Laser Tag: Vests To Buy For Peak Demand

All versions

A vest on a charger is not a vest on the floor. Fleet size is players per game times how many arenas run at once, plus the share that is always charging, in repair, or missing a shoulder strap — and it rounds up, because you cannot buy 41.4 packs.

Quick formula: Concurrent demand, grossed up for spares, rounded up:

=ROUNDUP(B2*C2*(1+D2),0)

18 players across two arenas with a 15% spare share is 42 vests, not the 36 that a demand-only count suggests.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

ROUNDUP PRODUCT

The example

Three build-outs, each with a game size, a number of arenas running concurrently, and a spare allowance.

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Build	Players/game	Arenas	Spare	Vests
2	Two-arena FEC	18	2	15%	42
3	Three-arena park	24	3	20%	87
4	Single mobile rig	12	1	25%	15

The formula

Demand, then the gross-up:

=ROUNDUP(B2*C2*(1+D2),0) // players x arenas = on the floor, x (1 + spare share), rounded up

How it works

Three decisions, in order:

B2*C2 is the number of vests physically in play at the busiest moment. Use the maximum game size you sell, not the average.
(1+D2) is the spare share. It covers charging rotation, units out for repair, and the pack a birthday guest drops. 15% is a floor; 25% is normal for a mobile operation.
ROUNDUP(...,0) because a vest is a whole unit — and because being one short at peak means turning away a paying group.
Multiply by the unit price for the capital line, and by the annual repair rate for the operating one.

Revisit the spare share after a season of real repair logs. The purchase decision is a guess once; after that it is data.

Try it: interactive demo

Interactive

Enter the maximum players per game, the arenas running at once, and your spare share.

Players per game

Arenas running

Spare share (0.15 = 15%)

Variations

Capital cost of the fleet

Multiply the vest count by the unit price to size the purchase order.

=ROUNDUP(B2*C2*(1+D2),0)*425

Chargers needed

Divide the fleet by the bays on one charging rack and round up.

=ROUNDUP(ROUNDUP(B2*C2*(1+D2),0)/12,0)

Pitfalls & errors

Back-to-back sessions do not let you reuse the same vests. If a new group briefs while the last is still playing, both games are concurrent for fleet purposes even though only one arena is active.

Buy in whole charging-rack multiples. A fleet of 42 with 12-bay racks means four racks and six empty bays — six more vests may cost less than the awkwardness.

Do not compute the spare share as a percentage of the fleet you are buying. It is a gross-up on demand: 15% spare means demand/(0.85) if you define it that way, which is a different and larger number. Pick one definition and label the column.

Practice workbook

📊

Download the free Laser Tag: Vests To Buy For Peak Demand practice workbook

Edit the yellow players, arenas, and spare cells; the fleet size recalculates.

Frequently asked questions

How big a spare share is right?

Start at 15% for a fixed arena with overnight charging and a bench tech, and 25% for a mobile rig where units travel and charge between bookings. After one season, replace the guess with your actual out-of-service average.

Should I count vests for the briefing room?

Only if guests suit up before the previous game ends. If briefing happens in street clothes and vests are handed out at the door, the briefing group is not concurrent demand.

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Function references: ROUNDUP PRODUCT