In short
Venue North is Paul Brownrigg's independent advisory practice for indoor and outdoor action and adventure venues. He has spent twenty years in leisure, the last ten in trampoline parks, climbing and bouldering centres, indoor play centres and similar venues. He is based in Perth and works across Australia. He sells no equipment and takes no supplier commissions, so his advice is only about the venue.
What I actually do
I help people open venues properly and help people get more out of the ones they already run. In practice that means independent audits, safety and compliance systems that get used rather than filed, reviewing a layout before it is built, project support through a fitout, and ongoing operational help when a venue is open but not performing. The flagship piece of work is the operational readiness audit at /operational-readiness-audit, and the systems side is at /services/compliance-systems.
The work is deliberately hands on. I read the plans, walk the floor, watch a busy session and a quiet one, and talk to the people who actually run the place. Most of what makes a venue work or not is visible in an hour if you know what you are looking at.
- Independent operational readiness audits before opening or relaunch
- Safety, risk and compliance systems, written with the team that has to use them
- Operational design and layout review before things get built
- Project support from concept through to opening day
- Operating model, pricing and performance work on a trading venue
Why independence matters
I sell no equipment. I take no commission or referral fee from any supplier, manufacturer, builder or franchisor. That is not a marketing line, it is the only reason the advice is worth anything.
When a supplier advises you on what to buy, they are advising you on what they sell. That is fair enough, and it is not the same as someone whose only interest is whether the venue works. I am happy to sit in the same room as a supplier and talk through options, and I will tell you plainly when something they have proposed will not work with the way you want to operate. You can see how that independence plays out in the work itself at /services/venue-audits.
Where I sit in the industry
I am a committee member of Standards Australia SF-051, Ninja Parks, and SF-047, Artificial Climbing Structures. I am a contributing author to AS 5159.1 Trampoline Park Facilities and AS 5159.2:2026, Trampoline park facilities, Part 2: Dismount pits.
That work matters practically rather than as a badge. It means I know what the equipment and operating standards ask for, why particular requirements exist, and where venues commonly get it wrong. Australian Standards content is behind a paywall, so when I refer to a standard on this site I name it and stop there rather than paraphrasing requirements you cannot check.
The venue types I know best
The common thread is a physical space, guests moving through it unsupervised for part of the visit, equipment that has to be inspected and maintained, and a business that lives or dies on parties, group bookings and school holidays.
- Trampoline and activity parks
- Climbing and bouldering centres
- Indoor play centres and family entertainment centres
- Ninja and obstacle courses
- High ropes, aerial adventure and ziplines
- Inflatable parks and other seasonal attractions
What I am not
I am not a lawyer, an engineer, an insurer or an accountant, and I do not write reports that pretend to be any of those things. Where a venue needs a building certifier, a structural engineer, a planning consultant or coverage advice, I say so and hand over cleanly.
I also do not publish client names, case studies or testimonials. There is no client logo wall on this site and there will not be one. What I will do is talk you through comparable situations I have dealt with, and let you ring references once we are far enough along that it is worth both our time.
How I work
Usually it starts with a call. I ask what the venue does now, what the owner thinks the problem is, and what has changed recently. Half the time the real problem is not the one I was called about.
From there it is scoped as a defined piece of work with a clear end, whether that is an audit and roadmap, a set of systems, a review of drawings, or a phase of project support. Every engagement is scoped individually. If I am not the right person for something, I will say so, and I would rather hand you to someone better suited than take work I should not.
I am based in Perth and travel for work, so I can be on site for a Western Australian venue quickly and I work with venues interstate just as readily. If you want the local picture first, start at /perth. If you are working out whether a venue is viable at all, /guides/is-it-worth-it is the honest version of that answer.
Questions operators ask
Is Paul Brownrigg independent of equipment suppliers?
Yes. He sells no equipment and takes no commission or referral fee from any supplier, manufacturer, builder or franchisor. Suppliers are welcome in the process, but the advice comes from someone with nothing to sell you.
How is an engagement scoped?
Every engagement is scoped individually, based on what the venue needs and how much site work is involved. A short call is usually enough to work out the shape and size of a piece of work.
Where is Venue North based and where does it work?
Perth, Western Australia, and Australia wide. Paul travels to site, so Western Australian venues can be visited quickly and venues in other states and territories are normal work.
What venue types does Venue North specialise in?
Indoor and outdoor action and adventure venues: trampoline and activity parks, climbing and bouldering centres, indoor play centres and family entertainment centres, ninja and obstacle courses, high ropes and ziplines, and inflatable attractions.
Does Venue North publish case studies or client names?
No. There are no published case studies, client logos or testimonials on this site, and nothing here should be read as a claim about a specific past client. Paul will talk through comparable situations privately and provide references at the right point in a conversation.
What qualifications does Paul hold?
He has twenty years in leisure, the last ten in indoor and outdoor action and adventure venues, and he sits on Standards Australia committees SF-051 Ninja Parks and SF-047 Artificial Climbing Structures, and contributed to AS 5159.1 and AS 5159.2:2026. Nothing beyond that is claimed on this site.
Sources
- Standards Australia, committee and standard records for SF-051, SF-047, AS 5159.1 and AS 5159.2:2026. https://www.standards.org.au/