Discovering Sports Monster in Seoul, South Korea study trip

What is Sports Monster ?

Sports Monster is a game and sports experience centre which was born in 2016 in South Korea. These venues are all indoors and offer a blend of 30 on and off-screen sports activities. Whether you are in for a good sweat or a more recreational approach, there are many options there to ensure you will have a great moment!

Reasons behind the success ?

Occidental sports – some of the most famous in Korea are football (being the most popular sport followed by baseball). Hence, it is not surprising to find them in venues such as Sports Monster. But you can also find a shooting range, a taekwondo practice, archery, basketball courts, trampolines and much more.

Accessibility is a key part of Sports Monster’s success. While most outdoors sports centres are in the surroundings of the city – because of the surface needed to create pitches, Sports Monster made a 100% indoor approach which allows venues to be inside major Korean cities.

Moreover, they made the choice to implant some of their branches inside shopping centres, allowing parents to leave their kids playing while buying groceries or lets adults have a “bang” (Koreans define a bang as a special space for collective entertainment. Bangs in Korea are places where people gather to enjoy an event as a form of collective entertainment). Whether it is through walk-ins or planned visits, there are plenty of occasions to visit one of these entertainment centres.

E-sports activities are booming in South Korea (50% increase between 2013-2017) and are even considered by the new generations as a real sport. More than 18 million Koreans (the population of South Korea is estimated to be around 50 million people) are playing video games. The understanding of this trend is as well one of the secrets of the success of Sports Monster.

Discovering the Goyang-si site…

On May 17th, our GSBM 1 students (Global Sports Business Master), during their one-month study trip in Seoul, had the opportunity to spend 2 hours in the venue located in Goyang-si. They enjoyed the large variety of sports activities, which was a great occasion for them to practice some sports for the very first time.

After the session, they had a lecture delivered by the marketing director of the Sports Monster company. This prestigious guest lecturer explained the reasons behind the Sports Monster success, the marketing strategies implemented and told them about the future in terms of international development.

The next step now is for our students to prepare a business plan to determine when and where a company like Sports Monster should create its first European venue. To be followed…