The title of this email was intended to catch your attention. With such a sue happy world we MUST do everything we can to protect and insulate ourselves from those “particular” types of attorneys. Most operators would agree that music is a key component to creating the atmosphere and experience we want our customers to have. Using high energy and popular music helps keep people entertained and keep them spending money at our locations.   I know for myself, before the internet radio became popular, we used Sirius Satellite radio, the personal version, to play music at our location. Our customers could choose whatever station they liked in their private areas although we had ones we would not allow to play as there is NO filter on those stations so the words and content were often questionable.

Interesting fact, one of our customers is friends with Right Said Fred out of the UK. You may recall they had the hit song “I’m too sexy”. While the song was a mega hit internationally and in 1992 hit big on the US charts the internet and smart phones were not even in our normal vocabulary. Once smart phones, and the iPhone in particular, hit the scene, the popularity of custom song ring tones exploded. As you can imagine the hook of the I’m Too Sexy song was just too much for the consumer to resist.   Now Right Said Fred makes more in royalties from the ring tone royalties than off the songs rotation when it was popular in the US (according to our source).

Now on to the heart of this email. Being SUED… I’m sure many of you know that artists and musicians make their livings mostly off of royalties from when their songs are played on the radio or on TV.   As consumers we can listen to the radio, play our CD or iPods and even play music off the internet for personal use. The businesses that provide those tunes for us to listen to are the ones who are responsible for the royalties. The key to this entire equation, and why so many people are getting sued, is that if you are using a CD, iPod, Internet Radio, Satellite radio (Personal or home subscription) or playing the local radio station in your facility you are BREAKING THE LAW. You are not allowed to play any song or portion of a song requiring a royalty payment in a commercial setting without paying the appropriate organization like ASCAP or BMI. While the chances of someone coming into your center and suing you is remote, it is happening all over the country in other industries. Larger franchise locations or chain stores are being hit with lawsuits for playing local radio stations or using cd or iPods. Some people say “But I paid for the CD or I paid for the song online”. Even if you purchase the CD or music online this does not exempt you from paying a royalty when playing it in your facility in a commercial setting. The reason is that you are granted personal use of that song and can listen in your personal office or car but not in a commercial setting. You need to first check with your attorney on what your government regulations are and then find a service that will pay those royalties for you.

How to protect you and your business….

One such product I found is called ControlPLAY (http://www.ControlPLAY.com). They are also known as Bowling Music Network for those in the bowling business. One of the best features or functions that they have is not just to play the music or music videos for you, but they offer “PARENT APPROVED” stations so that all questionable language and video content is edited out. This is to assure that you can play the hottest music without coming under fire from the parents concerned about the content of the music. Later in the night, you can switch to the regular station when the younger crowd is gone.

Obviously ControlPLAY and the other commercially available music or music video systems will pay any and all royalties that occur while using their service. This allows you a care free and potentially lawsuit free existence when it comes to playing music and music videos in your facility.

The biggest feature that comes in the ControlPLAY suite actually has nothing to do with royalty payments at all. This feature is the personalized marketing feature. You can set audio or even full video marketing commercials inside your own personal radio station. That means you can promote upcoming events or even when a meal time hits you can suggest that they get a mouthwatering burger with gourmet French fries… The customers have no clue they are listening to a personalized station except that all the commercial breaks are focused solely on promoting sales within your own company.

The reason for this article was not to scare you but just to make you aware that you might possibly be violating the law and putting yourself in a situation that is not necessary. Find a solution that will pay your royalties and one that will help you filter the content of what you are delivering to your customers. This will release a burden off of your plate while allowing you to create an amazing atmosphere for your customers.

FYI Similar laws also apply to television and sports games shown in your faciilty.   Some people try to save a few dollars by paying for TV or Satellite TV as if they were a home or personal account as often the commercial TV accounts are two times higher than a personal account. Why are they higher? They get charged more and have to pay different royalties when being rebroadcast in a commercial setting.

So I don’t get sued…..I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. This is an opinion and I do not claim any of the above information to be factual or without error. Consult your own attorney and local government for the rules and regulations you must follow in regards to paying royalties or using a service that will pay the royalties for you…

Original article: http://familyfriendlycincinnati.com/2012/04/22/jump-jacks-theres-a-new-indoor-playground-in-town/

Richard Farley’s kids often brag about their dad to their young friends. “They embarrass me sometimes,” laughs the father of two.

