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Corporate events and team outings can be a fantastic source of revenue for skating rinks and family entertainment centers when done right. However, you can’t just expect a corporate group to show up and be satisfied without some preparation on your part. Employers expect team-building events and outings to provide a return on investment in some form or another—either in employee morale, improved communication, or stronger teamwork skills. 

So, how can you successfully facilitate team outings for corporate clients? Read on for some tips from your friends at Southeastern Skate Supply. We are passionate about providing rink owners with the tools and equipment to build a thriving skating and entertainment business. 

3 Tips for a Successful Team-Building Outing

Encourage corporate clients to schedule their events during standard business hours. 

While corporate holiday parties and after-hours celebrations should be scheduled, well, after hours, team-building events should be scheduled between 9 am and 5 pm. This affirms its importance as a team-building event and generally goes over better with employees. No matter how fun a team-building event is—and they can definitely be fun at a skating rink—it’s still a work activity, and no one wants to be at work late.

Create a comprehensive team-building program. 

Before you book your first corporate team-building event, make sure you have a detailed plan in place. Creating package options that include not only the activities, but also food and drink makes planning the event easier on you and the client. This is also a good opportunity to upsell arcade tokens, laser tag games, etc. 

You need to be able to explain to the client how the event will run from the moment they enter the facility until the event is over. How much time is set aside for structured activities versus time for the employees to mingle, skate, play games, etc.? In addition to carefully planning and documenting your team-building program, you will also need to train employees on the differences between corporate events and other events hosted at your skating center. 

Encourage collaboration among participants, not competition. 

When planning team-building activities, try to foster a sense of collaboration, not competition. Cooperative games and exercises that build people up are much more effective than competitive events that reward strong skaters while punishing less experienced skaters. That’s not to say that you can’t incorporate any elements of competition, but keep it friendly and light-hearted as opposed to a cut-throat contest in which only the most skilled skaters are having fun. 

Pacer is introducing a new line of inline skates.  Some of you saw these at our recent tradeshow.  They are now in stock and ready to ship.

 

The Explorer skates are perfect entry level skates for use in the rinks.  The boots have power straps and deluxe comfort liners.  The frames are a lightweight reinforced polymer material.  The bearings are Gold 7 Speed Rated quality.  The wheels are designed for indoor-outdoor use, they’re 76mm large, and the name of the wheels are Kemistry Magnium.  These will be the first wheels from the new Kemistry brand.

 

These come in men’s (sz 6-12) or ladies (ladies sizes 6-10) versions and are in stock now.

 

There is also an adjustable version for the younger skaters.  These are pretty similar, but the wheels are smaller and the bearings are Bronze 3 Speed Rated.  They come in boys or girls adjustable sizes.

Small – fits sizes 10J, 11J, 12J, 13J

Medium – fits sizes 13J, 1, 2, 3

Large – fits sizes 3, 4, 5, 6

A few days ago we did our first post tradeshow interview with Steven from Sure-Grip.  You can view that here.

Today we talk to Will Marion from Roller Derby (aka Pacer, aka Tour).  Here is what he had to say. . .

 

Q1 You talk to a lot of different rinks all across the country, and you met with a lot at our show.  What do you hear from the rinks?  Do they seem excited about the upcoming season?

WILL:  A large majority of the rinks we spoke with are saying business is very good right now.  And yes they seemed excited about the upcoming holiday season.

Q2  You showed a lot of new products at this show this year. The Scout Skate was one that a lot of people were interested in, tell us more about that one.

WILL:  The Scout was very well received – the look of the skate, but more so the color options and it has the “cuteness” element.  [editor’s note – this one is for smaller sizes – 12J-6, four different colors, hopefully arriving just before Christmas, priced close to the current ZTX skates]

Q3  You also showed a couple of new inline skates that are designed for the Pacer brand and specifically for rinks.  Can you give us some details, especially for the rinks that weren’t able to join us?  WILL:  We have had the Voyager model for some time now, and bringing a Pacer inline with more color and more options was received very well.. We are offering the Explorer XT model now in men’s and women’s in sizes and a youth adjustable model in both boys and girls styles.  [editor’s note – more details on this one as soon as they arrive]

Q4  I know some of the new skates aren’t ready yet.  Factories are moving around to try to get away from China.  What’s the latest on when you think these will be available?

WILL:  The Explorer XT models have shipped from the factory and should be in stock in about 2 weeks  The Scout has been delayed at the factory and will ship the end of October so they should be available in early December. I realize not the ideal launch timing wise on a new model.

Q5  You have a lot of customers not just in the USA, but also around the world.  What are you hearing about skate sales and interest in skating from those sources?  Is skating growing in any specific areas?

WILL:  Interest in skating geographically has grown beyond the traditional skate countries.   Latin America became a growth market with the advent of Soy Luna. Asia is a steady market with growth.  Europe at this time is steady but now growing in my opinion.  There are sales to countries now around the world that weren’t there 10 – 15 years ago.

