience, close to New Street Station (the operator's first venue outside London).
Although these venues' target demographic may be drinking less alcohol, upmarket food and drink is very much part of their offer. At F1 Arcade, there's confit black garlic flatbreads, seabass ceviche and aged beef tartare on the menu.
According to data by research agency KAM, competitive socialising venues have achieved the best dwell times in hospitality by improving their food and beverage menus. Competitive socialising has fundamentally changed how we socialise.
It has been a gamechanger not just for the user but for the more traditional venues which find themselves vying for the same consumer pound.
While the rise of the competitive socialising sub-sector has been fast and furious, ultimately there may be a ceiling on the sector's growth, not least because of the lack of suitable space.
Operators typically require 7,500 to 15,000 sq ft with ceiling heights of up to 19 feet and there's not a lot of that available in the city centre.
However, given the socio-economic factors underpinning the sector, competitive socialising looks to be a structural rather than a cyclical trend in the leisure market. The race is now on to come up with new concepts.
Charles Jones is a director in the operational real estate team at property consultancy CBRE in Birmingham