It’s easy to understand their excitment. He’s director of Kidspace Adventures Ltd., a two-location family entertainment center (FEC) in the United Kingdom.

Along with Nick de Candole, his “best mate” of more than 25 years, Farley sought to open a facility unlike anything else in the UK—one larger in size and scope than the competition. To achieve this goal, Farley and de Candole traveled across the United States, Germany, Holland, and Belgium on a fact-finding mission.

“We took the best of each element and brought it back here,” says Farley, who dabbled in film post-production and residential real estate before entering the FEC universe.

Their Romford spot opened November 2005, followed by Croydon two years later. Among the facilities’ highlights: a central climbing structure, rock wall, sky trail, electric go-karts, and laser tag, as well as special programs and attractions for preschoolers. Their third location—with a twist—will debut this summer. Funworld recently asked Farley about his extraordinary business venture.

What did you learn on your fact-finding mission?

It was crucial. The major difference between Holland and Germany and here is the sheer scale of their family entertainment centers. Some of them are 80,000 square feet with varied and much better play equipment.

But because property prices are considerably higher here, it’s virtually impossible to build centers of that scale and size and still be viable. We tried to condense what we saw and put as much play value into an affordable space, which for us was 25,000 square feet. The average center in the UK is between 8,000 and 12,000 square feet.

We would just max out all our space. For example, we put the sky trail above the restaurant, doubled up the main play frame of the laser tag zone, and added crawl mazes wherever there was a square bit of space.

How else do your facilities stand out?

We wanted to make the attractions more challenging and more diverse to draw an older age group. For instance, the play equipment in Croydon is made out of wood, which makes the child a little more cautious when running around.

Little things like that make a difference. Our age range stretches to 12 years old; a typical center here loses their audience around age 9.

We also did everything at a much higher spec. We spent £2 million (US$3.1 million) on a site, where most others spend £300,000 (US$460,000).

Were you nervous putting out so much money?

Not nervous—excited. We had a little bit of money, but we had to raise quite a bit of funds. Once you’re past that initial hurdle, then you can relax a lot more.

With dance, drama, music, and art classes, you offer a variety of programs for preschoolers. Why is this important to you?

A play center should be a community hub. By having these preschool classes, it helps us to do that. It doesn’t make much money, but I think it’s essential.

What are your plans for the future?

In July we will be opening a 50-acre site in greater London. The indoor part has the same attractions and play value of our other Kidspaces, but this new one will feature an outdoor experience with zip wires, labyrinths, tunnels, and a working farm so you can see animals in a natural environment. It’s a whole experience.

This attraction also will be based around a fantasy book, which is currently being written. It will be themed up and more American. We’re very excited.

What lessons have you learned from your experiences?

It was inevitable that mistakes would be made. There isn’t any guru you can tap when trying a new concept. Some play equipment was wrong, and we had to replace it. We still don’t have the process of getting people through the door quite right yet. You can’t be afraid to admit you’re wrong and make the necessary changes.

What advice do you have for someone new to the industry?

You shouldn’t just go up against local competition and think you can simply emulate what they have created and still be successful. It’s just a mistake. The competitor will have the experience under their belt. They’ll be savvier to the local market. And because they won’t be bogged down by initial gearing, the competitor can reinvest in their site and put a unique offering in to undermine what you’re doing. It’s always better to find an untapped location, which is never easy. If you manage to do that—and that’s half the battle—you should succeed.

What do you love most about your job?

I still feel like I’m at university. It’s just one big learning curve. I love the research, the creative side of it, the day-to-day operations, the fundraising. It’s all new to me, and still quite exciting.

Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.

http://www.iaapa.org/industry/funworld/2012/mar/features/BiggerBetter/index.asp

The Long View – Scottish FEC goes green to the extreme.

Even though The Bubbles Factory in Carluke, Scotland (population 19,000), might be the greenest family entertainment center (FEC) on the planet, Martin Hannah doesn’t consider himself a staunch environmentalist. Rather, the 50-year-old owner describes himself as a “canny Scotsman,” to use the local vernacular.

“It means to be wise and cautious with your purchases,” he explains.

