Some Guidelines for Your Bingo's Layout and Location (Part 3)

Before, we discussed Some Guidelines for Your Bingo's Layout and Location Part 1 and Part 2. In those articles we talked about hall size, lighting, tables and chairs, and laying out your sales area. Today, we'll finish this conversation and talk a little about both the bingo playing area and the concession area.

Bingo Playing Area

You always want to keep your bingo players comfort in mind when establishing your bingo games' playing area. If possible, customers should be given comfortable tables and chairs that are spaced so that everyone has clear views of the bingo machine, at least one bingo flashboard, and the bingo caller.

Air conditioning and heat should be set at comfortable levels during the appropriate time of year. If your building lacks proper air conditioning, fans should be provided at the very least. In fact, it's not a bad idea to have a few fans handy in case there's ever a problem with the air conditioning. Also, if possible, make sure you set up a non-smoking section away from the smokers if your state still allows smoking.

Concession Area

Like any retail business, you want your sales area to be arranged in a way that makes the most sense from a customer service perspective. Have supplies readily available and nearby, make sure your preparation area is large enough and sanitary at all times, and always provide a number of trash receptacles both for you and your customers.

Speed is extremely important to bingo players, and so it's important for your bingo concession. The last thing that players want is to miss out on a bingo game because they're left waiting to place an order or to receive their food. So, focus on making your concession as responsive as possible. If your concession is lagging, look at McDonald's or some other business for ideas on how to speed things up.

Other Building Considerations

Finally, you want to consider a few more things such as:

Do you have adequate parking? If not, is there anything that can be done? Perhaps, you could make arrangements to use a neighbor's parking during their off hours.

Is the security and lighting for your building adequate? Everyone likes a lighted parking lot, especially bingo players that are often leaving later in the evening. It's also good to consider hiring security to guard against any potential problems in your area.

Are your restrooms and entranceways both clean and handicap accessible? This is important for obvious reasons. Bathroom cleanliness is frequently a reflection of a business' overall customer service, and dirty bathrooms will keep bingo players from coming back.

This is the same with handicap accessibility. If you have bingo players that are wheelchair bound or facing some other impediment, make sure you do what you can to help them out. Have adequate parking close to the building and make sure that any ramps or other building requirements are kept unobstructed and available for use.