In short
Paul Brownrigg helps owners, investors and developers establish leisure venues from first concept through to opening day. He acts as the independent operator on your side of the table, making sure the design, approvals, fitout, team and systems line up before guests arrive. He is not a project manager, lawyer, accountant, engineer or insurance broker; he works alongside those advisers so the venue actually works once it is built.
What you do not know you need to decide, and why order matters
A venue opening is not a shopping list. It is a sequence of decisions that lock each other in. Pick the site before you understand the approval path and you may lease something the council cannot approve for your intended use. Choose equipment before the operating model is clear and you may buy capacity you cannot staff or price. Set a launch date before the safety system is documented and you open before your team is ready.
The value of engaging someone who has opened these venues before is not just the checklist. It is knowing which decision must come first, which ones can run in parallel, and where a delay in one stream will quietly kill another. That is the difference between starting with confidence and trying to catch up.
What is actually involved in getting a venue open
Every project is different, but the path is broadly the same. I map it out with owners early so we can see the real timeline and the real handover points.
- Site and lease questions: use, zoning, access, parking, noise, neighbouring tenancies, landlord works and who pays for them.
- What the site can and cannot support: ceiling heights, slab capacity, power, HVAC, water, egress, natural light, structural loads and maintenance access.
- Approvals and the planning and building path: development approval, building permit, occupation certificate and any state specific amusement device or adventure activity registration.
- Equipment and fitout decisions: layout, sightlines, supervision zones, throughput, maintenance access, storage, first aid and back of house flow.
- Operating model and pricing structure: session lengths, age splits, party bookings, membership, staffing ratios and daily capacity.
- Recruiting and training the opening team: roles, rosters, induction, attraction specific training, emergency response and guest service standards.
- Systems and safety documentation before day one: policies, inspections, incident reporting, maintenance records, contractor management and document control.
- Pre opening testing and a soft opening: commissioning, dress rehearsals, controlled guest sessions, feedback loops and fixes before public launch.
- The first ninety days of trading: stabilising operations, refining the roster, fixing the guest journey and bedding down compliance routines.
What I do in each phase, and where I hand over
In the concept and site phase I help you evaluate the opportunity before you commit. That means asking the lease questions, flagging approval risks, and checking whether the operating model you have in mind actually fits the building. When specialist input is needed, I point you toward the right lawyer, surveyor, town planner or engineer and stay involved so the advice is interpreted for the venue.
During design and approvals I review plans and specifications from an operator's point of view. This overlaps with but is not a substitute for the architect, certifier or engineer. I am looking at guest flow, supervision, throughput, staff movement and what the roster will look like at peak. I also sit in on supplier conversations so the equipment brief reflects how you will actually run the place, not just what can be installed.
Through fitout and commissioning I track progress against the operational readiness plan: recruitment, training materials, safety documentation, POS and booking workflows, maintenance systems and opening week planning. I will be on site when it matters. Once you are trading I stay close for the first ninety days, then typically step back as your own team takes over. If ongoing support is useful, that is usually scoped separately.
How I work with your architect, builder and suppliers
A good project has clear lanes. Your architect owns the design. Your builder owns the construction. Your suppliers own the equipment. I sit on your side and translate between them, asking the questions an owner might not know to ask.
With architects and builders I focus on operational consequences. A wall in the wrong place, a column in a supervision blind spot, or a storage area too far from the attraction can all be fixed on paper for almost nothing and cost a fortune later. With equipment suppliers I make sure the brief covers throughput, age suitability, maintenance access, spare parts, training and warranty support. Independence matters here. A supplier recommending what you should buy is not necessarily wrong, but they are not unbiased. I have no equipment to sell, so the recommendation is based only on what fits your venue, your budget and your operating plan.
Project manager or operator representative: the difference
A project manager is valuable. They control time, cost and scope and they coordinate trades and contractors. But most project managers have not run a trampoline park, a climbing centre or a soft play venue. They will not necessarily see that a particular layout creates a supervision problem, that a roster assumption is unrealistic, or that a piece of equipment that looks good on paper will be a maintenance headache in six months.
I do not replace your project manager. I complement them with an operator's eye. Where the project manager asks whether it is built to spec and on time, I ask whether it will work for the staff and guests once the doors open. Both questions matter. I have found the project runs more smoothly when someone is formally asking the second one from the start.
