Patents, Precision And Play: How Clays Is Protecting Its Tech And Dominating The Activity Bar Industry

The hospitality industry has had a tumultuous few years navigating COVID lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis, with many businesses being forced to close. However, despite these setbacks, activity bars have thrived over recent years, a standout amongst the 500+ competitive socialising experience venues in London is Clays, centred around the sport of clay shooting.

Since launching in the City in late 2021, Clays has opened venues in Canary Wharf and Birmingham following recent fundraising of an impressive £6m, led by Otium Leisure, bringing total raised capital to over £12m. From opening just three years ago, Clays’ first venue has taken over £21m through the tills and delighted hundreds of thousands of guests.

Clays’ revolutionary technology, built on years of dedicated research and development, stands as a benchmark in the competitive socialising industry by investing in its concept with innovative technology. Leveraging advanced motion-capture technology and using a deactivated shotgun, Clays delivers a fun and interactive gamified clay shooting experience with sub-millimetre accuracy.

Clays devised a robust strategy for securing intellectual property on its ground-breaking technology two years before its launch. Since then, it has been continuously focused on innovation to make the experience as reliable, safe and enjoyable as possible for its users. Unlike activity bars centred around darts, golf or ping pong, Clays remains the only concept with no direct competitors.

While copycats have attempted to mimic the concept in the past, the complexities of Clays’ technology have left them at bay, with most relying on generic shooting simulator systems, not custom-designed for guests of activity bars that require engaging and immersive experiences.

To protect Clays’ innovative technology, it has been building on top of its intellectual property throughout the research and development process, which is currently active in 39 countries across the globe. The brand believes that to maintain its dominant position in the market, innovation is key, and like Dyson, which protected its ground-breaking vacuum technology with constant filings of patents, Clays has filed a further three patents in the last month.

While patenting requires significant time and effort, it provides security to businesses with new and inventive technology, ensuring that it cannot be replicated without robust legal consequences. Any attempt to reverse-engineer patented technology is considered an infringement, which can be met with injunctions and significant financial penalties.

Looking ahead, Clays aims to develop its legacy and become much more than an activity bar, using its technology as part of the company’s vision to be the best in class, before going global and expanding beyond bars. A major part of Clays’ strategy over the coming years will be to safeguard and democratise its technology by giving other operators access to Clays’ gaming technology and ensuring customers aren’t exposed to substandard systems.

CEO Tom Snellock, whose background lies in Green Energy Technology, says: “When the idea for Clays first came to me, I knew I was onto something special. To an outsider, the concept of Clays may seem simple; however, the technology behind the brand is complex and something we pride ourselves on. For the business to be successful, it is essential to protect and defend our ideas and tech, to avoid copycats trying to mimic what we’ve worked so hard to create.”

Head of Technology, Ferenc Csepregi, says “At Clays, innovation and forward-thinking are at the core of our mission. I am proud to share that our team’s relentless dedication to research and development drives our ability to deliver unparalleled user experiences. Every breakthrough is the result of countless hours of hard work, creativity, and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of excellence, ensuring that our technology continues to set new standards and enrich the lives of those who use it.”