Q6:  Anything else for our readers?

WILL:  I feel your show was very positive not only with the turnout but the positive feeling we got from the rink owners outlook for their business.

Happy National Roller Skating Month! If you own a skating rink, it’s your time to shine. This month is the perfect time to connect with your current and potential customers to drive more foot traffic and sales.

Educate your customers on the benefits of roller skating.

If you own a skating rink, there’s no doubt that you know the many proven benefits of roller skating—physical, mental, and emotional. But do your customers know those benefits? One of the best ways to celebrate National Roller Skating Month is just to share this information with your audience.

Consider hanging posters around your facility, sharing infographics on your social media platforms, or even contacting the local news to do an interview with you about the value of roller skating. Check out the RSA (Roller Skating Association) website for some great resources, including printable posters. 

Want to reach new skaters? You could even host a free or discounted skating lesson sometime during the month.  

Reach out to local organizations.

This is also a good time to reach out to schools, sports leagues, scouting groups, and other local organizations to see how you can gain visibility in the community. Make sure you’re submitting your events to local event calendars, from the city or county Recreation Department website to the local Chamber of Commerce, or even established mom bloggers in your town! 

If you’re not already, consider offering discount admission to students who make the honor roll. You can get in front of a lot of kids and parents by doing this, especially if you can include a flyer for kids to take home to their parents. You can also capitalize on local events by offering discount admission to anyone who comes in with their ticket from last night’s football game or whichever event is the current talk of the town.  

Thank your regulars (and make others want to be regulars). 

Among the many great ideas the RSA has provided for celebrating National Roller Skating Month, these are some favorites: 

• Highlight your regulars! If you have amazing skaters who are always at your rink, put some photos or videos of them up on your monitors and projectors. 
• Run a social media contest for a prize. Skaters can tag themselves or check-in at your location to be entered, or you could have people “vote” on their favorite skater’s photos/videos by liking and commenting.  
• Start a challenge trend. Ever since the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral, challenge videos have been all the rage with kids (and even internet-savvy adults). Have one of your employees or regulars post a video of them doing a certain skating move or trick, and challenge others to put their own spin on it. 

At Southeastern Skate Supply, we love helping skating rink owners and FECs find the equipment and resources needed to maintain a thriving business. Check out our Roller Skating Business Resource Manual to learn more, as well as our Wholesale Equipment pages to shop everything from roller skates to signage. 

We just finished up with our annual tradeshow and we appreciate everyone that was able to attend and help make it so successful.  We thought it would be interesting to do some interviews with the different vendors that attended so that we can recap info for the rinks that joined us and also so that we could share with the ones that couldn’t make it this year.  We did this last year and seemed to get some good feedback.  Please feel free to share any of these with your customers.

 

Our first interview is with Steven Ball from Sure-Grip Skate. .  .

 

Q1 Tell us about the new Lo Ride plates you showed.  Who are they designed for and what kind of reaction did they receive?

Steven:  The Lo Ride plate is a very unique product and so far, everyone that saw it was really intrigued by it.  Most rinks mentioned that they had an adult night and most rinks were talking about the products they use.  Most rinks were looking at the Phenolic wheels and the Fo-Mac wheels.  I think the Adult market is growing and I think our new plate will meet a demand in this market.  Everyone seemed really excited about it and everyone was asking when it would be available.

Q2 I know you’ve made a lot of improvements over the last couple of years to your rental skates.   At the show this year you showed several different boots.   Tell us more about what you’re doing on the rental side of things.

Steven:  For rentals this year we are introducing a women’s shoe.  This is obviously smaller than the normal rental.  I think rinks want to offer something that fits better for the skater.  I think the skating experience is most important to the rinks and will help retain skaters long term.  Having people enjoy the experience skating is our number 1 goal.

 

Q3 The tariff situation is getting a lot of attention in the press.  Has that impacted roller skates much to this point?  How hard is it to predict what impact that will have on prices for skates as we move forward?

Steven:  We are lucky in that we make a lot of our own products in our facility so the tariffs have not impacted our products much as other manufactures.  We have become more vertical in the recent past making more and more of our own products.  The quality from Asia is good but it will never be as good as we can make in the country.  With the tariffs potential to impact not only our industry but others as well puts us in a better position because we have the ability to make our own products.  It is really important for us to retain the quality that everyone has come to know from Sure-Grip.  Walking through our facility you can see exactly what we do and how we do it.  We are very proud of the what we do and what we plan to do.  The new Lo Ride for instance is made entirely in our facility.

 

 

Stay tuned for (hopefully) more interviews with more great people.

 

Our tradeshow will be in just a few days (Oct 7 and 8).  We’re excited to see a lot of the new products that are coming out and also excited to see our customers in person instead of just talking over the phone.  We hope to get more info on when the new products are going to be available and also possibly learn more about the latest on the tariffs and their impact on the skates that we sell.  We’ll be sending out flyers and emails with pictures and details of what we learn, including details on all the new skates that are coming.

