Soft Play has installed soft play areas in 25 countries. And recently, we opened the first-ever soft play areas in Australian malls at two Mirvac Shopping Centres properties.

Whoa.

I have to lean back and take a breather on that one. 25 countries! That’s a lot of airline miles, airport meals, languages, stunning cities, gracious people and interesting cultures to explore, appreciate and study.

I’m Soft Play’s international Business Development Manager and I’m the lucky guy who gets to help introduce Soft Play’s products to the rest of the world.

But it’s a big world out there with a lot of children who need places to play! So, I can’t do it all alone! That’s why Soft Play forges partnerships with authorized dealers around the world. Most recently, we’ve enjoyed great success in Australia thanks to Ride On! Entertainment.

In 2013, we opened the first-ever soft play areas in Australian malls at two Mirvac Shopping Centres’ properties.

The indoor playground at Orion Springfield, which is located in Queensland, boasts a nature theme. Danielle Dunsmore, Orion’s Marketing Manager, says that, prior to their grand opening, she had only been able to see Soft Play’s products in magazines and that she had been hoping to offer a play area to her guests.

The play area at Mirvac’s Broadway shopping center, located in Sydney, looks like a magic garden with candy-colored tunnels and whimsical mushrooms that children can climb on, tunnel through or slide down.

Since the play areas opened, both shopping centers have noticed an uptick in traffic. Additionally, sales at nearby retailers have increased. That’s the magic of Soft Play: happy kids = happy parents = happy retailers. It’s a win/win/win all through healthy, safe, interactive play areas for children.

Since those first two play areas, Ride On! and Soft Play have opened soft play areas in the following centers:
• Stanhope Village, owned by Mirvac
• Bassendean Shopping Village, the first soft play area in Western Australia, owned by Hawaiian Group
• St Marys Village, owned by Mirvac
• Kawana Shopping World, owned by Mirvac
• North City Shopping Centre, the first soft play area New Zealand, owned by Kiwi Property Management

It’s a truly rewarding job to open a play area in another country and see, in the most simple and pure way, that children are the same wherever you go. Give them the space and the freedom, and they play! I’ve seen children’s smiles around the globe… and that’s a pretty cool job.