In the past few weeks we have worked very hard on innovative business concepts and new opportunities for constructive partnerships. Referring to our business it is crucial to think about questions like: what will the ‘new normal’ be and how does it affect our business? Will there be (more) COVID-19 restrictions and how do we deal with these rules referring to our ice-experiences and winter events? How can we help our partners and clients to get their business up and running again and develop and organize Corona proof winter events in the future? What does it look like? How can we keep our people safe?

The good news is that in some European countries kids are allowed to go to school and their sports clubs again. Kids are an important target group for us and we know how it is good for them and their well-being, both mentally and physically, to go outside and have fun! And we will do our upmost best to keep on building our (temporary) ice-rinks where ever possible and help our clients and partners to create an unforgettable ice-experience.

Re-inventing ourselves and our business is necessary in this unpredictable time, but it gives us energy and hope as well. We are convinced that there is future for our events. We trust that, especially this autumn and winter, we can bring people back together again to enjoy an ice-experience and all the fun and laughter skating, curling and sliding can bring.

A shout out for everybody in the event business. Stay strong and let’s join forces to develop and organize events for the future. It is possible. In the following months we will share our latest developments and experiences on building ice-rinks and organizing successful ice-experiences and winter events in a ‘new’ environment.

Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page and keep on following us for the latest news.

Let’s stay in touch to re-invent our business together.

Team Ice-World

Every year skating rinks become more popular, and increasingly they are being set up as a crowd-puller for all kinds of events. This isn’t hard to explain: from a study carried out in four different European countries by the NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences into the economic effects of skating rinks in city centres, it appears that having an ice skating rink at a winter event leads to extra money being made across the board.

The growth in popularity also ensures revenue growth for businesses in the surrounding area. The hospitality and catering industry, as well as shops, make a good profit during winter events. Moreover, it appears from the same study that 85% of businesses report seeing a positive impact on turnover after a temporary ice-skating rink is set up.

But what does a skating rink revenue model actually look like? This article describes the major sources of income.

1. Ticket sales

Obviously, more visitors equals more income. Thanks to the reliability of the Ice-World skating rink, the ice floor dries quickly after a rainstorm. On warmer days too, the rink can simply stay open so that visitors keep coming. And don’t forget: for every skater, there is a friend or family member looking on.

The price of a ticket is usually 5 to 10 EUR/USD.

2. Rental of skates and skating aids

Renting skates, and skating aids such as Bobby the Seal® and Tommy the Reindeer®, along with special equipment such as the IceByk® and curling sets, generates additional turnover.

3. Sponsoring

Several local businesses benefit from brand awareness in their vicinity, which is why they are interested in sponsoring ice-skating-related events. Large companies that have families as their target audience are also frequently prepared to contribute, but it is also the case that they may offer their own customers discounts or free tickets to the event as part of a savings campaign. These types of partners are a good way to increase turnover for both the sponsoring partner and the skating rink organiser.

4. Catering and hospitality industry

Whether it’s about visitors who have just come off of the ice or spectators, everyone needs to eat and drink. And for every event, this need also goes into overdrive. After all, no day of skating is ever complete without a tasty snack and a drink.

5. Special events

Special events are an excellent way to attract a wider audience. Among others, this can include: skating clinics, company outings, school outings, children’s parties, disco on ice, performances and tournaments. One way of giving these events extra appeal is to offer deals involving a free snack or drink, for example.

6. Merchandising

Increase your event’s revenue by offering fun gadgets like gloves, cuddly stuffed toys or warm scarves or hats. Your sponsors can also benefit from this type of activity, so be sure to involve them as well.

Would you like to know more about skating rink options for your event, or do you have plans to organise a new winter event? Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss the options!

Our pursuit of quality doesn’t automatically come at a cost to efficiency. And one important factor in efficiency is the time it takes to build an ice rink. After all, the faster the ice rink can be built, the more profit it will generate.

Ice-World boasts the very cool ability to build a mobile ice rink within 24 hours. Compared to other mobile ice rinks, 24 hours is extremely short: most require about 3 to 5 days to build.

How do we achieve such a fast build time of 24 hours? We are happy to explain this to you using the step-by-step plan below.

Step 1: Find a good build surface

An Ice-World mobile ice rink can be built right on the surface where the rink is required. There’s just one proviso – the surface must be completely flat. A hard, flat surface, like the asphalt of a car park or the concrete of a tennis court, is ideal.

If the surface is not perfectly level, we will install the ice rink on a wooden floor construction to ensure that the surface is completely flat. There is actually an additional advantage to this wooden floor construction: it has an insulating effect, making the ice rink noticeably more energy-efficient.

Step 2: Make it watertight

To make the surface watertight, plastic foil is rolled out over the entire surface and taped down where necessary. Next, a watertight reservoir is created using aluminium corner profiles. Just twenty hours later, this seven-centimetre deep reservoir will contain an ice rink ready to be skated on right away.

