From competitive darts to high-tech golf and virtual reality fights, there’s a revolution happening in the world of corporate entertainment venues. Galen English talks to some of the front-runners in the games bars arena

The world of corporate entertainment is rapidly changing as the age of boozy work nights out become a thing of the past.

Gen Zs in the workplace are now more interested in the gym than a gin and tonic, which has prompted a major rethink about what the future of corporate entertainment looks like.

Over the last few months, myriad new venues have opened their doors in Dublin, offering everything from high-tech pitch and putt to virtual reality fighting games.

Zero Latency in Swords and Sandyford offers “mind-blowing virtual reality adventures”, while Lane 7 on Chatham Street features “bowling like you’ve never seen before”, beer pong, darts and arcades.

The common thread is they are new, exciting and very much technology-led.

A perfect example of the latest offering capturing the zeitgeist is Flight Club on Dawson Street, where customers can try their hand at a new form of darts.

The building, which previously housed SamSara, has had a €7m revamp that sees it fitted out with 15 oches as well as two bars.

Flight Club, already in the UK, the United States and Australia, has plans to not only expand in Ireland but also to apply for licenses in Spain and Portugal.

Andrew Fisher, 39, its general manager, has decades of experience working in hospitality in hotels and cruise ships and more recently running House on Leeson Street.

He says he has been bowled over by the response since Flight opening its doors at the start of February.

The 8,000 sq ft venue can hold 550 to 600, which includes semi-private areas that can be booked.

Groups over 30 get their own Games Master to help keep things moving by explaining the game, calling people up for their turn and even handing out medals.

Once people get past the idea that it’s “not a darts hall”, they love the concept.

“The reaction is one of surprise, because the darts is nearly secondary to our food and beverage offering.

“No expense was spared on the fitout, we have a 360-degree bar at the front and a second bar at the back.

“We are a bar first, but if they are playing a game, they [people] are blown away by the enjoyment of it.

“You don’t really have to be into darts, it’s all tracked for you. You get some really cool kind of playbacks when you throw the winning shot.

“You also get all of your highlights sent to you the next day, which means you get to relive it all, who was good, who was crap, which creates a good bit of banter,” he says.

Fisher says that while Flight serves a range of cocktails and other drinks, it is also well-stocked with non-alcoholic options.

“I think it is no secret what is happening in hospitality. People are drinking less and are looking for a different experience and they are not just going out like our generation did, having five, six or seven pints,” he says.

“They are still going out, but they are looking for something different.”

A single game of darts is €14.50 per person for an hour or €18.50 for 90 minutes.

”We have been extremely popular with corporates. We have, in the last few weeks, been booked out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“Thursday has been the new Friday for some time and definitely the most popular corporate night out.

“On Friday and Saturday we tend to be just leisure, but we are also getting people coming in for after-work pints.”

You can also play darts across town at the Super Social venue in Leopardstown, which opened its doors in December.

The venue’s website states: “Experience a unique twist on your next night out with our 12-hole high-tech mini golf, NxGen Darts, supercharged shuffleboards, or our fully interactive SuperSocial arena.”

Over three floors, which includes a restaurant and bar, the venue covers an impressive 15,000 sq ft.

Owners Paul Quinn (48) and Dan Begley (50) have form for thinking outside the box as they brought Jump Zone, the indoor trampolining centre, to Ireland before selling it last year.

Their latest project is not for kids — in fact, you need to be over 13 to step inside during the day and over 18 after 6pm.

Part of the issue is that the equipment is so expensive.

Quinn says watching his five-year-old son hacking his way around a pricey pitch and putt course left him feeling faint.

The former estate agent from Bray, Co. Wicklow, says he felt the business would work because corporates are always on the “lookout for something different”.

The games on offer are all nakedly competitive, which isn’t by accident.

It was while playing a round of high-tech golf just outside London in 2017 when Quinn realised he had become “worried about a putt I shouldn’t be worried about”.

