News

SNEAK PEEK: this popular game is soon available at IKC

For those who believe they have nerves of steel and a steady hand, or those who’d like to teach kids to control their patience and dexterity; be one of the first to add this buzz wire game to your organisation’s play area!   Patience is a virtue! This true classic game lets children become familiar with the workings of electric conductivity by giving them a fun challenge to practice their eye-hand coordination. A fun addition to hang on any wall within your play corner or common area. Let the kids discover their abilities and challenge each other to a few rounds – even grownups would dare to join in on the fun! Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram to be the first to hear of the release and the eventual design! For questions, feel free to contact us in advance. Contact    

Retail overlevingskans zit in je klantbeleving

09 March 2022

Crisis or not, survival lies in your customer experience

Although no one is spared from the pandemic, there's one thing to reassure us. The same advice still applies – focus on what has always been of importance: your customer!When disaster strikes, business owners often enter a kind of survival mode. The automatic urge to mostly focus on oneself and the immediate threat make it so we can no longer see the bigger picture. Because what are we to do in order to make it through the month? Internal adjustments such as reducing expenses get their undivided attention, while the (in our opinion) less urgent projects such as customer experience are put on hold.But don’t be fooled! Survival truly lies for a large part in your customer experience.Customer experience is long beyond being a buzzwordThe great battle that, whether there is a crisis or not, has been going on ultimately revolves around winning over the public and successfully distinguishing yourself from your competitors. The added pressure from widely used, convenient online web shops for clothing, groceries and more have drastically changed the retail world. To keep excelling, shopkeepers need to constantly meet their customers’ expectations, which requires them to have a very clear understanding of what it is the customer wants and needs.Why does the customer make the decision to come to your physical store? They want to experience something that they cannot find anywhere online.  Create better experiences than your (online) competitorsYour store offers a unique experience. This is a great trump card to be proud of and to make even better use of. Although they don’t come with the intention to buy, people can already feel very drawn to your location thanks to the unique atmosphere or the amazing VIP treatment your staff gives them. When the experience is right, the desire to buy will naturally follow.Ask yourself: how do customers experience your shop? Is everyone just as welcome? Do customers feel free to have a look around and get assistance?The secret: give customers an unforgettable experienceTo correctly and effectively implement customer experience, we first need to clear something up. A fun experience does not have to be all that special, and these days you can find it just about anywhere. But precisely because of that, we are often flooded with mini impressions that are quickly forgotten or outdone by another. In order to prevent your customer experience not giving the desired results, make sure it doesn’t get lost in the crowd. The secret: stay in their memory.In this blog we would like to give you a tip that, despite the great benefits, isn’t as applicable to all stores and therefore quickly overlooked.Do you get visits from customers with children, or would you like to attract more families? Make sure to offer a complete experience for your customers of the future: the children!  Fun makes the difference!Those who play it smart will create positive brand experiences at a young age, which children will remember for years to come. Do you like to drive cars of the same brand as your father, grandfather or uncle? It’s been known for a quite some time that we often show preference to stores and brands that we’re familiar with from our childhood and that our parents were very content with.Although children aren’t a copy of their parents and we often have different needs and tastes, our parental figures’ consumer behaviour and the experiences we have with a brand help shape us into the person we become – including our own purchasing behaviour.Also on the short term, making a good impression with the kids helps a lot. They help decide (or even sometimes beg) to go back to that one particular store, a familiar restaurant or another place that feels special to them. Where do children feel at home? In a place where they can do what they do best – unapologetically being themselves and, most of all, play a lot!The power of playA fantastic win-win situation arises when we pay attention to our little ones; the overall atmosphere improves, parents get more freedom to explore your offers and receive some sales advice, and the children get to have an unforgettable time.An easy way to add some fun, without any hassle with crayons or tidying up scattered toys at the end of the working day, is to create a nifty play corner just for the kids - without any hazardous or loose parts. When you install a wall game or an interactive play system with unique minigames they’ve never tried before, a kids’ corner can contain plenty of play value to entertain them during the entire visit and to make them look forward to next time. Here at International Kids Concepts we call that the power of play!  Better customer experience is the way to better resultsWith an amazing customer experience for young and old you can leave a truly lasting impression. When clients and their children feel welcome, there will be great customer loyalty, a nice atmosphere but also powerful word-of-mouth publicity that will spread widely, helping to ensure your chances of survival in the long term as well.In short, great customer experience pays back itself in more ways than we think. After all, acquiring new customers is many times more expensive than cherishing your existing relations!Those who want to get started with improving their customer experience for their youngest visitors, you can find endless inspiration in our downloadable brochures and in our portfolio. For questions, contact us.Contact

Adding toys to your treatment room? Here's how!

