The first double arena, 1300 m² and the first tournament with a $1,200 prize

About the partner

The story of the partner from Rostov-on-Don can be summed up in one word: pioneer. Vazgen was the first in the network to launch a double arena, managed to lease 1300 m² for a VR park and organised the first tournaments with a cash prize. He is the only partner who has opened three VR parks.

Now in order. Vazgen launched the VR ARENA already having entrepreneurial experience: since 2015 he had been opening franchise grocery stores, which he still runs. He also owned a space where he wanted to place the new business.

In 2021 Vazgen heard about WARPOINT: he liked the idea, and launching a VR arena seemed far simpler than launching a grocery store. From the outside it looked as if you only had to plug the game into a virtual reality arena and do the refurbishment, but he had doubts: the launch needs a large space, which means the cost of works can be high.

He decided to travel to Yekaterinburg to meet the owners of WARPOINT and discuss the terms. After the trip a 700 m² space came up.

We thought it over and decided to make a double arena! We were the first partners to do it.

Vazgen, partner in Rostov-on-Don

The early days were hard: the field was new for the partner, and when the arena in Rostov launched there were far fewer parks in the network than today. So Vazgen and the management company accumulated experience in running virtual reality parks together.

How one of the largest WARPOINT parks came about

After WARPOINT opened in Rostov, the location reached the network's top positions by revenue within four months, and six months later the partner decided to open another large arena of 500 m².

Scaling up made it possible to join two locations into one — 1300 m² on a single floor. That is how one of the largest WARPOINT parks in Russia appeared. The park sets aside 80 m² for a rest area, has a VIP arena with a karaoke zone for events, and its size allows tournaments for 16 teams.

Vazgen is the first partner to hold a tournament at his own arena, offering $1,200 for the win.

Strengths and the fine points of running a park

• Keep trying new things: suggest your ideas to the management company and look for new ways to develop the park.
• Invest in developing your location. In the first months partners' expectations often fall short: the launch demands deep involvement and revenue may be small. In Rostov the first three months brought low revenue, but from the fourth month it grew 2.2 times over the previous one. Managing remotely is hard, especially early on — you have to get into the details.
• Stand apart from competitors. Many competitors host birthdays, but WARPOINT is also about sport. Birthdays bring most of the revenue, yet the esports side of the product should not be forgotten: tournaments are worth developing.

The partner's best practices

Vazgen shared his experience, and we put together a list of practices that will help you grow your VR park.

• Work for quality: reviews and word of mouth.
• A high level of service at every level, with attention to detail.
• Go your own way: form your own vision of how the park should develop.
• A happy guest is the point of all the work: from the refurbishment and design to their mood on the way out.

A piece of the interview: the main advice

— How do you make WARPOINT the name on everyone's lips so it works for you?

— Make our game popular and deliver a high level of service. If your guest is happy, they will recommend you to people they know and bring friends, and those friends will bring theirs.

— Is it worth «listening to» the management company?

— Yes, but also offer your own ideas. The management company has experience of more than 200 locations, good competent people. I recommend staying in touch with the managers, keeping close contact and exchanging experience. There is now a knowledge base for partners: you simply take the information and follow the instructions.

— What is the main piece of advice you would give future WARPOINT franchisees?

— Don't look at other people's results, have the strength for the business. WARPOINT looks easy to launch and run, but you still have to dig in and put your effort into the processes and the details.