In addition to VMS (Venue Management System), SimXperience now offers complete sim racing center packages built on VenueChief. You get commercial racing simulators from the company that has built them since 2006, plus the VenueChief sim racing center software that runs everything around the rigs: booking, check-in, waivers, payments, leaderboards, marketing and staff. Hardware and software, from one conversation.
If you are thinking about opening a sim racing center, a sim racing lounge or a racing simulator business of any size, this is the short version of what you need and how we can help you get it open.
What is a complete sim racing center package?
Starting a sim racing business means making two sets of decisions at once. The first is hardware: how many racing simulators, what class of rig and how to lay out the room. The second is the software that turns those rigs into a business: how guests find you, book, sign a waiver, pay, race, see their results and come back.
A SimXperience sim racing center package answers both. It pairs our commercial racing simulators with VenueChief, a venue management platform built for sim racing centers, karting tracks and other entertainment venues. Sim Commander, SimXperience's rig software, runs on every simulator and is the on-rig agent VenueChief uses to launch sessions.
The hardware: commercial racing simulators
SimXperience builds turnkey racing simulators and the motion, force feedback and tactile systems that make them feel real. That includes the Stage 5 full motion racing simulator, the ESR-3 Pro racing simulator, the Vertex turnkey sim racing rig, the GS-5 G-Seat, the G-Belt dual-axis active seat belt tensioning system, SimVibe tactile feedback and AccuForce direct drive wheels. We also offer commercial sim center products, race lounge products and event services.
The software: VenueChief
VenueChief is the software half of the package. It was built for venues where guests book a slot, show up, race and leave, and it keeps one record for each guest across the website, the kiosk and the counter, and attaches their rig laps once they are identified. The next section walks through what is in it.
What a sim racing center runs on, in one platform
VenueChief covers the software side of opening a sim racing center, from the first booking to the daily close. Here is what is in it, with a closer look at each part. Some parts are add-ons, and the pricing page lists what each plan includes.
Get booked
- Online booking software: guests book around the clock with live availability, and the slot is held while they pay.
- Resource booking: define any bookable thing, such as a party room or a lounge, set the price and let guests book it online.
- A website builder with online booking inside it, or import your existing website and review it before it goes live.
Run the races
- Sim racing session control: synchronized multi-rig launches, live timing and standings, per-lap sectors, fuel and tire wear, and personal bests.
- Sim racing content management: every rig reports its own cars and tracks, and guests are offered only content the chosen rigs have.
- Group event booking with leaderboards: turn a booked party or corporate event into a timed competition with standings and awards.
- Contests and championships scored automatically from rig results, with points awarded per session and an overall winner. See the sim racing center page.
Check in and get paid
- Self-serve kiosks: guests check in, sign, pay and start a sim session without waiting at the counter.
- Digital waivers with guardian consent built into check-in, plus safety videos and eligibility rules that are checked again at the start line.
- Gift cards, prepaid passes and memberships, with promo codes at one checkout.
- An online store for merchandise and a food and beverage point of sale for the lounge, both in the same books as your bookings.
- A daily close that matches card payouts and previews a QuickBooks journal.
Bring drivers back
- Driver scores, XP, badges, streaks and leaderboards, so a first visit has a reason to turn into a second.
- Sim racing lap analysis software: every kept lap opens in an analyzer with a track map, traces and findings, plus an AI coach whose numbers are checked against the lap. It is working and ready for its first venue, and it needs the latest Sim Commander on your rigs.
- Sim racing coaching software: a coach directory, a Coach Desk with notes, lessons and lap targets, and AI debriefs, all on your venue's website.
- Email marketing built from your own guest data, and automated booking reminders and confirmations in your branding.
Run the business
- A unified inbox for emails, texts, voicemails and web forms, and a business phone system that turns missed calls into tickets.
- Staff scheduling with a time clock, and preventive maintenance for simulators, with work orders, service schedules and parts for every rig.
- For unstaffed hours, door codes tied to bookings and venue automations, both in early access.
Want the whole list? See everything VenueChief does, and just as useful, what VenueChief does not do.
