Introduction
Interactive365 created SPARK as a large-scale immersive play experience designed to help children learn about African animals through movement, discovery, sensory play, and digital interaction.
The project focused on creating a highly varied environment within a 140sqm space. Instead of relying on a single interactive feature, Interactive365 maximised the area by combining immersive digital interactive solutions with physical props, custom content, movement-based play, and themed storytelling.
For visitors, SPARK offers a rich sensory experience where children can explore different interactive zones, engage with animal-themed digital content, and enjoy a play environment that feels active, educational, and memorable.
The Brief
Interactive365 was tasked with creating an immersive space that could captivate and educate children about African animals.
The goal was to make full use of the available 140sqm area by including as many different interactive elements as possible while still keeping the experience cohesive, safe, and easy for children to enjoy.
Interactive365 needed to create a space that could:
- Educate children about African animals
- Offer multiple types of interactive play
- Maximise the available 140sqm area
- Combine digital technology with physical props
- Create a sensory-rich visitor experience
- Support repeat engagement and ticketed attraction use
- Feel immersive, active, and family-friendly
The final concept became SPARK, a fully interactive sensory play area made up of 8 carefully planned interactive spaces.
The Challenge
The main challenge was to create a large immersive environment that included many different forms of interaction without making the space feel crowded or disconnected.
Children’s play areas need variety, but every feature should still feel like part of one larger story. The experience also needed to balance education, movement, sensory play, and visual impact.
Interactive365 needed to balance three key goals:
Variety: The space needed different types of interaction to keep children engaged.
Immersion: Every feature had to support the African animal theme.
Visitor flow: The 140sqm area needed to feel exciting, open, and easy to explore.
Planning the Immersive Sensory Play Area
SPARK was planned as a multi-zone interactive park with 8 carefully designed spaces, each offering a unique type of engagement.
This planning allowed children to move naturally between different experiences. Some areas focused on throwing and active play, while others encouraged movement, sliding, sensory discovery, or visual exploration.
By using creative concepts for interactive experiences, Interactive365 was able to design a play environment where each interactive space had a clear role while still contributing to the larger African animal theme.
Creating Interactive Ball Strike Walls
One of the key features of SPARK is the use of Interactive Ball Strike Walls.
These walls add high-energy play by allowing children to throw soft balls at projected targets. The digital content responds to impact, creating a fast-paced activity that encourages movement, reaction, accuracy, and group participation.
For an immersive sensory play area, this type of interactive wall is valuable because it supports active play while keeping children engaged through visual feedback and game-style interaction.
Adding Interactive Floors for Movement-Based Play
SPARK also includes Interactive Floors, giving children another way to engage with the space through movement.
Interactive floors are effective in children’s attractions because they turn the ground into part of the experience. As children walk, jump, or move across the surface, the projected content can respond, making the environment feel more alive and playful.
Within SPARK, the interactive floors help create a stronger sense of immersion by extending the digital experience beyond the walls and into the wider play area.
Installing an Interactive Digital Slide
Interactive365 also added an Interactive Digital Slide as part of the SPARK experience.
The slide adds a physical movement-based attraction that feels exciting for children while still connecting to the digital environment. As children slide, interactive projection and visual effects can make the journey more dynamic and memorable.
This gives SPARK a strong mix of physical play and digital storytelling, helping children stay active while engaging with the themed environment.
Creating a Spectacular Waterfall Feature
A standout part of the SPARK installation is the spectacular waterfall.
The waterfall helps strengthen the African landscape theme and gives the space a dramatic visual centrepiece. In immersive attractions, features like this are important because they help create atmosphere, support storytelling, and make the environment feel more complete.
Combined with the interactive walls, floors, slide, props, and sensory features, the waterfall helps SPARK feel like a fully themed world rather than a collection of separate play products.
Adding Props, LED Decorations, and a Ballpit Area
Interactive365 also designed and installed physical props around the specific needs of the site, including LED wall decorations and a small ballpit area.
These features add more texture and variety to the experience. The LED decorations support the visual atmosphere, while the ballpit area gives children another physical play element within the wider immersive space.
