Pool / Snooker Hall in Limerick (Castletroy)

Mossin

Hey everyone,

I'm doing enterprise development in UL. Its my final year, and as part of the module I have to do a business plan, in which I need to do market research.
I have already posted this in the UL forum, but I'd like a broader reach of the demographic.

I'd just like opinions and ideas.

We are proposing to open a pool/snooker hall in Castletroy.
It would have 8-10 pool tables, and 2 snooker tables.
It would be located near Groody Bar, in the old shop on the corner to be precise.
It would have a chill-out area, whereby you can sit and relax.
It would serve minerals, crisps and chocolate and other such simple items, probably over a counter rather than a vending machine.
It would be a relaxing atmosphere.

Opening hours would be 12pm - 11pm Mon-Sun.

Pool would cost €1 per game, and Snooker €6 per hour.

What are peoples ideas and opinions on this?

It is intended to be an alternative place to hang out, and play pool/snooker without loud music and alcohol. Somewhere to go instead of the cinema for 2 hours maybe.

Azphyxi8

It will probably turn into knacker central.

pwd

I agree - In that area the people likely to use it would be scumbags and students. And there's already a pool room in UL.

Mossin

Perhaps it would attract so-called un-wanted clientele, but that isnt what is in question here.

I want to know whether you think it would be feasible?
Would you use it?
Would you recommend it be located somewhere else?

And the pool room in UL is of a fairly poor standard/quality, and it doesnt cater for snooker players.

rstans

Is this just a hypothetical thing or is it actually happening?

mud

Mossin wrote: »

Perhaps it would attract so-called un-wanted clientele, but that isnt what is in question here."

so you're saying you know it runs the risk of becoming knackeragua and still want to know if we'd use it - no thanks

I want to know whether you think it would be feasible?

it's certainly feasible if you don't mind hiring bouncers
Would you use it?

see above


Would you recommend it be located somewhere else?
you've already sorted your premises


And the pool room in UL is of a fairly poor standard/quality, and it doesnt cater for snooker players.

can anyone use this room or just ul heads?

Mossin

rstans wrote: »

Is this just a hypothetical thing or is it actually happening?

Its currently only a business plan for a college module, but tbh, if it turns out to be feasible and there is enough interest, then I will be seriously considering turning this into my future business venture within 12 months.

so you're saying you know it runs the risk of becoming knackeragua and still want to know if we'd use it - no thanks

Of course there is a risk of it turning unsociable, but that could happen anywhere, the idea is that it will be run well, and no **** tolerated. It would be a place to bring your kids and play pool/snooker.

you've already sorted your premises

We havent sorted any premises, that is where we are proposing to put it, but looking at the limited feedback thus far, people wouldnt go to where we propose, so please feel free to suggest somewhere else.

AlanD

Mossin wrote: »

Its currently only a business plan for a college module, but tbh, if it turns out to be feasible and there is enough interest, then I will be seriously considering turning this into my future business venture within 12 months.

Personally, I would not ever go to a pool/snooker hall. It's just not my thing.

But my advice to you would be to keep your money in your pocket. The chances of making any worthwhile money out of a venture are very slim, meaning the risk is extremely high, meaning you may not get funding to even get it off the ground.

When you work out your theoretical costs and then work out how many punters you need through the door, it's at that point you need to leave any forms of optimism and pessimism at the door and think about the reality of the situation as objectively as possible.

You'll discover this when you leave college, but the desire to get a business running and successful will cloud the reality for 90% of new startups. So if you need 100 people a day to use the tables to make a small profit and think that there are possible 10,000 students in the area and 100 people represent just 1% of the catchment, then think again. Don't let small percentages cloud your judgement. Most businesses fail because reality only sets in after money has been dealt with.

So, although this will be a great excercise for you to do, the more prepared and objective you are about the realities of business and the fickle nature of people, the better your business plan will be, even if that plan tells you not to pursue it further.

Best of luck.

Mossin

Thanks for the advice Alan.

I understand the majority of pitfalls that could befall this potential venture.
The financials are by far the most important stage, but I currently need to know my potential market if I am to somehow realistically create forecasts of potential revenue compared to costs.

I know you said that you would not use such a facility, but do you know people who do play pool/snooker? Would they use it?

We are aiming to provide classes to teach people how to play the games.
An overall more community involved facility is what we would like to have.

At the minute it isnt looking too viable, but I've a lot more research before I throw in the towel.

pwd

Personally I wouldn't use it because it would be a little out of the way to get to and I'd expect it to be full of scumbags. I do play pool but I'm not mad into it or anything.

If you are doing this as a project in UL, why not try to set up a business *in* UL. As you say the pool room isn't great that is there at the moment. If a snooker/pool room was set up with good arcade machines I'd say thta would do really well.

Mossin

I am considering putting in arcade games also, but they attract more of the clientele that I dont want, although it is worth considering thoroughly before completely discarding the idea.
Would you be more likely to come to a place that had arcade games also though? Or would you still not go?
Expecting it to be full of "scumbags" results in a lot of businesses failing, but often is not the case of the venus is well run.
This is intended to be a nice venue whereby pool and snooker can be enjoyed leisurely, with regular tournaments and leagues held for the enthusiasts.

RINO87

fill it with classic arcade games (metal slug!!!!) and the place will be a gem! cant see you fitting alot of snooker tables with comfortable playing space in the old shop tho, the space aint that big methinks.

