Backed by experience, Urban Air was founded in 2011 by founder Michael O. Browning, Jr., a driven and innovative entrepreneur. Just four years after finding its foothold in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, Urban Air began franchising in 2014.
“We help families celebrate special moments, escape the hardships of the real world and connect socially – offline,” says Browning. And, it’s working. An estimated 25 million kids are expected to play at Urban Air this year.
What do 25 million kids look like for franchise owners? Today, there are over 300 parks open, or in development. The number of parks isn’t the only thing the brand has grown, though. The past 10-plus years in trade have taught the corporate team a lot about business ownership, market diversification, customer retention and — most importantly — how to best support franchise owners.
Each new owner who joins the team experiences first-hand the vast support provided. Franchisees gain access to a range of corporate support services upon opening a park. This includes data-driven systems and analytics to monitor park performance, as well as unique and measurable marketing strategies to help attract new customers. And that doesn’t even include the immense investment in innovation each year, which delivers new and exciting attractions that bring guests through the doors.
Today’s franchisees aren’t only asking: “How successful could I be in this business?” They’re also asking: “How will this business support me?” Aspiring owners want to know how the corporate team behind their business will help them to flourish and grow.
The best franchise systems are the ones backed by experience and expertise. These brands have great operating systems, training programs, marketing support and more that help each franchisee thrive. Urban Air Adventure Park is one such brand. From a decade of experience in the industry to their newly formed franchise platform, the Urban Air team is prepared to launch new franchise owners to success.
Redefining play
Urban Air franchisees are a special type of business owner. While the goal of every business is to turn a profit, these innovative entrepreneurs want something more out of their investment — they want to change the lives of kids through next-level play. Urban Air’s incredible combination of innovation and safety helps change the meaning of the wordplay itself.
Too many people think play in the 21st century involves sitting in front of a screen. However, one visit to Urban Air Adventure Park helps kids experience true next-level play, impacting their perspective on what it means to have fun and enjoy life.
Urban Air provides kids with opportunities to get up and get moving, stimulating them to engage in active play that involves running, jumping, swinging, dodging, crouching and letting them test the limits of what they’re able to do. A day in the park gives kids a chance to build strength, develop coordination, stimulate their brain and make connections with other kids, all while burning off energy and having tons of fun!
Each Urban Air location redefines play by providing kids with amazing attractions that they just can’t find anywhere else. While other jumping parks have trampolines, they probably don’t have indoor skydiving or a Warrior Course. There are so many unique experiences Urban Air visitors can have such as:
• Sky Rider Indoor Coaster
• Go-Karts
• Indoor Skydiving
• Warrior Course
• Ropes Course
• Laser Tag
• Virtual Reality
• Mini-Golf
• Battle Beam
They’ve got all that, and they’re not done innovating yet! Urban Air is the market leader for its commitment to nonstop innovation. From patented technology to market-shattering attraction innovation, to building an easy-to-execute, state-of-the-art, fast-casual cafe inside a theme park, Urban Air is and will continue to be the most innovative brand in the industry. Urban Air’s unique atmosphere creates barriers to entry for possible competition that can’t keep up! And, they have over 20 attractions for every adventurer.
Safety is everything
In today’s world, active play isn’t always easy to achieve because of so many distractions and safety concerns. While the parks are designed to let kids explore, collaborate and let loose, safety is always a number one priority. Urban Air is proud to have one of the lowest incident rates of any business in the industry, and they provide constant training to keep guests safe on every visit.
Parents appreciate this complete dedication to the safety of their kids. Every attraction is supervised by a highly trained staff member who knows how to respond to any situation, promoting the well-being of every child who plays at the parks.
The brand knows that safety goes beyond giving kids a soft surface to land on. They promote the health of all our visitors with rigorous sanitizing protocols and their response to the global pandemic has made safe play possible. Urban Air offers kids and parents alike clean, sanitized surfaces, purified air and other sanitary safeguards to ensure a positive experience every time.
Two businesses in one
Every Urban Air Adventure Park offers an easy-to-execute, state-of-the-art, fast-casual café right in the park, which is a good thing since Urban Air customers spend an average of more than three hours in the park for each visit! Kids need food and drinks as they have fun and burn off energy, and franchisees know how effective an in-park restaurant can be at boosting the bottom line.
The four types of owners
The Urban Air Adventure Park family prides itself on diversity. Although owners typically share a common set of traits, they also come from different backgrounds and are motivated by different things. Over the years, the brand has found four main types of Urban Air franchise owners.
