With SuperPark coming to Thailand this month, B. Magazine explores its original location in Finland
WITH SUPERPARK COMING TO THAILAND THIS MONTH, B. MAGAZINE EXPLORES ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION IN FINLAND
Agroup of children were standing in two lines waiting for a trainer to signal them to jump on two separated trampolines. They took turns to play. Each of them jumped until reaching a height to perform a front flip before dropping in a foam pit.
“We like trampolines because we can do many kinds of tricks while jumping in the air,” said Julia, nine, a point of view echoed by her two friends, Lilia and Tindra. “We can also land safely,” she said.
Not far from them were a group of kids climbing a rock wall, shooting basketballs, joining a running race game on a treadmill and riding scooters on a pump track. With a lot of kids, the place named SuperPark may look like a large indoor playground. However, the site is an indoor multi-activity park that is designed for kids, teenagers and adults.
It is a hybrid place that combines multi-sports and game activities with interactive technology.
“We want to make something for children and have a platform for family members to have activities together that they all can enjoy,” said SuperPark Global CEO Juha Tanskanen.
“Our goal is to share the sheer joy of movement and play with people of all ages and fitness levels. To do this, we’ve created the friendliest activity park in the world, a place of health and happiness.”
Originated in Finland, SuperPark which founded by Taneli Sutinen, a Finnish businessman and colleague of Tanskanen. The idea came to him about seven years ago when he brought his four-year-old daughter to an indoor playground, where she insisted on having him play with her. Tangled among the child-sized tunnels and slides, Sutinen thought that he should build an activity park where children and adults could play easily side-by-side.
In 2012, the first SuperPark opened in Vuokatti, about 580km north of Helsinki.
“We started in our hometown. It is a small town with 10,000 people. Vuokatti is famous in Finland as a family destination so we also wanted to have an attraction for family travellers,” said Tanskanen. The business was a hit. Later they expanded to 10 sites in Finland and another one in Sweden.
At present, SuperPark has 16 sites including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Malaysia. A SuperPark is scheduled to open in Thailand on Nov 30.
“It will be our best park ever,” said Mark Kumarasinhe, Asia CEO of SuperPark.
Located on the 6th floor of IconSiam, SuperPark Thailand will have about 25 activities in a 4,000m² site. It will have the same concept as other play sites, plus new and unique activities, he said.
The site will feature three zones including the Adventure Area, the Game Arena and the Freestyle Hall.
The Adventure zone is designed for children and parents where they can join activities like a zipline, tube slide, pedal car track and obstacle courses that require skills in hanging, climbing and balancing oneself.
The Game Arena is where mainstream sports are available like street basketball, batting cages for baseball, hockey, football and tennis with 10 challenging modes starting from amateur to pro.
Lastly, the Freestyle Hall is designed for kids and teenagers to perform adrenaline pumping activities like bouncing on trampoline platforms, skateboarding and learning to punch and kick with an interactive boxing simulator. There will also be an augmented reality skiing/snowboarding area where players can choose their trails and level of difficulty. A 7m-high tube is another unique activity where players will drop into a big airbag.
“We don’t want people to think that our park is a sports arena. We don’t want people to think that you have to be fit to come to SuperPark. We just want people to come and participate. People can do things for the first time like playing baseball or jumping on a trampoline,” he said.
“The most important thing is that you relax and have fun. And you may develop some skills or you can develop confidence and social skills.”
The park also has safety equipment like helmets and non-slip socks as well as trained staff to give guidelines and oversee safety for players.
“Our family come here every month. We all like it here,” said Axel Orrstrom, 33, a father of two boys, Robert, nine, and Andreas, four. They are regular customers in SuperPark Vantaa, the third site in Finland.
“If I come with only the older one, I usually bring my laptop while he plays with his friends. He loves scooting. If I come with the little one, I can participate in his activities if he wants me. The park has activities for different ages. It is quite safe here,” he said, adding they always spend up to four hours during each visit to the park.
SuperPark can also arrange birthday parties for kids and group activities for companies that look for team-building programmes.
In Finland, SuperPark also joins hands with schools to provide sports classes for students. Students can learn various sports and see which activity they like.
“What we will bring to Bangkok is the Finnish culture and education system that kids can learn by doing and making mistakes,” said SuperPark Global CEO Juha Tanskanen, adding there will be no pressure for kids. They come to have fun and enjoy their time with friends or families.
“In SuperPark, the human is the engine for all activities. In the park, you are made to move,” he noted.