Step 3: Unfold and connect the elements

The water in an artificial ice rink is cooled by means of reverse floor heating. A cooling agent flows through a network of pipes causing the surrounding water to be cooled. These pipes are pre-assembled at our factory into patented ice rink elements one metre wide. They are available in various lengths.

Because these elements are pre-assembled, pressure-tested at 4 bar and checked for possible leaks, all that needs to be done is unfold them, lay them in the right place and connect them up to create a single system.

After the rink has been installed the system is connected to the cooling plant, which consists of a cooling system, a pump and a buffer tank. These components ensure that the cooling agent is cooled and circulated.

Step 4: Install the boards

The perimeter – also called boarding – is installed all around the ice rink and the various parts are connected to one another. The boarding is usually also screwed onto the wooden floor. When the water is frozen in the next steps, these wooden or plastic boarding parts will freeze solidly into the ice.

Step 5: Fill the rink with water

Step five is to fill the rink with water. Before the ice rink is filled with water, the cooling system must be tested. The cooling system is filled with mono-propylene glycol: a biodegradable cooling agent. The glycol is pumped into the ice rink and the cooling machine is switched on.

Step 6: Freeze

Step 6 is to freeze the water. Depending on factors such as wind and temperature, the cooling system will be set to its highest position for the next 12 to 24 hours. The ice will slowly begin to form, starting around the aluminium pipes, until all the water is frozen.

There you have it: this is how an empty square can be transformed into a full-scale ice rink within 24 hours and the ice-skating fun can finally start!

Do you want to know more about the technical aspects of our mobile ice rinks? Read the article: How does the Ice-World system work?.

Interested in renting or buying a mobile ice rink, or do you want to organize an ice event? We have over 25 years of experience in the rental and sale of ice rinks for recreation and sport. Feel free to contact us! 

Maintenance is more important than you would think for an ice rink. This involves numerous tasks, not only to guarantee skating pleasure and safety, but also for optimum energy efficiency. For this reason, we have compiled a list of the most important tasks to ensure proper maintenance of the ice-rink floor.

Thickness of the ice

An Ice-World ice rink must have an ice thickness of between 7 and 8 cm. If the ice is thinner, then there is a possibility of skaters causing leaks by skating over the piping. However, if the ice is thicker the quality of the ice floor will deteriorate and your electricity bill will increase. Additionally, it will take longer to thaw the ice rink at the end of its operational period.
Remember that the more ice there is, the more energy is needed not only to keep the ice cold, but also to allow it to melt. If you are operating a small ice rink, you can use a snowplough to keep the ice thin and a fire hose to add another layer of ice, if necessary. Larger ice rinks automatically make use of such equipment.

Surface of the ice

The topmost layer of the ice floor must be smooth and may not have any cracks. Otherwise, chances are that skaters will lose control and fall. A layer of scraped ice is often applied artificially to recreational ice rinks. This thin layer of snow has an insulating effect and ensures that the cold is better retained because the sunlight is reflected off the white layer. Doing this can substantially reduce your energy costs. Additionally, this layer of snow reduces skating speeds and skaters land more softly when they fall.
Ice-World rinks of up to 600 m2 can easily be maintained in good condition with an Ice-World snowplough. Convenient extra equipment for larger rinks includes our snow sweeping machine, or even our ice resurfacer.

Ice maintenance

Sweeping at least three times a day is necessary to achieve the best results: once before the opening every day, once before closing at night and at least once in between. Depending on how busy the ice rink is, yet another maintenance round during the day is always a good idea.

Start by sweeping the edges of the ice rink until they are clean. Remove all the snow beneath the boarding until the ice is clearly visible. Next, sweep the centre part of the ice rink and move the snow to an area that is not accessible to the public.
After this, repair any cracks and spray the ice rink with a fire hose that is connected to at least a 19 mm water supply pipe. Spray the ice rink in thin layers, particularly for an uncovered ice rink during a period of frost.

If the ambient temperature is low, take extra precautions when spraying the ice. The water will not only freeze from below, but also from above, causing irregularities in the surface of the ice. We recommend spraying a fine mist.

If it starts to rain and your Ice-World ice rink has clean, smooth edges and an ice thickness of 7 to 8 cm, the rainwater will simply run off. If the edges of the ice rink have become thicker due to accumulated frozen ice scrapings, however, and it starts to rain, the rainwater will not be able to run off the ice rink. As a result, the ice will become thicker due to the rainwater that remains on the ice rink. It will then take more energy to keep the ice rink at the right temperature.

Temperature of the ice

The temperature of the ice is regulated by the freezing unit. This machine is set to a pre-set temperature that is largely based on the ambient temperature. When the ice rink is installed, the installer explains how changes can be made to the temperature settings and when such a change is necessary. You can always reach Ice-World if you need advice regarding this matter.