We’ll also have a lot of closeout items at the show.  We hope to do a flyer after the show with a list of what’s left from the closeouts to share with everyone.

The Lucy skates have been very popular and a little hard to keep in stock.  Right now we have the small and medium (both sizes) in stock.  These probably won’t last long, the next shipment is going to be November, so if you want some, please order quickly.

Whether you’re replacing the wheels on your rink’s rental skates, ordering wheels for your pro shop, or just want to upgrade your personal set of wheels, we’ve got you covered. At Southeastern Skate Supply, we carry a wide variety of indoor and outdoor skate wheels, not to mention quad roller skates and skate parts. Check out our guide to skate wheels and learn how to pick the right wheels for your skates. 

Choosing the Right Wheel Hardness

What type of surface will these wheels be used on? The amount and type of texture present on the skating rink or outdoor surface will determine the hardness of skate wheel needed. For instance, skating on a cement sidewalk or driveway will require a softer wheel (under 90A) while a smooth, hard skating rink surface calls for a harder wheel. Aim for 86A and up for polished wood floors, or 90A and up for polished concrete floors. 

Other Wheel Hardness Factors 

There are some factors that may affect the wheel hardness you’ll want with your skates. For instance, beginner skaters may appreciate the added “grip” and stability of a softer wheel, even for skating indoors. The hardness you need also depends on what type of skating you plan to  do. If you’re speed skating, you’ll need a harder wheel for maximum speed. 

Skate Wheel Diameter

Roller skate wheels come in several diameters (the measurement from one side of the “circle” all the way to the other side) and each one has different properties and uses. 

• 45 mm – These skate wheels are on the smaller side and are often used for artistic skating. Due to their small size, they make it easy to accelerate quickly; but they also require more effort to keep that speed going. Being smaller also means that they weigh less, which is an important consideration when attempting jumps and spins. 
• 57 mm-62 mm – The larger diameter of these wheels means that they take longer to get up to speed; however, once you’re there, you can maintain that speed without investing as much effort. Look for something in this range if you plan to jam skate or play roller derby. 

Ready to replace those wheels and get rolling? Check out our wholesale skating equipment from top brands.

Our tradeshow is coming up on Oct 7 and 8.  There are a lot of great reasons to come to the tradeshow, but one of the best reasons is the great lineup of seminars that are scheduled.  Some of these will be Monday night at the Courtyard Hotel, some will be Tuesday morning at our warehouse.  Check out the great list. . .

 

Billy Thompson – Pro Shop Sales

Shane Locklear – Learn to Skate Classes

KC Perkins – Graphic Design/Make Your Flyers Pop

Rob Kramer – Your Profits Are Directly Correlated to Your Processes

Jim Ball (Sure-Grip Skate Co.) – Skate Rental Maintenance

 

We hope that you can join us.

Here at Southeastern Skate Supply, we’re obviously passionate about roller skating and skating rinks – so of course we also love to see our favorite pastime on the silver screen! If you love roller skating as much as we do, check out some of our favorite roller skating movies. 

Roll Bounce

This 2005 film starring a young Bow Wow revolves around a group of friends whose “home” skating rink closes, forcing them to not only relocate to a tonier skating rink, but also prove themselves to the crowd at the new rink in a high-stakes skating contest. A great soundtrack, late 1970s fashion, and heartfelt plot will make you nostalgic for the days of roller disco. 

Whip It

No list of roller skating movies is complete without Whip It, a coming of age tale about getting knocked down (in roller derby and in life) and getting back up stronger than ever. The grrrl power message and awesome roller derby action in this 2009 movie are matched only by the phenomenal cast, including Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore (who also directed and produced the film), Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, Alia Shawkat, and Eve. 

ATL

2006 dramedy ATL is another coming of age story, this time set in – you guessed it – Atlanta. Loosely based on the life experiences of producers Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Dallas Austin, the film follows a group of friends growing up in Atlanta and hanging out at their neighborhood’s place to see and be seen: the skating rink. This film boasts a star-studded cast, though it was the first feature film for many of them, as well as the director! In addition to T.I., OutKast, Lauren London, and others, the film features cameos by Killer Mike and Monica.  

After watching these movies, you’re sure to feel like hitting the skating rink and sharing the fun of roller skating with everyone in your life. 

We just got in several new wheels from Bones.  These are in stock now and ready to ship!

 

Bowl Bombers – Designed for the ramp, park, and trick skaters out there.  It comes in two sizes (57mm and 62mm) and four colors (white, black, clear, and clear-red).  They’re in a 101A hardness.

Nitro – This is a smaller version of the Turbo (59mm x 38mm).  They have a slightly different hub to make the smaller size work, but it’s still aluminum.  We’ve got the 97A and 101A in stock now.  There is also a 94A version coming, hopefully we’ll get those soon.