How to start a sim racing center: the decisions to make first
Whether you buy from us or not, the order you make decisions in matters. VenueChief publishes a full checklist for opening a karting track or sim racing center. These are the six decisions everything else hangs off, because they are cheap to change before you open and painful to change after.
- What is one session? How long, how many guests and what it costs. Pick the shortest list of session types you can live with. Two or three, not eleven.
- Who can drive, and how old do they have to be? Age limits, junior classes and what happens when a parent books for a child who is not with them. This drives your waiver design.
- What is your no-show and cancellation policy? Deposit or full payment, and free cancellation up to when. Decide before the first busy Saturday.
- Are you a party venue? Birthday and corporate parties need packages, room time and a deposit flow designed in from the start.
- Is there food or a bar? Even a small lounge changes your tax handling, your staffing and your close.
- Will guests book online? They will try. Your busiest booking hour is often after you close, so online booking belongs in your first month, not your second.
The hardware decisions
Add three more to the list. How many simulators can you realistically fill, and what class of rig fits your market, from a turnkey racing simulator to a full motion rig? How will guests move around the room, wait for their turn and watch the leaderboard? And is your network ready for rigs that must all talk to the same system? Tell us your space, your budget and your target guests, and our team will help you size it.
The items with lead times
Four things take other people's time, so start them early: your merchant account, which goes through underwriting; your domain, website and Google Business Profile; a lawyer's review of your waiver; and, for a sim racing center, your simulators, which have delivery and setup dates. Gift cards are cash before you open, so consider selling them during build-out.
Open with your smallest sensible list of session types and add leagues, memberships and complex pricing in month two. By then you will know which parts guests actually buy. If a term in a quote is unfamiliar, the venue software glossary explains it in plain English.
Which sim racing games does it run?
VenueChief fully operates rFactor 2, including race weekends, live timing, phase control and in-session control. Le Mans Ultimate runs on the same controls, and Assetto Corsa hosts a session and records the result with a narrower control set. We verify each title with you on your own rigs before you rely on it. More titles are in development, and we do not put dates on them. Details are on the sim racing center software page.
What works today, and what we are building
We would rather tell you where things stand than oversell. Booking, kiosks, waivers, payments, leaderboards, the website builder and most of the list above are working today, with the limits noted on each feature's page. Door codes and venue automations are in early access, which means we verify them with you on your own equipment before you rely on them. Lap analysis is working and ready for its first venue. Website analytics is in build. The VenueChief roadmap shows what is in build and what is planned, and the VenueChief news page announces new features as they ship.
Questions about starting a sim racing center
How much does it cost to open a sim racing center?
It depends mostly on how many rigs you buy, the class of rig and your build-out. VenueChief's software pricing is published, so you can see it before you talk to anyone. For a package that includes simulators, call us or email for a quote based on your room and your plan.
How many simulators should I start with?
Start with a number you can keep busy, because an empty rig earns nothing and costs the same as a full one. Tell us your space, budget and expected traffic, and we will help you choose. You can add rigs later.
What software do I need to run a sim racing center?
At minimum you need online booking, waivers, a way to take payments, check-in that works when a group arrives together, session control for the rigs and results that guests can see. VenueChief includes all of these, and offers marketing campaigns, a shared inbox, phone and a staff time clock as add-ons. The pricing page lists what each plan and add-on includes.
Do I have to buy VenueChief with SimXperience simulators, or the reverse?
No. SimXperience simulators and VenueChief are each available on their own. A complete package puts them together so the hardware and the software are chosen, set up and supported as one plan.
Can I add karts, a bar or party rooms later?
Yes. On VenueChief, karts, party rooms and a kitchen share the same schedule, the same cart and the same customer record, so you can license more when you need it. See multi-activity venues.
Can I see the software before I buy?
Yes. Book a live VenueChief demo. It takes thirty minutes, and you bring your own venue and your own numbers.
Talk to us about a complete sim racing center package
Call SimXperience at (330) 818-9838 or email Sales@SimXperience.com. Prefer to start with the software? Book a VenueChief demo or see VenueChief pricing.
SimXperience has built racing simulators and peripherals since 2006. VenueChief is the venue management platform for sim racing centers, karting tracks and entertainment venues at venuechief.com.
Start a Sim Racing Center With a Complete SimXperience and VenueChief Package