This mix of digital and physical elements is important because children often respond best to environments where they can see, touch, move, and explore in different ways.
Building 8 Unique Interactive Spaces
The completed SPARK installation includes 8 carefully planned interactive spaces, each designed with custom-built content and a unique type of engagement.
This is what makes the project especially strong from an experience design perspective. Instead of repeating the same interaction across the whole area, Interactive365 created a variety of play moments that encourage children to explore the full space.
Each area contributes to a different part of the visitor journey, helping SPARK feel bigger, richer, and more exciting.
The Result
The final result is SPARK, a totally unique immersive and interactive sensory play area designed around African animals.
By combining interactive content creation, physical props, Interactive Ball Strike Walls, Interactive Floors, an Interactive Digital Slide, LED decorations, a ballpit area, and a waterfall, Interactive365 created a highly engaging visitor attraction.
SPARK now operates as a successful ticketed interactive park and is described by Interactive365 as the largest interactive and immersive sensory play area in the UK.
Why This Project Matters for Interactive Play Parks and Family Attractions
Modern family attractions need experiences that feel active, memorable, and different from standard play equipment. Children are more likely to stay engaged when they can move between different types of play, especially when physical activity is combined with digital response.
The SPARK project shows how immersive digital interactive solutions can help attractions create stronger engagement by combining education, movement, sensory play, and themed storytelling.
For play parks, visitor attractions, family entertainment venues, museums, zoos, and leisure destinations, immersive sensory play areas can support:
- Better visitor engagement
- Higher dwell time
- More active children’s play
- Educational storytelling
- Stronger sensory experiences
- More repeat visits
- A stronger point of difference from competitors
By combining physical play with interactive digital technology, Interactive365 helped create a large-scale attraction that entertains children while helping them learn about African animals.
Are You Looking to Create an Immersive Sensory Play Area?
Interactive365 creates immersive digital interactive solutions for play parks, visitor attractions, museums, education spaces, family entertainment venues, leisure destinations, and themed environments.
From interactive content creation and projection mapping services to Interactive Ball Strike Walls, Interactive Floors, Interactive Digital Slides, creative concepts for interactive experiences, and equipment installation and maintenance, Interactive365 helps organisations turn ordinary spaces into engaging digital environments.
Whether you want to create an African animal experience, immersive sensory play area, ticketed interactive park, themed play zone, or fully customised digital attraction, Interactive365 can help design and deliver a solution built around your space, audience, and visitor goals.
Looking to create your own immersive sensory play area? Contact Interactive365 to discuss your next visitor attraction project.
FAQ
What is SPARK by Interactive365?
SPARK is an immersive African animal experience created by Interactive365. It is a large interactive sensory play area designed to captivate and educate children through digital play, physical props, custom content, and themed storytelling.
What interactive features were included in SPARK?
SPARK includes Interactive Ball Strike Walls, Interactive Floors, an Interactive Digital Slide, LED wall decorations, a small ballpit area, physical props, a waterfall, and 8 carefully planned interactive spaces.
How large is the SPARK interactive play area?
The SPARK project was created within a 140sqm area allocated for the new interactive experiences.
Why is SPARK an immersive sensory play area?
SPARK is immersive because it combines projection, physical play, themed African animal content, interactive floors, ball strike walls, a digital slide, props, LED decoration, and a waterfall. These elements work together to create a full sensory environment for children.
What makes SPARK suitable for children’s education?
SPARK helps children learn about African animals through active exploration, themed digital content, movement-based interaction, and sensory play. This makes learning feel more engaging and memorable than static displays.
Who is this type of interactive attraction suitable for?
This type of interactive attraction is suitable for play parks, zoos, wildlife parks, family entertainment centres, children’s museums, leisure venues, visitor attractions, and education spaces.
What Interactive365 services are relevant to this project?
Relevant services include interactive content creation, projection mapping services, creative concepts for interactive experiences, equipment installation and maintenance, Interactive Ball Strike Wall, Interactive Floor, and Interactive Digital Slide.