We are all familiar with the typical toys that can be found in most waiting rooms. Bead maze tables, LEGO bricks and children’s comics are a quick way to create a calm atmosphere for all inside the waiting area, as well as reduced stress for the children. An opportunity that is often forgotten is to also add play value inside the treatment space or practice. Children usually don’t have much patience to wait until the treatment is over, and they don't look forward to their boring or potentially painful appointment. In these situations it is very helpful for the child, their parent and the caregiver when the space contains fun elements that help ensure smooth treatment, leaving a good impression for their next visit. Here we give a few examples of healthcare facilities where play value proves to be the perfect addition – without getting in the way of a swift and effective treatment.   1. Wall games above the treatment table Even for the kids who can perfectly remain still, a wall game right above the treatment table makes their appointment much more fun and easier to sit through. During prolonged cooling of burns and scalds, or when performing procedures that take time and precision, a wall game is the ideal solution to give your young patients some distraction and make the practice a bit less boring or intimidating.     Bonus tip: turn it into a portable wall game When a wall-mounted game isn’t an option in your treatment space, it is also possible to place your wall game inside a frame so you can move it around anywhere you like. This is very convenient for switching between your waiting area, putting it on top of the treatment table or next to your desk.     2. Visual distraction and brightening up the room, all in one A great way to let children relax without letting them actively play, is to cover a wall or a section within the treatment space with fantastic wall decorations. Especially when taking blood samples, healthcare institutions often make use of detailed and colourful wallcoverings that not only breathe more life into the room, but also simply amaze the children so they don’t have to watch their treatment or any needles. You can ask the kids how many butterflies they can count on the wall, and the procedure will be over before they know it!   3. A play corner at the consultation After an appointment or during an intake session, a kids’ corner close to the desk can be a great way to keep the children nearby and to give them something fun to do during the less interesting parts of their visit. A wall game helps to break the ice, which makes it easier to build trust and ask the child any questions you may have.   IKC creates the perfect play concept for your healthcare facility. No matter your wishes, our wide range of play modules and our specialised IKC Design Team create the perfect play solution to make any visit a pleasant experience for the kids, their parents, your staff and other patients. For more inspiration about the possibilities, you can view our portfolio or contact us directly. Contact