Hannah decided to follow a 20-year business plan for his tiny 5,000-square-foot, £1.1 million (US$1.7 million) facility. With time on his side, he opted to go green in virtually every way. Hannah knew he would spend additional money up front, but in the end it would be more profitable—and much better for the environment.

The brainstorm for The Bubbles Factory came in 2005 when he took his wife and niece to a nearby soft play center. Between the plastic garden furniture and overwhelming smell of French fries (which stuck to your clothes when you left the place, he says), the facility offered little in terms of quality to area families. “We could do it so much better,” Hannah recalls thinking.

Over the next four years, he researched, negotiated, researched some more, and acquired financing. Construction began in September 2009 on the site of an old, decrepit building in the town center; doors opened in November 2010. From concept to delivery, Hannah, who still also owns a billboard advertising company, played a major role in every part of the process—hard work that has already paid off.

People travel as far as 80 miles to visit The Bubbles Factory, which recently won the Play Providers Association’s competition for the best new indoor soft play and café in the United Kingdom.

The mix of diligent planning and use of high-end, environmentally conscious equipment, technology, and materials prove to be his magic formula for business success.

“I think it’s the clever way of doing things,” he says. “There’s a long-lasting benefit.”

Building Construction
Hannah excavated the site into a hill, removing 1,600 tons of soil that was then reused elsewhere in the community. The back of the building is actually about 15 feet underground (more on that below.)

For the construction, Hannah relied on recyclable materials, including steel beams, wall panels, flooring, the slate roof, and insulation.

Heating and Cooling
In the café area, heated water radiates in pipes under the floor and comes up to guests’ feet. Rather than a conventional radiator, this setup creates a more even distribution of heat throughout the room and uses less energy, Hannah says.

For cooling the facility, he installed a passive ventilation system. Between the structure and the hill there’s a maintenance area that doesn’t get any sunlight and contains a well of cold air all year long. A low-level vent from this well is wired to other high-level vents. So when the soft play center reaches a certain temperature, the vents automatically open incrementally and warm air naturally releases outside at the high level and draws the cool air in at the low level. This system creates gentle air movement throughout the building.

“You let nature work for you rather than against you,” Hannah notes.

Food
Hannah purchases most food from inside the town. “We try to support the local economy and local jobs,” he says, adding “low-mileage goods” result in less fuel costs and food waste. Since most items are on his doorstep, he doesn’t have to carry a huge stockpile. “We can just go down the road and pick up what we need as we need it.” Plus, fresher ingredients mean higher-quality eats, always made to order.

Kitchen
While staff in The Bubbles Factory kitchen focus on cooking top-notch food, the appliances work to save energy (and money).

Hannah owns two ovens that required a higher capital outlay but now have lower running costs. The staff uses only the one smaller oven during the slower times; when business picks up, they have greater flexibility: One oven can roast, while the other can steam. Also, the ovens automatically detect the type and size of food to determine the most appropriate cooking temperature.

The eco-friendly refrigeration unit indentifies the quantities in the fridge and freezer and adjusts its chilling accordingly. And the fryer automatically uses internal pumps to filter the oil, leading to less cross-contamination of flavors and extending the oil life by 100 percent. In addition, Hannah recycles the oil.

Lighting and Electricity
Hannah uses low-wattage lighting exclusively, and all florescent lights are zoned and dimmable. This allows output to better suit daily requirements. Also, a smart meter takes an electricity reading every 30 minutes, letting Hannah analyze usage throughout the day.

Bathroom
About 20 minutes after someone leaves the bathroom, all lights and fans turn off. They automatically flick back on when a guest opens the door. The backs of the urinals sport a flag in a golf hole emblem, giving men something to aim for. This simple trick cuts down on the “overspill” mess, Hannah says, which frees up staff maintenance time and cuts down on cleaning supplies.

The Future
With tongue firmly in cheek, Hannah has some keen ideas on ways to tap into all the busy energy of his young guests. “If someone invents a giant hamster wheel for the kids to run in, I’ll be the first to connect a dynamo to it to run the lights!” he jokes.

Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.

The Monkey’s Treehouse is under new ownership.  Jamie Ladd, Holly Pring and Leslie Carpenter became the new owners on Thursday, January 19th.  We loved The Monkey’s Treehouse so much that we bought both locations!  We are so excited to be a part of something our children love and we are so thankful to Natalie McMullen for creating such a wonderful, fun place to work and play!  We plan to make a great place even better!

Be sure to visit us on Facebook and tell all your friends to Like us!  Birthday parties are booking up fast, so call today or book online through our website www.themonkeystreehouse.com!

A $5 million indoor entertainment center under construction north of Dayton and expected to open this spring is being described as the largest in the nation.

Scene75 Entertainment Center, one exit south of the Interstate 70/75 interchange, will feature 124,000 square feet of indoor attractions, coupled with seasonal outdoor offerings.

The attractions include a full service-restaurant; two indoor bars with 70-inch HD TVs and live sports tickers; an outdoor patio with food and beverage service; an indoor electric go-kart track; a multi-level laser tag arena; an indoor bouncing inflatable arena; a redemption and video arcade; an interactive gaming theater with giant screens; two 4D theaters; four mini-bowling lanes; a 10-car bumper car system; three outdoor sand volleyball courts (with plans to expand to nine courts); two outdoor bocce courts; live fantasy sports leagues; a concession stand; eight private party rooms; and a banquet hall.

Jim “Radar” Martin, who has been the general manager at Tank’s Bar & Grill in Dayton for 25 years, will serve as the venue’s food and beverage manager and will operate the restaurant, Radar’s Bar & Grill. It will serve pretzels, nachos, burgers, pizzas and other American grill fare.

Set to open in late spring, possibly mid- to late April, Scene75 will be at 6196 Poe Ave., in a former furniture warehouse across the highway from the restaurants and motels on Miller Lane, according to Jonah Sandler. The Cincinnati native and Sycamore High School graduate, now a Dayton resident, co-owns the venue with a group of investors.

“We felt that there is a significant void in the market for something of this nature,” he said. “We felt that this was a very good opportunity with significant potential that hasn’t been accomplished within this area or even in the industry.”

Sandler, who opened Putters Par-adise at Englewood Fun Center, a miniature golf course that he designed, and the Chaos Room in Centerville, an interactive gaming theater that will have its second outpost at Scene75, said he traveled the country touring existing entertainment facilities and believes Scene75 will be the largest in the country. Industry data seem to support that claim. David Mandt, spokesperson for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), an international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities, said Scene75 would quality as what the industry calls a “family entertainment center” (FEC), which refers to any center with a variety or collection of attractions. Mandt said there are approximately 1,500 FECs in the U.S.; based on the IAAPA’s State of the Industry Survey for Family Entertainment Centers, facility sizes range from 5,000 square feet to 20 acres (factoring in both indoor and outdoor facilities), but the average size for an indoor FEC is 23,911 square feet, Mandt said.

“This is certainly a very, very large center by industry standards,” he said of Scene75’s proposed 124,000 square feet of indoor attractions.

Ben Jones, IAAPA’s FEC specialist, agreed, noting that many centers are larger than 124,000 square feet when both indoor and outdoor attractions are included; however, he said he doesn’t know of any centers with indoor offerings in that size range. By comparison, Dave & Buster’s centers tend to be in the 50,000-60,000-square-foot range, he said.

Sandler said Scene75 will cater to all ages, but it was designed with adults in mind. Patrons won’t pay an admission fee but instead will load a card with currency, which will be deducted as they use the attractions.

“We have tried to appeal to the adult audience with the belief that if we can get the adults, the kids will come,” he said. “With the amount of attractions we’re offering, we’ll be able to appeal to all audiences … whether someone is looking for a date night idea, a birthday party for kids or a corporate event.”

“We anticipate being able to attract people from 75 miles away,” he added. “With 11 or so motels across the street and 30 or so restaurants, there’s a lot of traffic in the area.”

For updates, visit the venue’s Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/Scene75.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120125/ENT/301230167/Entertainment-center-open-near-Dayton?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

Well folks we have come to that time of year where we host our spot at the worlds largest trade show for the entertainment industry… The IAAPA Attractions Show. Come see us at booth #4006.

Submit Photos of Your Facility to IAAPA and Your Attraction Could be Featured on the IAAPA WebSite!

Dear IAAPA Members,

Please consider submitting photos of your facility to us to post on our website. Your pictures may be featured as one of the rotating images on the homepage, at the top

of one of our web sections, or in various IAAPA marketing materials.

If your facility’s picture is chosen, the name and location of the facility will be listed with the picture. This will be our way of saying “thank you” as we publicize your facility to thousands of people who view our web pages each week.

Your pictures must be 750 pixels wide by 200 pixels high, 75dpi resolution in JPG format (panoramic view) in order to be considered for placement. If you’re interested in participating, please complete the online form and upload pictures of your facility.

Thanks for your consideration and we look forward to seeing your photos! If you have questions, please contact webmaster@IAAPA.org for more information.

Sincerely,

Your IAAPA Website Team.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions 1448 Duke St. Alexandria, VA 22314 | Tel: +1 703/836-4800

Waterpark coming to Norman next year

By Joy HamptonThe Norman Transcript

From Funworld, September 2o11

After operating successfully for more than seven decades, you might think the oldest family-owned roller skating rink in the United States would be satisfied to sit comfortably in place and not embark on any risky new ventures, especially during tough economic times. That is not the case with Scottie’s Skateland in Quincy, Illinois.

The facility celebrated its 75th anniversary in June, just months after opening a $2.3 million, 15,000-squarefoot expansion that turned it into a fullfledged family entertainment center (FEC), now named Scottie’s Fun Spot.

Jeff Scott, the FEC’s general manager and the grandson of Albert Scott, who founded Scottie’s Skateland in 1936, says going from a skating rink to an FEC was an idea that just kept popping up.

“We were going to the roller skating trade shows and they were all adding laser tag or play areas to their facilities,” he says, “so we looked at that and it kind of grew into what it’s become now. It just kind of snowballed because the area needed a full-fledged fun center.”

So he and his parents, Bob and Jan Scott, who own the facility, commissioned a feasibility study with Jerry Merola of Alpha-Omega Amusements. Despite the study’s positive results, securing financing as a small business was tough during a recession. “We just never gave up,” says Scott. “We believed in our project and in the feasibility study, which was well worth the money, and we finally found a banker that thought the community also needed a project like this.”

Because the Scotts had to start the expansion more modestly than would be necessary in a strong economy with easier financing, it was important that they selected the right attractions from the start. “We attended Foundations [Entertainment University] to give us a start in the process, then hired Jerry Merola,” says Scott. “We also went to the IAAPA show and to a lot of other FECs, and talked to other promoters. We went to places that had the Ballocity play systems, and I took my kids to see what they thought of it.”

In the end, the attractions they settled on included a two-story Ballocity play area from Prime Play; Highway 66 mini-bowling from QubicaAMF; a 3,700-square-foot laser tag arena from Zone Systems; Spin Zone bumper cars from Amusement Products; a Laser Frenzy laser maze; and a 65-game arcade. Scott says the FEC also went with an Embed debit card system and notes that Scottie’s Fun Spot is one of only a few FECs that allow guests to choose whether or not to use redemption tickets.

Amid all of the progress, one thing that has not changed at Scottie’s is a strictly enforced code of behavior to maintain a safe family atmosphere. The FEC does not allow muscle shirts, baggy pants, bandannas, hoodies with the hoods up, foul language, or borrowing money from other patrons. “My grandfather had a lot of ‘tough ship’ rules!” asserts Scott. “On a Friday night, we keep a book on kids we kick out, and if we have to call a deputy, we take a picture and put them in a book.”

Scott says his only real concern now is that the operation has no outdoor attractions. So in 2012, the facility will embark on the second phase of its expansion, which will include go-karts and minigolf.www.scottiesfunspot.com

Jumping soon to a mall near you

Jump A Roos, set to open this July in the Southland Mall in Cutler Bay, says it will be Miami’s largest indoor inflatable play area.

LEDWINS@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Many thanks to Beth Standlee and her staff at TrainerTainment for highlighting Party Center Software in their most recent newsletter!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/When-Selling-CLICKS.html?soid=1101205010203&aid=FPS6GsX3bsE

TrainerTainment is a training company that services the Family Entertainment and other hospitality–driven markets who want to improve their sales teams, products, and guest service ability. Our company focuses on sales training in order to enhance promotions, events, birthday party programs, team building, and all other corporate and group outings. Developing people and teaching businesses how to create a thriving sales culture through great customer service are our primary goals.

- Justin Falls, Communications Director/Client Relations