Ahead of the UK holiday park season swinging into full gear, Boomerang Digital’s Brad Royce has been traversing the country ensuring that the sector’s entertainment teams are fully up to speed with the capabilities of its Jigsaw Entertainment System, a versatile and trusted piece of kit that, to quote one holiday park veteran, is at the ‘heartbeat of venue entertainment’.
Prior to joining Boomerang in 2022 Brad Royce spent nearly 20-years in the industry, starting his career as a Pontins Bluecoat before spending four years as a touring comedy act and a further nine years as an Entertainments Manager for Parkdean Resorts.
“I’ve held training courses with a breadth of operators ranging from large groups such as Haven and John Fowler to independents like Searles and Waldergraves,” Bradley explained. “By the time the season officially kicks off, I will have completed 20+ major training blocks across the country, which reflects the importance that operators place on making sure their teams are fully equipped to use the technology that underpins much of their evening entertainment offering.”
In total, more than 200 consumer-facing staff will have taken part in the training sessions. The largest single session took place with Haven, and comprised a high-energy training event involving 45 Managers, plus Entertainers and Technical crew all learning the system together and immediately putting it into practice.
A hands-on approach shaped by real-world experience
Rather than relying on dated classroom-style demonstrations or technical presentations, Bradley has drawn on his extensive background in the sector to build a programme that focuses on practical, real-world scenarios designed to mirror the pressures of a busy holiday park venue.
“It’s very hands-on,” he confirmed. “I don’t believe in just pointing at a screen. We walk through real situations such as how to run a gameshow, how to trigger soundbites during a live performance, and how to use different elements of Jigsaw at different moments in the night.”
The goal, he says, is not simply to teach staff how the system works but to ensure they feel confident using it in front of a full audience.
“It’s about giving the team the belief to go out and deliver Jigsaw’s great games and functions, not just showing them where the buttons are.”
Understanding the pressures of live entertainment
That practical philosophy is shaped by Bradley’s own experience working in entertainment venues and holiday parks, an experience that he says fundamentally shapes the way he approaches training.
“Because I’ve stood in their shoes, I know that at 9:00 PM on a Saturday night they don’t need tech-speak; instead, they need a system that works and someone they can call if they experience a problem.”
“Understanding the pressures of the DJ booth or the feeling of standing in front of hundreds of guests allows me to focus training on what really matters. It means I can show them the features that genuinely save them time when the pressure is on, and how to deliver great entertainment for their guests.”
Bradley says operators value the personal relationships and direct support they receive as a result of working with Boomerang. “They know they can pick up the phone and talk to someone who understands their site. In many ways, Boomerang is regarded as being part of the holiday park industry, with Jigsaw embedded as an integral part of the entertainment team itself.”
Driving confidence, engagement and results
“The Jigsaw system is the silent partner in the booth,” Bradley explains. “It takes care of the background adverts and the playlist logic so the entertainment team can focus on the guests.”
The feedback has highlighted certain features as clear favourites among operators. “The Interactive App is huge right now, and Bingo Beats and Blitz are incredibly popular because they connect directly with the customer as well as driving revenue.”
However, one traditional feature remains central to the holiday park entertainment experience: “Link Bingo and Bingo itself is still one of the most important parts of the system because it’s such a core nightly activity for many parks.”
By integrating these elements within a single platform, operators are able to manage a full evening programme, from music and advertising to interactive games and bingo, all without juggling multiple systems.
Boomerang’s investment in face-to-face training is most certainly paying off. “The feedback has been brilliant,” stated Bradley. “Many operators say it’s the first time they’ve had a tech company actually show up and explain the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how’.”
One manager recently said that the training had transformed how their staff viewed the system.
“They said before the session their team were almost scared to touch it,” Bradley recalls. “But after a few hours, they were completely confident and owning the room.”
For Bradley, that transformation captures the real purpose of Jigsaw. At its core, he believes the system exists to support the people who create memorable nights for guests.
“Holidays are all about creating fantastic memories. From a holiday park perspective, many of those memories are delivered by the entertainments team aided and abetted by Jigsaw, which remains the very best all-in-one entertainment platform available.”
Jigsaw genius
Annie Jenkins said…… “Brad has been an outstanding presence in our entertainment team’s training sessions this year. His instinctive understanding of how entertainers learn makes every session genuinely impactful. It makes a difference for entertainers to be trained by someone who has been in the role. He breaks down the Jigsaw machine in a way that’s clear, practical, and easy to put into action……
Originally published on Coinslot on March 23, 2026. Republished with permission.