7x Tips for a family-friendly restaurant

Hospitality and customer experience are becoming more and more important – in the catering industry these factors may play the biggest role when it comes to growing the business. Wherever guests feel welcome and appreciated, customer loyalty will form which can greatly help a business and its prosperity, in more ways than one! Not only will visitors happily come back, it also ensures highly valuable word of mouth about your establishment and a nice, calm atmosphere to attract more customers. In this blog we give seven tips you can use to turn every restaurant, café or any other catering business into a place where families happily come visit!   1. Give a warm welcome! You only get one chance to make a first impression. All guests deserve a warm welcome, but perhaps you should pay extra attention to how you greet families, and give your staff some training and instructions on how they can approach this. Families with children are often careful about where they take their kids and hope not to cause any nuisance to other visitors. Take a moment to reassure and show them that their visit is much appreciated!      2. Offer a kids' menu Although being able to call your business ‘child-friendly’ goes way beyond just a few options on the menu, this tip should not be skipped. Whether you offer smaller, budget-friendly options or specially selected food items that are always a success amongst the little ones, it ensures that less food will go to waste and that even the pickiest eaters can fully enjoy their family dinner. Bonus tip: Make sure you have some children’s cutlery. Oversized plates often aren’t an issue, however it can be quite a challenge for kids to eat neatly and easily (and silently) with large, heavy eating utensils. Plastic cutlery can go a long way, but make sure to consider durable options that don’t break easily.   3. Use pictures to show that your business is family-friendly Make sure that your website and social media show that you are happy to accommodate families with children! Write a post about what makes your establishment parent-friendly, and use this opportunity to ask people to comment with their ideas, feedback and nice experiences. On Facebook this also serves as great publicity when more and more people interact.     4. Special offers for families with children Families prefer not to spend too much on fun family outings so they can keep going on trips more often. Think about whether it is possible to offer special discounts or family menus to thank guests for coming to eat and drink as a group. Perhaps you’d also like to give away a small gift for the children such as a piece of candy they get to pick from a large jar, or some sort of toy.   5. Create a kids’ corner A special spot for children to play freely is probably the best way to maintain the good atmosphere and calmness in your restaurant. Also for the obedient kids who can stay seated, a play corner can make the evening much more fun – it’s the difference between a regular night out and a play experience they’ll never forget (and will surely ask for again soon)!   A kids’ play corner doesn’t need to be very large. A cozy corner with soft playground flooring, beautiful wall decorations, some simple toys or even an interactive play system can provide plenty of fun for the entire evening. Very useful to include are play concepts that do not contain any loose parts and which are easy to keep clean – this will save you time when cleaning at the end of the day. Seek assistance from businesses such as IKC that can provide such convenient games and toys, but also take care of designing and installing the play concept, just the way you envisioned it. To know more about all the possibilities for your sector, have a look at our page for hospitality professionals.     6. Extra facilities for children and parents Be sure not to forget to provide the necessary facilities and tools such as special restaurant high chairs so children can sit with their family at eye level, as well as a changing table near the lavatory. To help prevent accidents and spills, your staff has the great opportunity to provide great additional service by offering bibs or special cups with lids. A small investment but a meaningful gesture for your guests!   7. Listen to your customers (and their children) To help the business grow, it can’t be emphasized enough how valuable it is to get your ideas directly from your customers. Ask them before they walk out how they experienced your restaurant and if the children enjoyed the play corner, colouring pages and other services. Customers generally like it when they are asked for their opinion, and they’ll surely be able to keep giving eye-opening tips!   Use these opportunities to bring your customer experience to the next level! Are you ready to put one or multiple of these tips into practice? It is never too early or too late to make your business more family-friendly, and therefore a more comfortable place for all. Your guests will thank you, and it is certainly rewarding!  