Single Unit
Single-unit franchisees are interested in opening one Urban Air Adventure Park, usually in their immediate community.
Being a single-unit owner gives individuals the time and space to focus on learning the business and building strong connections with local customers. They can hone in on what makes the business work and grow and to develop “tricks of the trade” while receiving corporate support.
Most single-unit Urban Air owners spend a lot of time working hands-on with their team when they first open their park. Over time, they step back and run things from a higher level, giving them greater flexibility and work-life balance.
Multi-Unit Owner
More savvy entrepreneurs and franchisees with ample business management experience might be interested in building their portfolio with multiple Urban Air locations. Multi-unit owners can sign on for multiple parks from the start or build up a portfolio of parks over time. Approximately 50 per cent of Urban Air franchisees are multi-unit owners.
Multi-unit ownership requires franchisees to understand the ins and outs of marketing, sales and business operation. It’s easy to apply what you know to multiple locations if you have the financial resources and time to manage multiple properties.
While the first location is likely to be in their local community, future parks can be in other locations. That’s why nearly 50 per cent of our parks are operated remotely (and with great success). Leadership is key in multi-unit franchising with Urban Air. Owners should be able to lead a team, whether near or far, to maintain their business’s growth.
Investor
Entrepreneurs who have the financial resources to purchase a business but lack the time or experience necessary to run that business might be interested in becoming Urban Air investors. Our investors team up with local operators to co-run an Urban Air Adventure Park while diversifying their investment portfolio.
Investors typically fill a remote role in the business, buying in markets set apart from where they live. They provide the capital and business expertise required to get one or more Urban Air locations off the ground.
Many Urban Air investors own multiple locations across the country, working with local operating partners to grow each park. This allows investors to run or work for other businesses full-time while building wealth through Urban Air franchise ownership.
Operator
Aspiring entrepreneurs who don’t yet have the financial resources necessary to purchase their own Urban Air Adventure Park may have a path to ownership by partnering with an investor. Park operators are extremely devoted to the Urban Air mission. They love kids and community and want to run a business that gives families space to play and grow. However, they also have the business acumen required to launch and grow a business.
Running an Urban Air Adventure Park is typically an operator’s sole focus and a full-time job. Operators partner with investors to grow a franchise in their local community. You can find an investor partner on your own, or our franchising team might be able to pair you with one.
The Urban Air franchise model gives aspiring owners flexibility to make their business dreams a reality — whether they’re a first-time franchisee opening their first-ever location, or an investor looking to open multiple locations nationwide.
Why urban air is an awesome investment
- Fast innovators and market leaders.
- Unique atmosphere that creates barriers to entry for others and the competition can’t keep up.
- Each Park is uniquely designed while creating a brand that guests recognize around the U.S. and soon to be global.
- Data-driven approaches and systems are in place to allow franchisees to monitor each park’s performance and identify opportunities for continued improvement.
- Urban Air supplies attractions at a fraction of the cost of what competitors would charge IF they even had access to the attractions like this..
- Safety and training are a top priority. Urban Air records all incidents and has some of the best incident rates in the industry.
- Landlords and developers love having Urban Air as one of their tenants.
- The corporate team identifies the top locations in the trade area while doing an analytic study on each location.
- A unique marketing platform that is measurable and leverages data.
- Large database of customers with specific insights into the type of guests served.
Part of a community
Urban Air is part of the youth enrichment growth-focused platform, Unleashed Brands. Unleashed Brands currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101 and Premier Martial Arts and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Its mission is to impact the lives of all kids by providing fun, engaging and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be. Franchisees under the Unleashed Brands platform receive greater support and a larger network of peers. They also have the opportunity to diversify their portfolios through the various sister brands under the platform and “own the kids’ market.”
Ready for your next adventure?
Urban Air Adventure Park is leading a revolution in the kid-focused franchise space. With four pathways to ownership – Owner, Operator, Multi-Unit, and Investor – we’re looking to grow with passionate entrepreneurs. Now is the time to join the #1 Entertainment Franchise. Reach out to us today to learn more!
At a glance
Year established: 2011
Number of franchised outlets: 150+ (franchising since 2013)
Location of units: United States, Canada
Investment range: $3,380,908 – $5,684,158
Minimum required capital: $750,000
Contact: letstalk@urbanairparks.com