He adds: “I really wanted to beat the lads I was with, and I’d had a couple of drinks, so I was a bit more relaxed.

“But by the end of it you’re nearly angry you didn’t win. Then there’s the bragging rights afterwards.

“When it’s busy it’s loud, but until you’re in it, it’s hard to explain — but the thing was, I wanted to go back.”

The concept of competitive socialising has been in the pipeline for years, picked up from Quinn’s travels around the US, UK and in Dubai at the IAAPA trade show, which showcases the latest games for the entertainment industry.

“We were going to open a big one in the Point Depot in 2019 and were just about to sign contracts when Covid came along,” Quinn says.

“Our experience from the trampoline parks was the more you have, the more you draw people in to do one thing one day and something else the next.”

He adds: “It’s been received really well, there’s been a big push on the corporates as we are in Sandyford and there’s a lot around us.

“Microsoft have been in a lot, filling up the midweek times.

“At the weekend we have a 140-seater bar restaurant, so we are trying to mix the two as in we are not just a gaming place but also somewhere you can come for a pint and something to eat.

“We are offering something different — it’s not just pints or a meal — [and] most of the corporates are here for three or four hours.

“The culture of the corporates has also changed in that they are probably not opening a bar tab for the whole night; it’s a bit more restrained, but that’s the way the market is shifting.”

Instead, they come for a shared experience that is unique.

“The golf is all high-tech, the balls are chipped, so put your name in and the ball comes out, it knows it’s you when you put it on the first tee,” Quinn explains.

“There’s also a live running score board.

“There’s definitely team bonding, but it’s competitive, you can hear the roaring and screaming.

“We also have Shuffleboard where when you throw the puck down the board there’s a screen which shows you different games and even has playback, so if there’s a great shout you can see everyone’s reaction.”

The pièce de résistance is The Arena which is, even for Quinn, slightly tricky to fully explain.

“The floor is touch-sensitive; the walls are touch-sensitive. There’s a game called Retrace, where numbers come up on the floor and then disappear and you have to retrace them,” he says.

It’s the first one outside of North America. So far business has been “brisk” with encouragingly a significant number of repeat customers.

“We are definitely learning as we go and trying to bring new things all the time, but we are really happy with it so far,” Quinn says.

Another newbie on the scene is Sandbox, which makes the bold claim of offering the “best VR experience on the planet”.

Including official collaborations with Netflix’s Squid Game and more on the way in the summer, the company can rightly claim to have a unique offering.

The Sandbox empire started in Singapore in 2016 and today has 60 venues around the globe.

Andy Scanlon and Jake WilmotSitwell of VR Entertainment Group hold the franchise for the UK and Ireland.

There are ambitious plans to have six venues in Ireland within the next five years.

Their €4m flagship Dublin venue, which is the second-biggest in the world, opened in the new development at the junction of Dawson Street and Nassau Street at the end of March.

It’s €30 off peak and €45 at peak times for 30 minutes, which is enough as the experience of battling zombies or fighting off alien invasions is rather intense.

Its roster of 40 staff will increase to 60 when the venue ramp up from three to five rooms.

The owners say they have “gone to town” on the centre bar, which boasts a cocktail-making robot called Tony.

The early signs are really positive as the corporates are already flocking to it.

“We’ve had TikTok, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Dell all in,” Eric Power, Sandbox’s GM and country manager, says.

“Our demographic is 25-35 and our games are fully immersive. We have nine experiences, including Squid Game, where you become a character in the game.

“You can see your hands and feet and everyone else can see your avatar.”

Power, 43, who has worked at Center Parcs and David Lloyd gyms, adds: “I’ve been involved in start-ups in the past, but I’m most excited about this one.

“Not only is the level of passing traffic really giving us confidence, but the fact is everyone who uses it leaves with a smile on their face.

“This is going to be the future of competitive gaming.”

Photo: Eric Power, Sandbox VR, Nassau Street, Dublin. Pic Tom Honan