Interview: Daycare centre 't Parelbosch undergoes another transformation

After the grand success of the first transformations at daycare centre ‘t Parelbosch in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, we have once again combined forces to turn one of their locations into a magical fantasy world for the kids!We are happy to let co-owners Bas en Roel de Waal tell about their extraordinary vision.About daycare centre 't Parelbosch“Greta van den Bosch once started the nursery in 2001. In 2017 we took over the daycare together and invested to pour our vision into the business.” In the name 'Parelbosch' the essence of Mrs. van den Bosch lives on; Greta is in fact Greek for pearl (‘parel’).With the idea of taking a different approach to daycare and wanting to support families and their children as much as possible, ‘t Parelbosch started as a private business. Later the nursery was expanded with play groups where they offer pre-school education, allowing ‘t Parelbosch to grow into what would best be called a private, social daycare centre. “Throughout the years we've provided our daycare services to many expats and helped parents with integration and naturalisation. We offer help when families with children have not yet mastered the Dutch language, and we support the parents with childcare allowance, municipal applications, pre-care, aftercare, monitoring and other formalities.” "There are many other daycare centres with a social approach, but very few are willing to go as far as we do."   The kids' needs and the client's ideas, combined into one design"We felt like our spaces were a bit boring, so it was time for some renovating. We’ve thought about it for long and spent many hours on the internet to put together a nice, new interior.” As they preferred to not end up with a mishmash of things, they were looking for a complete solution for the entire space. “That is when we found IKC.”“Because there is nothing better for the development of our little ones, we think it’s very important that the kids can play together and that there is plenty to discover. A play area is the perfect place for them to explore things independently and together with other children think up their own stories to fully immerse themselves into.” A nice and spacious gives toddlers that sense of freedom. And thanks to a well thought out design, it will also keep them from running about. “That way, the teachers have better control, and thanks to the right interior lay-out there is a more peaceful atmosphere. To complete the experience, teachers can also create teachable moments that fit with the overall theme of that space, which truly enriches the lessons. They can adapt the play corners to the play group and the activities for the day!”During the design process, IKC was given as much freedom as possible in order to come up with a truly unique concept. The one request was to incorporate a certain theme in each of the spaces, suiting the name of that particular room. Some of the rooms at ‘t Parelbosch include themes like magic and witches, dreamland, a funfair, a swan’s nest and a forest with deer. "Which play corner is our favourite is hard to tell. We think each of the play areas fit perfectly with the theme and age group they were made for. The kids' favourite play corner is also our favourite!"The age groups have also been taken into consideration when designing the play concepts; pre-schoolers are able to comprehend and take in their environment more compared to young toddlers. For this space for kids between ages 4 and 7, our IKC Design team has created impressive, child-friendly designs, including as requested by the client some inspiration from beloved TV series with a similarly colourful monster theme. “Again and again we were very surprised with much better results than we could imagine.”“We were offered multiple options and we got to see examples before we made any decisions. It was always very clear what the results would be and we felt like IKC was willing to go the extra mile for us, which felt very reassuring. The installation was also completed by friendly technicians."   Everyone gets to enjoy the positive effectsIt’s not only a delight for the kids, but for the parents it’s also a true feast for the eye. “We regularly give tours to new visitors and they always get so excited about the themed rooms.” Although each room clearly has an underlying thought behind it, all spaces are entirely unique. “This helps give it a professional feel in addition to the creativity in the design itself.”Sometimes it occurs that children or parents who used to come to ‘t Parelbosch come visit again to see what it’s looking like nowadays. “Recently, someone came back after six years because they were so curious!”“We haven’t even done all of the spaces, so the next play area is always something we look forward to.”View this project here to see all of the photos. Would you like to know more about how IKC could be meaningful for your daycare centre or nursery? You are welcome to contact us for personalised advice.Contact us

2021 in review

This year we’ve had the opportunity to realize even more beautiful projects and to take meaningful, innovative steps as an organisation. With pride we can look back on the things we’ve achieved, and we feel ready for the new year! We’ve blown new life into some of our trusty play modules so they suit recent trends and the customers’ needs even better, among other improvements. Below, we’ll summarise all of this year’s news:   Brand new play concepts and renewed play modules The biggest addition to our assortment of this year are our three new interactive walls. These wall games are available in three variations; the Activity Wall, the Experience Wall and Activity Wall Parcours, each with their own unique features. They are the perfect way to make any boring wall more fun and to create play value without taking up much space! Additionally, we’ve released the One 4 All Touch Table (and its DeLuxe edition) – a modern, interactive play table with a large touch screen so up to four players can play together at a time. This table contains all kinds of fun minigames and is an impressive addition to any space where families or groups of children gather, such as in vacation homes or in the central area of your organisation. Those who were already familiar with our Nitro Dash and Orbits 101 play systems will now see that both have received a special upgrade. These interactive touchscreens with their own unique cabinets have now been expanded with even more minigames, and will now be known as the Delta 21 Vertical 8+ and the Delta 21 Steering Wheel 8+. We’ve also upgraded our bestselling Arctic Adventures software with additional games that teach kids how to take good care of our planet in a fun, playful way.   Some of this year’s most memorable projects The most special projects that we had the chance to realise in 2021 include our larger projects for METRO China, restaurant ‘De 7 Continenten’ in the Netherlands, a giant play area for IKEA Cardiff and many more projects which will soon be made public in our portfolio…   New at our headquarters Last but not least, there have also been new additions to our headquarters in Dronten, the Netherlands! A brand new banner now hangs on the side of our building, as well as a couple new flags with our distinctive, playful prints. A few new colleagues have also joined the team, in particular within our Marketing and our Back Office departments. We’re feeling ready for a new year in which we can continue to create play value all over the world, and we are excited to find out which creative projects we can bring to life in 2022! View our previous projects

UPGRADE: Arctic Adventures is getting more games!