AlanD

Mossin wrote: »

I know you said that you would not use such a facility, but do you know people who do play pool/snooker? Would they use it?

I probably wouldn't know anyone who'd be interested. I'm in my 30s, married with kids and so heading out for pool isn't something I'd have time for.

In the past I used to go in to the Vic in town to play snooker with a couple of mates who were pretty good. I wasn't any good and so just went for the banter and to hit many dodgy shots.

Mossin wrote: »

We are aiming to provide classes to teach people how to play the games.
An overall more community involved facility is what we would like to have.

The thing with classes is that out of the people you need to go in there, possibly 1% of those again will have the interest in pursuing their game to actually take classes. So you might have to pay a guy who's good quite a bit to train 1/2 people who want to take it seriously. But the problem is then, if you have people who want to head in there nightly to practice, they need viable opponents to help them up their game. This is when they'll leave your hall and go to the Vic in town and this of course results in negative equity.

A trip to the vic to chat to a few lads in there wouldn't go astray. They'd all know what they were talking about.

zuroph

im guessing ur primary target is students? so, how about a membership system for those not in UL, and pay as u play specially only for UL students, with valid ID.

Mossin

Students are a primary target yes, and there would be a membership scheme, through which priority bookings for tables would occur. Also first refusal on tournament entry, etc...Possibly a cheaper rate for members also.

rover84

Mossin wrote: »

Perhaps it would attract so-called un-wanted clientele, but that isnt what is in question here.

Mossin wrote: »

I want to know whether you think it would be feasible?

No not feasible, at 1euro a game of pool and 6per hour of snooker. Youd want to double those figures at least to cover start-up,maintenance and wage costs. Also its a hang out place in IRELAND, if theres no alcohol/bar there, nobody is interested.

Mossin wrote: »

Would you use it?

At 1 and 6 euro per game, ye I defo would use it until all the knackeraguans started using it too

Mossin wrote: »

Would you recommend it be located somewhere else?

Ye anywhere outside stab city, best place nearby a college/school/sports hall

Mossin wrote: »

And the pool room in UL is of a fairly poor standard/quality, and it doesnt cater for snooker players.

A snooker hall and a little area for chips and drinks would not make money by itself. Thered have to be a bar/arcade/restaurant/subway in it

pwd

I really think you should see if it is at all possible to set it up in the ul campus. I was disappointed to find there was no proper games room when I came here to do my postgrad...in WIT there's a ood one and it's always packed!

ninty9er

pwd wrote: »

I really think you should see if it is at all possible to set it up in the ul campus. I was disappointed to find there was no proper games room when I came here to do my postgrad...in WIT there's a ood one and it's always packed!

There's a snooker room in the Students' Union

pwd

There's a pool room that was mentioned in this thread alright but it's not very good, is not open as much as it could be and doesn't have arcade games.

Amazotheamazing

Firstly, you do need to find a way to deal with knackers, though that being said, I often played pool out by Supermacs when I was younger and the knackers there were always harmless.

Overall I don't really see much scope for profit though, you'd need either more tables or a very low rent to turn out any profit at all, imo.

idPlease

i think if you had some arcade games - like pacman - or other classics then maybe people would hang around there longer?? make more money as Arcade games can generate more money per hour than pool if busy...

It could almost be a smaller, cleaner version of Funworld (minus bowling)

Azphyxi8

If funworld sold alcohol and becam 18+ after 8:00pm it would make a killing.

zuroph

Azphyxi8 wrote: »

If funworld sold alcohol and becam 18+ after 8:00pm it would make a killing.

+1. the drinking nights at the bowling alley in galway are a huge draw for students.

rosboy

Mossin,

Like most of the other posters, my biggest concern would be the scumbag/knacker factor (sorry to be politically incorrect with the names).

There is a serious lack of amenities in the Castletroy area, and I think if you could keep out the riff raff you could be successful. I think it may take a slightly different approach to th ebusiness than what exists at the moment.

Off the top of my head, here are a few thoughts/suggestions:

• Restrict membership to over 18's. Would keep out some of the trouble, but also restrict some of your revenue form kids at weekends/after school.
• Make it a members only club.
  • Free to join, or
  • Pay a nominal annual membership fee (€20-30). You could then include x free games with the membership. Again this would be tricky. You don't want to turn people off with high initial costs.
• Install a few X-Box's/Wii's/Playstations with decent monitors. Have some of the latest games that people can rent out for a few hours and play there with their friends (deposit needed before you give out games though!!!!), or have game nights/tournaments e.g. Call Of Duty 4 this Thursday night, Mario Kart on Friday. Something a little different, but might interest people enough to come along and check out the place.
• Set up a Wi-Fi hotspot. Might give you a little extra revenue.
• Hot food. Just some handy snacks (e.g chips, burgers, nuggets chicken wings). Thes would add a more social element, adn add a little revenue.

They're just a few thoughts off the top of my head. The biggest challenges would be getting the right customers, and getting the right business model.

Best of luck with it!

D-A-V-E

to be fair the idea is good, castletroy is a huge place without any great things to do..but you need to do better than this..a couple of pool tables wont cut it, throw in an american styled restaurant and a couple of overhead projectors for tv and couches and you turned an average place no1 would ever go, to a place people would feel fit to relax for the evening with a few friends..

Mossin

Cheers for all the advice people, it is much appreciated.
There are loads of options available, and that is where we are as a group right now, in trying to decide exactly which options are the best.

Any other ideas are welcome, and I'll keep you posted on what is decided.