Creating a 10x Experience

Part 3

At the end of my previous post, I mentioned I would share some thoughts on how to create an attraction or service that is 10x better – below is another example of 10x as well as some thoughts on what it takes to create a 10x experience.

Important note: There are many possible and often interconnected pathways that can help us create a 10x experience – below are two options among many.

Bigger and Better

If an attraction is 5x Bigger and better or at least 3x bigger and better compared to the industry average, then you are likely to create a big enough difference that the average guest and even non-guest will notice and even be intrigued to learn more.

As an example, look at what Topgolf created compared to the industry average driving range (remember: industry average = mediocre).

Topgolf took the driving range experience to a dramatically higher level. Seeing Topgolf for the first time, it is totally obvious to both golfers and non-golfers that Topgolf is something truly different and was taken to a very extreme level.

Even when 20 something year olds saw Topgolf for the first time, they instantly recognized that Topgolf was something crazy and amazingly different.

So what did Topgolf actually do? First, they decided to 10x the driving range experience by making it 3 and even 4 levels high plus they transformed hitting a golf ball into a high-tech LED illuminated gaming experience with electronic scoring. They basically took the features of a videogame and exploded them into a real world environment. They created a Real Reality (RR) and not a Virtual Reality (VR) gaming experience. And it kind of worked to an extreme – don’t you think 🙂

An article written by Ashley Mayo in The Loop said,

“Topgolf Las Vegas is the world’s most insane driving range.”

Well maybe ‘insane’ is a good word to describe what 10x is supposed to look like.

Creating 10x better than the industry average doesn’t happen by adding 50% or even 100% to the budget. To create Topgolf’s main attraction (i.e. high-tech driving range with videogame-like experience), it probably cost 4x to 5x more than the typical driving range and probably a lot more. They also decided to add high-end lounges with comfortable seating just behind the tee boxes, as well as quality food service, multiple bars, wait staff, two pools (Las Vegas), and catering services.

Topgolf’s 10x core attraction along with it’s synergistic amenities totally reinvented what a driving range could be. In addition, it was so extreme that it transcended across a range of other industries and is taking market share from restaurants, bars, night clubs, sports bars, entertainment centers, bowling, movie theaters, and probably in-home entertainment as well.

Holy crap! Is that what 10x can do for us?!?

Some might say, “I want to create a 10x experience too, but I only want to spend 50% more.” Well that probably means the result will only get a 50% better result. Why only a 50% better result? Because, 50% more and better can’t create the same multiplier effect that 10x can.

Important note: When Topgolf created their 10x driving range experience, they significantly broadened the demographic appeal of their concept. Again, a big percentage of Topgolf’s revenues come from non-traditional driving range customers (i.e. adults in their 20s and 30s – both male and female who are non-golfers). 10x can do amazing things, but 50% or even 100% bigger and better not so much.

Important note about customer service in the face of a 10x experience: Really good or even remarkable customer service cannot and does not enable a traditional driving range to compete successfully with Topgolf.

Again, if you build an attraction that is 50% bigger and better, it is probably not going to be a holy mackerel moment to the average guest and certainly not to your non-guests. By the way, marketing and promoting a 10x attraction is much easier than promoting a .5 or 1x attraction, because it will be your guests and even non-core guests doing most of the promoting for you.

By the way, Topgolf is another example of a company focusing to an extreme on just one core and unique differentiator. In fact, their name says exactly what their one dramatically better and truly unique thing is, ‘Topgolf.’ They did not strive for ‘Typical Driving Range or 50% better Driving Range.’ What is our dramatic and unique ‘Topgolf Thing’ going to be?

Here’s an important question: Is anyone else in the out-of-home entertainment industry building attractions and/or services that are dramatically bigger and better than what the industry is currently doing???

Besides Topgolf’s 10x driving range experience, are there any other existing attractions that can be reinvented and turned into a dramatically bigger and better attraction experience??? If Topgolf was able to 10x the driving range, what other attractions can become 10x?

We have to stop convincing ourselves that we are building better attractions than we actually are. We must remember that 25% or even 50% bigger and better really isn’t that much better and may not be noticeable to the average guest. We also have to acknowledge that building the same or similar attractions as everyone else is even worse. We have to get dramatically better at what we do if our industry is going to survive and thrive.

Remember, we aren’t just competing with other out-of-home entertainment options, we are competing with in-home entertainment and those companies are spending billions to improve their entertainment offerings. We can compete, but we have to choose our one unique differentiator and take it to an extreme level.

To repeat myself one more time, we have to stop thinking we can create a 10x business or even 2x business by just adding more stuff under one roof. We have to pick one core thing that we can do dramatically better than anyone else.

We have to raise the bar so high that we will not only attract more of our core guests more frequently – we will also transcend our target market and attract a much wider range of guests.