Thanks to a new upgrade, our bestselling Arctic Adventures software is being expanded with even more educative minigames that help teach children how to be environmentally conscious in a fun, playful way! In recent years, the importance of our environment is becoming increasingly larger and is being taught to children at an increasingly younger age. With our fun, educative games we hope to contribute to these developments and to let children experience how crucial and easy it is to take good care of our planet, in a fun way. In addition to the standard games such as Bubble Shooter, Drawing and the Unblock puzzle game, this software now gets three additional games, which makes for a total of 14 fun minigames to try. The Recycle Game teaches kids how to spot garbage and bring it to the correct trash bin. There is also the challenging new Bubble Game where players need to be quick and protect the fish swimming by from floating plastic waste, so they can safely reach the other side of the ocean. Last but not least, we’ve added a classic game that children surely are familiar with; Find The Differences. In this game, kids are challenged to spot the differences in beautiful pictures drawn in the fitting Arctic theme. View the upgraded Arctic Adventures software for more information about all available games! For orders or questions, feel free to contact us. Contact

NEW: Now three interactive walls!

How do you keep children active in a fun and safe way, without additional commotion or danger? Give them a unique opportunity to play with a specially designed interactive wall during their visit! Those who would rather not let kids sit in front of a screen but still want to create an impressive and modern play experience for them, can now opt for various kinds of interactive play walls, each with their own unique features. Fun for kids, and easy for you – a game wall makes it possible to promote physical activity without taking up much space. This way, there is still plenty of room for other fun play modules! What started as our first Activity Wall, an exciting wall game which challenges two players to push as many buttons as possible within a time limit, has now expanded into a complete family of three. Now there is also the Experience Wall with fun sound effects, and the Activity Wall Parcours with a challenging climbing course. And it doesn’t stop there – each interactive wall can be fully customised according to your design or preferences, which makes for endless possibilities. Read more about all three varieties below, or discover all possibilities on our special interactive wall page.     Activity Wall This exciting interactive wall challenges two players, team green and blue, to press as many buttons as possible within the time limit. The scores are automatically kept on the digital score board at the top of the game wall, so the players can see who has won!   Experience Wall This more calm variant on the Activity Wall is available in a few example designs such as the jungle and animal forest themes, and plays fun sound effects with each push of a button. Each animal has its own corresponding button with the appropriate animal sound, or choose another unique theme with fitting sound fragments!   Activity Wall Parcours This cool wall game includes colourful climbing grips which the player will need in order to reach the buttons spread over the wall. The buttons that need to be pushed will light up one by one, and indicate the direction of the climbing course. For questions and orders, feel free to contact us directly. Contact

World Children’s Day 2021

On 20 November we celebrate World Children’s Day – a special day established by the United Nations to create more awareness for children’s rights. For 32 years this day has been celebrated again and again as there unfortunately still are children in the world who do not have this security. Around the world, fun activities and events are being hosted on this special day. For this year, UNICEF has chosen a number of Youth Ambassadors who each bring a certain topic to light, such as equality, racism and special attention for children with physical disabilities.   Children have a right to play One of the articles in the UN Convention on the Right of the Child states that every child should be able to play and leisure. Not only should they have the freedom to participate in fun creative activities encouraged by the government, but play is also crucial for their development. Playing is one of the main components to building their creativity, imagination, dexterity and confidence so they can overcome challenges of the future. At IKC, we try to contribute to this right in our own way by providing fun and safe play corners in all kinds of places, for business in various sectors, where children can enjoy themselves freely and undisturbed, no matter where they are taken into the adult world. Children have a right to be who they are, and to enjoy their childhood for as long as possible!   Why do we celebrate days like these? The existence of internationally acknowledged days is most of all an important and useful tool to generate more attention for important but often avoided problems in our society. These international days are the perfect moment for chosen ambassadors to organise special activities on a large scale, which create awareness for these problems in a fun way. These days, social media is one of the best and most convenient platforms to raise awareness in creative ways. Would you like to know more about how IKC can create a special play corner for your smallest visitors? Feel free to contact us for personalised advice. Contact