The story of opening a WARPOINT VR park in Heredia, Costa Rica
The story of the opening of the WARPOINT VR park in Costa Rica is an example of entrepreneurial courage, perseverance, and finding solutions even in the most unexpected circumstances. Meet our partner, Andrey.
Information about our Partner:
Originally from Russia, Andrey began his career as a sales manager and later headed the distribution department at a dairy factory. He then transitioned to selling medical equipment, successfully establishing a market in Costa Rica. The need to relocate to this country inspired him to seek out a new business opportunity.
Payback period: 18 months
Total investment: $450,000
Originally from Russia, Andrey began his career as a sales manager and later headed the distribution department at a dairy factory. He then transitioned to selling medical equipment, successfully establishing a market in Costa Rica. The need to relocate to this country inspired him to seek out a new business opportunity.
Payback period: 18 months
Total investment: $450,000
Andrey, our partner in Costa Rica.
“
I was first introduced to VR while playing in Yekaterinburg. After experiencing WARPOINT, I realized it was not just entertainment but also a promising business idea. To understand the details, I even participated in a tournament to study the processes from the inside.
THE LAUNCH STORY
Launching the park required time and significant effort. Initially, Andrey and his partner planned to stay within a $150,000 budget. However, due to the specifics of the chosen location—a space in a popular mall without utilities or renovations—the budget tripled.
“We started in October and finished in April. It’s challenging to find contractors in the country who offer services at reasonable prices. For example, installing the air conditioning system took two months because of delayed delivery of necessary valves,” Andrey recalls.
Additionally, finding qualified staff proved to be a challenge. “Costa Rica has a completely different mindset: people are used to strictly following instructions and rarely show initiative. Our manager turned out to be a real find—she speaks Russian and understands local cultural nuances, which helped build the team’s workflow,” Andrey notes.
An unexpected challenge was the discrepancy in investment expectations. Andrey explains: “We planned for $150,000, but the actual project cost tripled. As a result, the payback period also became longer. In a positive scenario, we would have broken even in a year. This was a lesson: you need to be prepared for additional expenses and always have a backup plan.”
“We started in October and finished in April. It’s challenging to find contractors in the country who offer services at reasonable prices. For example, installing the air conditioning system took two months because of delayed delivery of necessary valves,” Andrey recalls.
Additionally, finding qualified staff proved to be a challenge. “Costa Rica has a completely different mindset: people are used to strictly following instructions and rarely show initiative. Our manager turned out to be a real find—she speaks Russian and understands local cultural nuances, which helped build the team’s workflow,” Andrey notes.
An unexpected challenge was the discrepancy in investment expectations. Andrey explains: “We planned for $150,000, but the actual project cost tripled. As a result, the payback period also became longer. In a positive scenario, we would have broken even in a year. This was a lesson: you need to be prepared for additional expenses and always have a backup plan.”
STRENGTHS AND MANAGEMENT NUANCES OF A VR PARK
- 1Experience working with international companiesAllowed quick adaptation to local business specifics, leveraging negotiation skills to secure favorable rental terms and later in dealings with suppliers.
- 2Effective managementWe found a Russian-speaking manager who moved to Costa Rica as a child and is fluent in both Spanish and Russian, fully adapted to the cultural nuances of the region. It’s essential to negotiate, find solutions, communicate effectively, and establish agreements while conducting negotiations.
- 3Unique Value PropositionWARPOINT became the first VR park in the region with such scale and variety. Andrey introduced attractions in the VR-EXTREME zone, which drive additional traffic and, consequently, increase revenue. The high level of service, common in Russia, stands out in Costa Rica, where such service quality is rare. In Heredia, there are no comparable entertainment options, allowing us to deliver a premium entertainment experience and fulfill an unmet demand.
BEST PRACTICES FROM OUR PARTNR: HOW TO MANAGE A VR PARK PROFITABLY
Organizing Processes:
- Setting up all processes based on recommendations from the management company. "We built the park, and there’s no turning back – we work at full capacity!" Andrey recalls. It’s important to negotiate, find solutions, communicate effectively, and make agreements. For example, Andrey negotiated a rent payment delay while the park was under construction.
- They also hired separate contractors to manage content on Instagram and Facebook.
Effective Marketing:
Effective Marketing:
- As soon as construction started, the partner began promoting the park: they created a knowledge base and started filling social media accounts with content. By the time of the opening, Andrey had 4,000 followers, and some of them became actual customers.
- Promoter work in the mall: promoters invited passersby to try a free demo game. After the demo session, they offered the option to continue playing for a set price. If people declined, they were photographed in VR headsets, and the photos were posted on social media with tags. Customers often reposted these photos to their own accounts. In return, the team gave them bracelets as gifts, helping to expand and engage the audience.
Increasing recognition through events:
Increasing recognition through events:
- Organizing tournaments, birthday parties, corporate events, and team-building activities in a tournament format.
- Thanks to the park's prime location in the mall, people were attracted by the glowing lights and came to see what it was. an interesting case: playing WARPOINT ARENA helped a family communicate more, discuss game strategies, and participate in tournaments together. as a result, the family grew closer and even improved their business. over two weeks of training, the family generated more revenue than the tournament's prize money.
Considering local market specifics:
Considering local market specifics:
- Birthdays account for 10-15% of all events, while the rest are team-building activities.
- Among Andrey’s clients are companies like Amazon, HP, Intel, and Microsoft. Andrey actively collaborated with company unions, offering tournaments between departments.
Flexibility in management:
Flexibility in management:
- During the first three months, Andrey worked as an operator himself to understand all the nuances of running the park. this helped optimize processes and improve customer interaction.
- Constant analysis of customer acquisition channels (social media, website, promoters, etc.) and quick adjustments to the marketing strategy.
Additional tips from the partner:
Additional tips from the partner:
- During the first three months, Andrey worked as an operator himself to understand all the nuances of running the park. this helped optimize processes and improve customer interaction.
- Constant analysis of customer acquisition channels (social media, website, promoters, etc.) and quick adjustments to the marketing strategy.
CHECK OUT HOW THE VR TOURNAMENT WENT
AT THE PARK IN COSTA RICA
AT THE PARK IN COSTA RICA
HOW TO MAKE WARPOINT THE MOST POPULAR IN THE CITY?
- Offer high-quality service and experience:
in Heredia, there are no competitors like WARPOINT, making the game itself stand out with its exceptional quality. - At WARPOINT, you can play again and again, while competitors offer small rooms and only quests without games.
- Introduce free gaming sessions with guided tours so people can try them and then recommend them to their neighbors—a real-life example.
- Constant analysis of customer acquisition channels (social media, website, mall promotions) and quick adjustments to the marketing strategy.
"Mistakes are inevitable, but the key is to keep moving forward. The WARPOINT park franchise model enables high income if you follow the management company's recommendations and aren’t afraid to experiment," — the main insight from our partner.
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