For investors, landlords and councils with a leisure component
If you are developing a site that includes a leisure attraction, you need to know whether the concept is operationally sound before you commit tenants or capital. I can review the leisure brief, comment on layout and throughput, identify approval and safety considerations, and help shape the tenant requirements so the operator can actually deliver what the pro forma assumes.
For landlords, this reduces the risk of a tenant failing or defaulting because the venue was never viable. For councils, it means the community asset is designed around safe, practical operation. For investors, it means the feasibility case is tested against real operating assumptions, not just construction cost and hoped for revenue.
What I am not, and who else you will need
I am honest about the boundaries. I am not a lawyer, accountant, engineer or insurance broker. I do not provide legal, tax or financial advice, and I do not certify compliance or sign off engineering drawings. Those roles belong to qualified professionals and I will tell you clearly when you need one.
What I do is bring the operating experience that ties those professional inputs together. I can help you brief the lawyer, interpret the engineer's report, and make sure the accountant's assumptions match the roster and pricing model. That coordination is often what first time owners miss.
How this connects to other Venue North services
Project establishment often starts with an operational design review of early plans. Before construction, that review is the cheapest place to fix expensive mistakes. The same thinking feeds into an operational readiness audit closer to opening, which checks that the team, systems and documentation are actually ready for guests. After opening, some venues use venue audits or a compliance system setup to keep standards tight. All of these are separate services, scoped to where you are in the lifecycle.
Honest next step
If you are thinking about opening a leisure venue, the most useful conversation happens before you sign a lease or place a deposit on equipment. I will listen to where you are, tell you what needs to happen next, and be straight about whether I am the right person to help. If the project is still at concept stage, that conversation may save you months. If you are already deep into the build, I can still step in and get things back on track. I am based in Perth and work across Australia, travelling to site when the project needs it.
Questions operators ask
How early should I engage you in a new venue project?
As early as possible, ideally before you sign a lease or commit to a site. The decisions made at concept and site stage shape everything that follows, and they are much cheaper to change on paper than during fitout. Even a single conversation before you sign can flag issues that save months later.
Do you work on projects outside Perth?
Yes. I am based in Perth and work across Australia. Most projects need site visits at key stages, and I travel to make that happen. Remote work is fine for early review, planning and documentation, but there is no substitute for being on site during commissioning and opening.
Can you help evaluate a site before I sign a lease?
Yes, that is one of the most valuable times to bring me in. I look at the site through the lens of your intended operating model: access, zoning, capacity, services, structural constraints and whether the layout will work for supervision and guest flow. I will also flag when you need a town planner, engineer or lawyer.
Will you project manage the fitout?
I am not a substitute for a builder's project manager, but I can act as the owner's operational representative throughout the fitout. That means tracking the readiness plan, attending site meetings, reviewing progress against the operating model and escalating issues that affect opening. The builder still owns time, cost and construction quality.
Can you help with a feasibility case for an investor or bank?
I can provide operational input for a feasibility: realistic capacity and throughput assumptions, staffing models, operating cost drivers and a sanity check on the business case. I do not provide financial advice or produce revenue forecasts, and any financial modelling should be done by your accountant or adviser.
What happens after the venue opens?
I usually stay involved for the first ninety days to help the team stabilise. After that, the venue either runs on its own or moves into a separate support arrangement. Some clients use operational audits, compliance system setup or a retained advisory arrangement once they are trading.
What does project establishment support cost?
Every project is scoped individually. Cost depends on the size of the venue, how far along you are, how much site time is needed and what deliverables you need. I will give you a clear written scope before any work starts. I do not publish standard rates because no two projects are the same.
Do you recommend or supply equipment?
No. I am independent and do not sell equipment, take supplier commissions or prefer any brand. I help you write the equipment brief, evaluate supplier proposals and check that what is proposed fits your operating model. That independence is central to how I work.
Sources
- WorkSafe WA amusement devices guide for local government. https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/amusement-devices-guide-local-government
- National Construction Code, building performance and approval framework. https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/
- Standards Australia, publisher of AS 5159 trampoline park facility standards. https://www.standards.org.au/
- Safe Work Australia, national model work health and safety framework. https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/
- Western Australia Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, work health and safety regulator. https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe