The developers behind a proposed Legoland theme park in Dubai have insisted the project will still go ahead despite delays brought about by the emirate’s economic slowdown.

The project is a partnership between UK-based attractions operator Merlin Entertainments Group and Dubailand developers Tatweer. It was originally scheduled to open in 2011.
“Given the current situation in the region work on the project has been delayed, but both Merlin and our local partners remain entirely committed to building a Legoland Park in Dubai,” a spokesperson from Merlin told Arabian Business this week.

In May 2008, Merlin, the world’s second largest visitor attraction operator, announced a strategic alliance with Tatweer, a member of Dubai Holdings, to create Legoland Dubailand.

The AED912m ($248.28m) project was to occupy a total of three million square feet inside Dubailand, Tatweer said in a statement in May 2008. The park was billed as the first Legoland park to be built outside of North America and Europe and was to include more than 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions.

In June 2008, Merlin’s CEO Nick Varney told Leisure Manager magazine that the company was “very interested” in working with Tatweer to set up a Dubai branch of the famous Madame Tussauds waxworks museum.

However, the spokesperson added that Merlin now had “no plans at the moment” to pursue setting up the museum.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something … boo! With warm weather in the forecast, theme parks are opening around the country, taking advantage of the latest technology to unveil new attractions, update old favorites and create more immersive experiences.

“You’re dealing with a generation now that’s grown up with video games as opposed to just TV and movies,” says Robert Niles, editor of ThemeParkInsider.com. “They’re used to a certain level of interactivity with their entertainment.”

Depending on your tastes and travel plans, the following parks are definitely putting the active in interactive:

Six Flags Great America
This weekend, the popular park in Gurnee, Ill., will unveil MagiQuest, the first theme-park-based outlet of the popular live-action/interactive attraction. Upon entering the 10,000-square-foot game space, visitors can purchase a “magic” (okay, wireless-equipped) wand that unlocks more than 80 special effects. Along they way, they tackle challenges, navigate multiple game levels and try to defeat the dragon and save the princess. Open weekends through May 9, then daily May 12–Aug. 29.

Kings Island
Long known for its kid-friendly focus, this park in Mason, Ohio, heads into ghostbuster territory with Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, its newest interactive ride. Rolling through various dungeons and graveyards, riders are confronted by legions of ghosts and demons, but can fight back courtesy of their car-mounted lasers. Optional 3-D glasses enhance the effects while scoreboards track your boo-blasting ability. Open Friday–Sunday through May 23, then daily through the summer.

Silver Dollar City

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, this 1880s-style theme park in Branson, Mo., honors Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and water fighters everywhere with a new, $7 million ride called Tom & Huck’s RiverBlast.
Legoland plans to open a new 5.5-acre water park by Memorial Day.
Guests board eight-person rafts and ride down a 570-foot river channel, doing super-soaker battle with passengers on other rafts, shore-based sharpshooters and targets that occasionally shoot back. At the end, a giant drier is available to blow everybody dry. The park is open Wednesday–Sunday through May 16, then daily.

Legoland
This soon-to-debut water park at Legoland California may not be interactive in the usual sense, but it’ll definitely be immersive. Occupying 5.5 acres at the north end of the resort, the attraction will feature water slides for one to six people, a zoo-themed water play area for toddlers and a variety of LEGO characters that spray and splash water. Guests will also be able to float a lazy river on rafts they design themselves. Management hopes to open the floodgates for Memorial Day.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Transatlantic airfare not in the budget this year? If so, the new Europe in the Air attraction at Busch Gardens Williamsburg may be the next best thing. Combining a 59-seat motion simulator and large high-definition screen, visitors will find themselves swooping over the likes of Stonehenge, Neuschwanstein Castle and the Colosseum. Alas, although the park is currently open — Friday–Sunday through May 30, then daily through Labor Day — Europe in the Air won’t take flight until sometime next month.

INTERACTIVE
The world’s wackiest theme parks
These pioneering playgrounds are stepping further into the realm of the bizarre.

Disneyland
He’s ba-a-a-ck. Thirteen years after he left the stage at Tomorrowland, Michael Jackson’s space-age alter ego Captain EO has returned to Disneyland. A groundbreaking achievement at the time (brought to you by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola no less), the 17-minute 3-D movie will serve as a nostalgia trip for some, an introduction for others and a chance to see the late King of Pop before he became Wacko Jacko.

Universal Studios Hollywood
Speaking of return engagements, another iconic character will make a comeback this summer when Universal Studios unveils King Kong 360 3-D, the high-tech successor to the animatronic attraction destroyed by fire in 2008. As part of the studio’s tram tour, guests will encounter physical stimuli (wind, water, gorilla breath), 3-D effects (flying raptors and snarling dinosaurs) and, of course, the big fella himself as he does battle with that toothsome T. rex. Alas, the official opening is a vague “Summer 2010.”

Patriot Place
Although it’s not a theme park per se, this shopping, dining and entertainment complex in Foxborough, Mass., is going interactive this summer with Espionage, an hour-long, walk-through adventure experience set to open in July. Working in groups, visitors role-play as secret agents in order to solve puzzles, complete tasks and undertake missions that change based on their decisions. A second immersive experience based on Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is expected to go live in August.

Universal Orlando
Finally, unless you’ve been living in utter Muggle oblivion, you’ve probably heard about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the new attraction dedicated to everybody’s favorite boy wizard. Located at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, it’ll feature, among other things, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a combination tour/ride that will take visitors through the halls of Hogwarts, past the Whomping Willow and into the thick of things in a hotly contested Quidditch match. The magic — actually, it’s advanced robotics and 360-degree filmmaking — begins June 18.

Read it here

Attendance at theme parks in the United Kingdom rose 12 percent between 2004 and 2009, and revenue increased 27 percent, according to a market research organization. Average per capita revenue increased from £20 (US$30.75) in 2004 to £23 (US$35.31) last year. Merlin Entertainments dominates the U.K. industry, with its attractions accounting for almost 60 percent of admissions and 70 percent of revenues.

Revenue growth has outstripped rising admissions as operators make the most of the trend to visit attractions in the UK.

A recent ad campaign to promote the delights of Blackpool made full use of the similarity between its famous Tower and the somewhat bigger one in Paris to which it was built in homage. But there has always been more to the Lancashire seaside resort than Victorian engineering, and now its attractions are to be regenerated. Merlin Entertainments, the UK’s leading theme park operator, is being brought in to help with the process.
ADVERTISEMENT

The company, which counts Legoland, Alton Towers and the London Dungeon among its portfolio of attractions, posted strong results for 2009 – like-for-like sales up more than 6% year on year – despite delaying plans for stock market flotation.

Indeed, the theme park industry has come through the recession relatively unscathed: between 2004 and 2009 revenues grew by 27%, according to Mintel, with admissions up 12% over the same period.

Revenue growth has outstripped admissions as operators have added extras to increase revenue potential from visitors. As a result, people have increased their spending on premium tickets or virtual queuing options to avoid long waits for the rides.

Last year, theme park revenues reached £315m, with admissions at 13.8m. The average revenue per visitor has increased from £20 in 2004 to £23 last year. However, people are being more cautious with secondary spending once inside the parks: it dipped slightly as visitors have been bringing in their own food rather than using the restaurants on site, as well as cutting back on souvenirs.

The sector has benefited from sustained investment from the operators and has been well-placed to make the most of the trend for cash-strapped consumers to stay in the UK for their holidays in the form of more day trips and shorter breaks. Holidays in the UK, by UK residents, increased 17% in the year to October 2009, according to VisitEngland, while outbound travel by UK residents declined by 15%.

With families providing the backbone of visitors to theme parks, peak activity centres on two key trading periods -the Easter and summer school holidays. Advertising spend and promotion are, accordingly, focused on these periods, as the winter weather in the UK means that most outside attractions have to close down during those months.

The market benefits from high numbers of repeat visitors: 23% of those who visited a park in 2009 were returning visitors.

Higher overheads, such as electricity prices and staffing costs, have had an impact on the attractions’ operating margins. Staffing levels are high in theme parks and wage bills and staffing costs account for 20%-33% of turnover.

Although a high number of attractions compete with theme parks, there are fewer than 20 major parks in the UK. However, those in the South East in particular face added competition from European parks; Disneyland Paris attracts more UK visitors than most domestic parks except Alton Towers.

Merlin Entertainments dominates the UK scene, with its parks accounting for almost 60% of admissions and 70% of revenues. It has invested in its attractions with new rides, and its strategy of providing accommodation has also proved popular – all its parks now have a hotel or are seeking planning permission to add one.

Its Alton Towers park is the most popular in the UK – more than half of all adults have visited – followed by Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland.

Flamingo Land, the combined theme park and zoo in North Yorkshire, is the biggest independent operator. Meanwhile, Drayton Manor in Staffordshire added Thomas Land, based on the Tank Engine character, to its park in 2008 to appeal to younger children and extend its season; as a result, admissions and revenue jumped by a third in 2008.

Looking at future growth of the market, by 2014 Mintel predicts visitor numbers will reach 15m – up 9% on 2009 – and revenue will reach £374m. Although this equates to a 19% rise in revenue over the five-year period, when inflation is taken into account it means the market remains static.

Read it here

We will be in a large 20×20 booth. Our booth number is #1012.  Take a minute to find our booth here . Scroll down to PartyCenterSoftware.com. Find our booth on the floor plan and stop by at the show!

Location
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida, USA

Conference: Monday – Friday, November 15-19, 2010
Trade Show: Tuesday – Friday, November 16-19, 2010

For more information on the Expo visit IAAPA

Behold the Clydesdales, artfully sculpted of canned goods — chili hot beans, black-eyed peas and beef broth — right down to their feathered hooves.

“How did they do that?” seemed to be the question of the day at the “Canstruction” exhibit at the Missouri History Museum, as visitors marveled at the Anheuser-Busch icons — should we say icans? — pulling a beer wagon fashioned from cans of tuna, vegetables and tomato sauce.

While Mackey Mitchell Architects get the credit for this canned version of St. Louis’ favorite draft horses, “Canstruction” also features other creative takes on local landmarks: a solidly built James S. McDonnell Planetarium by Arcturis; the St. Louis Zoo’s Zooline Railroad by McClure Engineering; a behemoth Bevo Mill by the National Association of Women in Construction; a paddle-wheeler on a river of bottles of water by the RJN Group.

Ten teams of architects, engineers and students participated in this year’s local competition of “Canstruction,” a unique national charity sponsored by the Society for Design Administration that collects canned goods for food pantries.

More than 50,000 cans will be donated this year to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry and the St. Louis Area Foodbank, said Vickie Hayden, accounts manager for Randy Burkett Lighting Design Inc., who has chaired the local event for the past four years.

Hayden said local food pantries are seeing a continuing rise in need, driven by lingering unemployment. She schedules “Canstruction” in the spring when local pantries traditionally run low on supplies collected during fall and holiday food drives.

“Hunger is not about a holiday — hunger is every minute of every second of our lives,” she said.

Hayden noted that even though the architectural and engineering industry has been hard hit by the recession it hasn’t stopped firms from participating.

Her own passion for “Canstruction” is deeply personal. She was 10 years old when her father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He lived for just nine months, and after his death her family was forced to seek help from local charities.

“We went from being a normal-income family to having to be on food stamps,” Hayden said. “You know how you used to live, and now you’re having to go to food pantries.”

In addition to donating canned food at the exhibit, area residents can drop off donations at local Honda dealerships, America’s Incredible Pizza Company franchises and customer centers of Charter Communications. Save A Lot Food Stores will match donations, pound per pound. For more information, go to www.canstructionstl.com .

[Springfield, MO] – March 25, 2010 – Region VII of the Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded Rick and Cheryl Barsness founders of America’s Incredible Pizza Company the Entrepreneurial Success Award. The award is earned for a business that started small and grew to become a successful large business.

Rick and Cheryl will be honored by the SBA in their home state of Missouri along with other Regional Entrepreneurs and Regional Champion category winners later in the year. One winner from each of the categories from the 10 SBA regions will be named a National winner and honored at SBA’s Small Business Week 2010, held May 23 through 29 in Washington, DC.

In 2008, America’s Incredible Pizza Company (AIPC) was named a “Top Family Entertainment Center of the World” (TFEC) from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), which places it among one of the top five entertainment centers in the world. Also in 2008 they were rated the 456th fastest growing company in the United States by the Inc 500. Additionally, AIPC was rated 12th with a 693.1% growth rate in the Inc.Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies category.

America’s Incredible Pizza Company is a ‘50s-themed Family Entertainment Center with eighteen existing locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mexico. The all-indoor, smoke-free and alcohol-free facilities feature large, freshly-made pizza, pasta, salad, soup, homestyle food and dessert buffets, plus attractions including go-kart racing (most locations), Route 66 mini golf, mini-bowling, laser tag (some locations), bumper cars, and 100+ video and redemption games. The company is headquartered in Springfield, MO.

Rick Barsness, CEO of America’s Incredible Pizza Company noted, “We credit our growth and popularity to striving for excellence in all areas that we serve and in always living up to our motto, Great Food, Fun, Family & Friends. Our stores create jobs and support all areas of the community. We donate thousands of dollars to area non-profits, charities, and schools to aid them in fundraising. We provide families and organizations incredible family entertainment and phenomenal food while giving back to their communities.”

Additional information may be found online at: www.incrediblepizza.com

IPC combines an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet with “family themed games”, including go-karts, video games, and mini-golf….what more could a 12-year-old ask for?!

Between Boondocks, Chuck E. Cheese, Cow-a-bunga Water Park and the Incredible Pizza Company, you’ll no longer need to take the kids to Disneyland, just Draper.

On the bright side, the IPC will be providing over 100 full and part time jobs to Draperians. And hey, who can resist all-you-can-eat pizza?

1.5 days of Party Training Fun including training for group sales and everything birthdays!

When: March 23-24, 2010
Where: Boomers in Irvine
3405 Michelson Drive
Irvine, CA 92612

See the full flyer here

Winner – Best UK Family Entertainment Centre at Play Providers ASPIRE Award 2008
Winner – Best UK Family Entertainment Centre at Play Providers ASPIRE Award 2009
Silver – Best UK Family Entertainment Centre at Play Providers ASPIRE Award 2009
Bronze – Brand of the Year at Play Providers ASPIRE Award 2009

It only takes one look at their facility to see why they won! Take a moment and watch the YouTube video… in a few short minutes you’ll find yourself heading towards London.  This doesn’t take in to consideration their friendly staff. While Kidspace was initially getting started with Party Center Software, in both locations, I had the pleasure of communicating  with Nick, Co-owner of Kidspace. If his employees are anything like him you will feel right at home at either facility. Kidspace stays true to the slogan “We don’t stop playing becayse we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” After watching their videos and looking at what their facility has to offer, I found myself eager to get over to London and try out their facility. Kidspace offers indoor softplay, kart track, kids gym, toddle sensory area, party zone, and thunderball city. Visit http://www.kidspaceadventures.com/ to see everything that they have to offer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSSkwgkzM9k&NR=1[/youtube]

About ASPIRE Awards

The Play Providers Association (PPA) ASPIRE Awards is the “Awards for the Play Industry Recognising Excellence” and are designed to provide a focal point in the indoor play calendar and unite the sector recognising those operators who are making great leaps , taking the industry forward and operating outstanding centres. The ASPIRE awards take place annually in September and are linked with the Leisure Industry Week show

The Sacoa PlayCard System is easy to use, comfortable and friendly for both the customer and staff.
Basically, system works like this: Customers buy a card (either from a self service kiosk or a human-operated cashier station) and add any amount of value they wish on it.  By swiping the card at the readers placed on every game they activate each machine. Every game may be priced individually and prices may be changed according to specific time/date schedules.

Control & Reliability
The Sacoa PlayCard System allows management of any number of facilities, from large outdoor parks to small stores, with ease and efficiency. It gives the operator full control of the store, both in terms of management, control and security. All Sacoa PlayCard customers agree that the system is a peerless tool, extremely reliable, flexible and versatile.

Management Information & Marketing tools
The system offers prompt reporting and rich auditing features, enabling better decision-making based on hard facts. Managers’ time is freed to cater to customer needs, motivate personnel and general operational oversight.
Its unique features designed for creating promotions and marketing strategies allow the operator to implement promotional policies and discount offers to ensure customer satisfaction and enhance customer loyalty.

Sales Increase & Expansion Rate acceleration
The Sacoa PlayCard System contributes to the sales of every location where it is installed -sometimes way beyond customer’s expectations- and helps eliminate hidden operational costs. Revenue increase together with elimination of cash float generally offset a substantial part of the debit card system installation. Performance has repeatedly been reported as a key factor for immediate increase in the rate of expansion of chain stores.

One of Sacoa PlayCard System’s advantages lies in its having been created and designed based on actual needs of the industry. The system is constantly being updated and improved, and has never incurred the usual errors some competitors have had to deal with. This, together with the company’s policy of letting the customers’ needs dictate the features of the system is paying off, both for customers and for Sacoa. New developments enhance the original features that made Sacoa PlayCard the leading system, such as ultra-flexible pricing, VIP pricing, Time based play, world class customer support and Sacoa’s policy of no-charge, unlimited support and upgrade.
Sacoa POS: The traditional Sacoa cashier station has been redesigned into a full-blown POS terminal, with an extensible, user-definable and friendly touch-screen interface. This unit is now capable not only of selling and recharging cards, but retail merchandise as well. Furthermore, it allows payment in cash, credit card and tender.

Plug-in Integration: The versatile plug-in enhanceable Sacoa POSserver allows our customers to keep their in-house POS system and have it manage the operation of the Sacoa System transparently. Plug-ins have been implemented for various custom requirements such as enabling payment by posting a transaction to a hotel guest account via their Timelox room key, automated downstream data injection to corporate data warehouses and accounting systems, etc.

Redemption Management: A high-end redemption management and inventory control system has also been integrated with the system. It implements an extremely streamlined workflow, based on wireless bar-code scanners, enabling multiple attendants to simultaneously take care of several customers each. The back-of house portion of this system implements full multi-warehouse company-wide inventory control with automated entry of received merchandise information.

E-Ticket Adapter: The E-Ticket Adapter allows games to issue “E-Tickets” or paper tickets. The PlayCard E-Ticket Adapter can simulate and control standard ticket-dispensing mechanisms, keep track of tickets awarded by games and can optionally credit them to the player’s card.  The E-Ticket Adapter can also be used to prevent tickets from being dispensed under certain circumstances, such as birthday parties.

Amusement Parks solutions: The needs of amusement parks have also been taken into account, and the system now offers an incredible array of features that enable pay-as-you-go as well as passport-based ride access and access control in any combination.
The Sacoa PlayCard System has been installed in some of the most successful Amusement Parks in the world -such as Wonderland Park (Dubai), Al Sha’ab Leisure Park (Kuwait),  La Gran Aventura (Colombia), Vulqano Park (Ecuador), Hawally Park (Kuwait), Jungleland (Saudi Arabia)-
resulting in a 20% to 30% increase in revenue due to the system’s strong marketing features designed to enhance customer loyalty.

Reservations Management: An easily customizable and fully integrated facilities management / party setup subsystem is now also available. It allows scheduling of facilities, resource rental, batch creation of guest cards with any desired set of gaming credits and/or entitlements, etc.

Customer Registration Management: A set of tools that enable a customer’s web-design team to create sites for customer registration, remote card recharge and demographic analysis has also been released.

New Sacoa PlayCard Wireless System: This is a simple and fast solution that needs no wires run to or from the games or turnstiles, since the information is transferred between the server and the controllers within the games through the Sacoa Access Points distributed through out the store. It is fully compatible with wired operation (operation and functionality of the system as a whole is independent of the connection method), and it offers inexpensive and fast installation, ideal for traveling fairs and amusement parks.

On top of all this, the Sacoa PlayCard System includes additional services at no extra cost, such as the design of the electrical and system network wiring for games and cashier stations; Marketing Consulting (price strategies, discounts and strategic alliances with other companies); employee training on the system’s operation (from cashier operators to administrative staff and managers); free software upgrades and new developments for the PlayCard System; and a 24/7 technical support help desk.

Furthermore, the company offers its know-how on FEC management for optional services such as selection of an ideal mix of simulators, videogames, redemption games, kiddy rides and family rides; game layout design; assembly, installation and programming of the games at the FEC; design and development of the redemption operation and development of training procedures for specific staff.

by Frank “The Crank” Seninsky

Bowling centers have always had games, but not like this. In the past few years, cutting-edge bowling centers have increasingly undergone “Extreme Location Makeovers” (to paraphrase the title of ABC’s hit TV show).

Today’s bowling centers are installing coin-operated games (primarily redemption equipment) and traditional FEC attractions front and center because they have realized the earnings potential of this genre. In mixed-use bowling/FEC sites, amusement games along can generate $200,000 to $750,000 gross incremental income annually. In larger facilities, fame revenues can exceed $1 million.

These figures have caught the bowling industry’s attention, since league play has seen a steady decline in recent decades.

The industry’s new catchphrase, “casual bowling” is replacing the dated “open play” title. Two years ago at Bowl Expo, Joe Schumacker, president of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, showed a revenue vs. time graph of league and open play revenue. He pointed out the month and year where the “open play uphill revenue curve” crossed the “league bowling downhill revenue curve,” and predicted that the figures would continue moving away from each other over the next several years. Joe’s graph and prediction, etched in my mind, has been right on target.

Aging 1960s-era bowling facilities are remaking themselves, and new facilities are being built at a rate of approximately 1200 lane beds yearly – and both are focusing on amusement facilities as much as bowling lanes. Lanes still take up more square footage, but it’s no longer a 90% to 10% square-footage ratio. Importantly, management knows that amusements contribute greatly to the bottom line – even though bowling remains the anchor attraction.

A related trend is that bowling itself is making a comeback. Statistics show that more then 70 million Americans bowl each year; statistics aren’t available for how many Americans visit an FEC each year. But in my mind, these figures indicate that the bowling-FEX transition will continue the foreseeable future.

Food and beverage sales increase substantially when you run a bowling center with an FEC. The combination also provides a great dynamic, because many bowling centers have liquor licenses. By adding the amusement component, you create the ultimate win-win situation: a bowling-anchored FEC wrapped around an adult entertainment center.

Today, new bowling centers typically have 24 to 36 new lanes (with four or more lanes separated and labeled as “VIP” lanes). At 1,200 lanes yearly, that means we’re seeing up to 40 new centers arriving each year – one every nine days – at a cost of $6 to $12 million each.

The amusements industry can view these trends as a threat or an opportunity. This summer’s vibrant Bowl Expo took place in June at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. It drew more than 5,000 visitors and had the greatest participation by amusement manufactures, distributors and operators I’ve seen yet – all viewing the industry’s transformation as an opportunity. These industry pros market themselves as experts who can help drive the newly discovered amusement dollars.

My redemption seminar at Bowl Expo was a standing-room-only affair, with more than 100 participants. I walked away from the show with 79 new business prospects, all wanting help adding to or expanding FECs in their bowling centers.

Interestingly, the revenue of the “bowling-incorporates-FEC” trend is also taking place. A growing number of FECs are installing six to 10 regulation bowling lanes as amusement attractions, and adding mini-bowling lanes as coin-op attractions.

Many existing bowling centers see one problem with adding an FEC component: a lack of space to create a good-size fun center. Most older bowling centers have the same basic setup: a small gameroom with a dozen games (mostly video and cranes), a snack bar, a pro shop, a manager’s office and a billiards area. Until recently, they have avoided redemption, shrugging their shoulders while saying, “We don’t have space.”

Things are now different. My team finds bowling center executives receptive after explaining how we can create the space necessary. It can be done by moving the pro shop and the manager’s office, which often hog the prime spots in the facility. We can find even more square footage by knocking down non-bearing and half walls. We can expand available room for family amusements by removing non-earning or low-earning pool tables (pool income has dropped 60% in some bowling centers because of smoking bans). We can open more footage by eliminating lockers, and by transforming the central desk where people rent lanes, to double as a redemption prize counter. When we suggest these changes, the response is often: “Okay, let’s all do that.”

In some cases – actually, in many cases – we suggest an even more radical step. We recommend removing a few of the “sacred cows” – the bowling lanes. A few years ago, this would have been sacrilege. Today, progressive executives know that this remodeling can actually increase revenues from the remaining lanes. Why? Because a bowling anchored FEC will attract a wider demographic than a traditional bowling center, and this wider demographic is willing to spend more money per visit than the traditional league bowler.

This seems obvious in retrospect, but to some bowling executives locked in the old mindset, it’s a difficult concept to wrap the mind around. As Einstein once said, “Genius is the art of recognizing the obvious.” Why does building up the FEC component result in a broader demographic and thus, more earnings for a bowling center?

The answer is simple: Expanding to redemption games means that you are now in the birthday party business, the group sales business, and lock-in party business (think Prom Night) and the “fun business.”

If redemption and family trade is the secret of the bowling center renaissance, the all-powerful American Mom – world’s most influential consumer – is the secret behind the secret. Bowling center managers used to say, “I don’t want little kids running around my facility. I don’t want my center looking like a carnival. I don’t want birthday parties because the noise would bother my league bowlers.” Now more successful bowling executives say, “I want all the family business we can get.”

The number of bowling leagues and their volume of revenue have both been declining for many years. But it probably takes any industry 10 years before recognizing and admitting it has a problem – this holds true for amusement industry, skating industry and other single-anchor leisure industries. It’s now obvious to the “geniuses” of the leisure market that, while league play remains an important segment, it’s no longer the main money generator.

Leagues used to control every bowling center in America. They demanded when they wanted to bowl, and management caved in because league captains said if they didn’t get exclusive lane access of Friday nights and all weekend, they would take their patronage elsewhere. Bowling executives now can tell league captains, “If you want to go elsewhere, fine. But if you want to bowl here, you must run your leagues on my slow nights, because weekends are for open play – since that is where I make most of my money.”

We have seen a drastic attitude shift from bowling center executives. Their new outlook is based on “catering to customers and giving them what the want,” not “giving customers what the bowling center thinks they should have.” They are not only installing FEC components, but also taking an aggressive stance toward marketing, online promotions and technology. Furthermore, they have made Cosmic Bowling (with blacklights and huge video monitors) a late-night staple for teens and 20-somethings. As a result, many bowling centers now stay open – and busy – until 2:00AM.

The industry’s leading executives also realize that a birthday party does not have to include two games of bowling, which was a mandatory part of the package until a few years ago. This policy cost the centers a great deal of potential business. I have seen young children actually cry at birthday parties over this issue; the kids bowled three frames (all gutterballs) and then lost interest. But parents insisted that (because they had paid for it) that the kids must continue to bowl “or else.” Now, there is a much bigger buck to be made by putting emphasis on games and FEC attraction, and letting the kids bowl as much (or as little) as they wish.

Once space for amusements opens up in a bowling center, what should be installed beside redemption games and a prize counter? Where feasible, it’s a good idea to put in FEC attractions. Popular choices include soft modular play arenas like Ballocity, made by Prime Play (a division of Whitewater Industries), which is a “dry waterpark” version of the tipping bucket made of nerf-type balls. Other successful elements include laser tag, rock climbing walls, bumper cars and kiddie rides, among a host of other FEC components and attractions.

Growth and change in the bowling industry is taking place largely, although far from exclusively, in new standalone facilities and smaller local chains – and it is lead by a new generation of owners and executives.

Larger chains are slowly catching up, but it’s a challenge because the investment required to transform hundreds of centers can be staggering. But the Bowling Proprietors Association of America does have a Young Guns Committee of up-and-comers (the sons and daughters of the “old guard”) who are leading the charge to revamp and upgrade the classic American bowling center.

This dramatic change that embraces FECs is occurring against a backdrop of a somewhat stagnating base of independent, mom-and-pop bowling center owners. They resemble many of today’s amusement machine operators. They entered the business 30, 40 or 50 years ago. They are risk-averse and many are looking forward to retirement. (To a bowling proprietor or to an operator, “retirement” could mean only working 40 hours weekly.) They may not want to hear new ideas, and may strongly resist changing how they do business.

Instead – again, like many older operators – their plan is to keep doing what they’ve always done on what they’ve got and sell the business a few years down the line. In many cases, the real estate they’re sitting on is more valuable than the bowling business. Others are signatories to 30-year leases that are about to expire, and the landlords have other plans for the property.

But these grizzled bowling executives also share one powerful strength with the established, older generation of successful: their debt is low. They can get money for expansion easily, in the form of a lone of credit for $500,000 or $1 million in 24 hours or less. Few entrepreneurs who seek to enter the bowling of FEC business for the first time can command that kind of capital.

In addition, they know how to read a P&L sheet, and know that when a new-generation bowling executive opens an FEC-style bowling center across town, the drop in revenues isn’t a fluke. They know they can either upgrade and compete or advance their retirement plans by a few years.

This understanding can often encourage older owners to draw upon and invest this readily available capital. When that happens, they make great partners for a consultant or a forward-thinking operator who knows how to add a profitable FEC component. Otherwise, the older generation can sell their facilities to the young guns, who will happily “green-light” an amusements-oriented makeover.

FEC specialists who market themselves to bowling centers should be prepared to overcome many preconceived notions. Among them:
• Bowling is the reason the center exist.
• League bowlers control the house.
• We have no space for games.
• Games bring in the wrong element.
• Videogames and traditional street operators are the only option for coin-op.
• We serve alcohol and we don’t want little kids around.
• My videogames are bringing in $300 to $600 every two weeks, so amusement income is maximized; it’s impossible for a single game to make $200 a week.
• We operate on quarters; what are tokens?

Fortunately, there are answers to these objections. Most of them are spelled m-o-n-e-y, and there is plenty to go around for forward-thinking bowling executives and amusement professionals alike. It’s time to strike out and look for that perfect game.

Unfortunately many business owners do not understand that they probably need an insurance broker that specializes in that field to understand all the exposures that the business owner might face.  The difference from an agent and a broker is that an agent represents the company; a broker represents the business owner.

What an insurance specialist brings to the table, if they are a broker, is someone that knows your exposures, knows the insurance companies that are players in your industry that can provide you with these three important things:

1. The best coverage’s
2. The least amount of exclusions
3. The best price

What you are looking for is a broker that can provide A B and C that specializes in your field of business.

How do I know that the agent/broker is a specialist?  You will want to use these five important qualifying questions:

1. Look on the internet, Google “insurance for (Your type of business) and see who pops up.  Not just the highlighted pay per click ones.
2. Contact the agent/broker and ask how many other businesses like yours do they currently insure?  Look for a minimum of 10-20 businesses.
3. Ask how long they have been insuring this type of business.  Look for a minimum of 3-5 years.
4. Ask for some names of current customers.  Get at least 2-5 and call the customers for their opinion of this agent/broker.  They will tell you the truth!
5. Ask if they are licensed to write insurance in your state.  Ask for proof or check on your state Department of Insurance website.  If their name does not show up, do not use them and move on.  You will want to see a Property/Casualty and Life/Health license that is active.

Larry Cossio is a licensed agent/broker in all 50 states for 30 years.  He specializes in business insurance for several specialty niche markets.  He travels all over the USA as a speaker on insurance issues for several industries.  Larry Cossio is the owner of Cossio Insurance Agency aka The CIA with his wife Marcela Cossio.  www.cossioinsurance.com

Larry Cossio
Cossio Insurance Agency
107 Old Laurens Rd
Simpsonville, SC 29681
864-688-0121
864-688-0138 fax
larry@cossioinsurance.com

America’s Incredible Pizza is reported to be on schedule for the opening of its newest location in Davenport, Iowa, at the end of the month.

The nostalgic 1950s themed facility features an all-you-can-eat buffet including pizza, pasta, salad, home-style cooking and dessert bars along with an extensive family themed games and attractions centre.

The new 38,000sq.ft FEC located in Davenport’s Spring Village shopping centre will be all indoor, smoke and alcohol free and offers seating for hundreds of people.
Four 50s themed dining rooms will complement the facility with private rooms available for birthday parties, corporate meetings and other group events.

The fairgrounds game room will contain attractions such as laser tag, mini-bowling, mini-golf, bumper cars and nearly 100 video and redemption games.
Rick Barsness, CEO of America’s Incredible Pizza Company, commented: “We’ve been humbled at the excitement the Quad Cities has expressed to us in coming to this area.

“We invest millions in bringing our concept to life when we build a new location and we’re excited about hiring over 100 local workers to help us make this family friendly entertainment facility a reality in the Quad Cities area.”

You will notice that paintball birthday parties for 10 year olds always seem to have a younger brother or sister that wants to join the party. I had my boys playing at 5 and 7 years old. No problem, you will need some extra guidelines for training purposes and how to run the games.

You will need at least 2 refs on the field, and I would recommend at least 2 parents on the field to help, the more the merrier. Why you ask? You want the parents to interact with their kids and to assist in refereeing to make sure the masks stay down and the kids have a good time. You will want your refs telling the kids where to shoot, when to shoot, when to hide and not to allow the kids to advance past the 40 yd line.

You provide chest protectors, neck protectors, two pod packs and gloves for all participants besides the mask. Kids look like they are on Star Wars which is cool! Why you ask? If the kids feel no pain during play they will want to come back sooner. It also shows that you care about the safety of the game for all players. Why the 2 pod pack? Protection for the groin area and to hold extra paint, I will get to that later. You might want to have beanie hats to purchase if the child has a real small head to assist in fitting the masks.

You tape off the field so that the kids can not go past the 40 yard line with caution tape. Why you ask? This is to provide a visual safety barrier for the kids and adults.

Ok, you do not play capture the flag with kids, you play a time limit, 10 minute games. They do not care, the just want to pull the trigger and shoot. You can have a target, 3 ft x 3 ft on a pole that you move from left side to right side of the field, one for each side and count the number of hits on the target for which team wins that game. Move the target from right side to left side to allow all the kids a chance to shoot the target. Clean the hits off the targets after each game. They still can get shot out by the opposing team so they have to stay behind the bunkers.

Do not allow them to cross the 40 yard line, this provides at least 60-90 feet of distance to allow the paintballs to lose velocity. Have the guns chronographed at 250 fps for the kids party.

Now how do you make money? Well our birthday package was $255 for 10 kids with one case of paint included. Filling up the 10 hoppers used the first case of paint. Then the kids wanted paint for the two pod packs so the parents would purchase another case of paint as all the kids would want to be equal. Now our experience was that our refs would coach the kids on when to move to another bunker, when to shoot, when to stay protected as someone was shooting at them, when to look left or right. The kids would jump from behind the bunker, shoot 5-10 shots, jump behind the bunker again and never hit anything but LOVED the experience. Of course they would ask the refs “Did I hit them?” I do not think that an opposing team was ever hit, sometimes they shot their own players in the back and sometimes the refs or netting got shot! The kids would go crazy on the trigger and empty the hopper, then the two pods and run out of paint EVERY game. So the parents would buy another case of paint! Some parties ended up with 4-5 cases of paint as the kids were having so much fun and screaming with laughter, the parents were able to see their kids having fun so the cost of the extra paint was usually covered by different parents.

Our refs received nice tips because the kids were well taken care of. The refs would clean the kids up if there was paint or splatter, clean the goggles between play, fill up the hoppers so all the kids would be ready to play in 10 minutes. Quick turnaround allowed the kids to play several games in the 1-2 hour time frame of the birthday party. Of course special attention was given to the birthday child with a t shirt and all the staff acknowledging the birthday child.

We designed a pvc netted bunker for the referees and parents to stand inside of to protect them from being hit by stray balls. Go to www.weekendwarriorsportz.com to see that product. They worked out great!

Now every party purchased at least one more case of paint. So you had at least $55 extra in paint purchases, the refs made sure that they were getting liquids, most parents purchased Gatorade or water for their kids, so figure another $10 in drinks. So your party for 10 brought in $255 + $55 + $10= $320. Your cost basis, 2 refs at $10 hr for 4 hours (includes set up and clean up) $80 + 2 cases of paintballs $35 = $70 plus Co2 $5 and a birthday tshirt with your field name on it $10 totals $165. Your net income for one birthday party with 10 kids $320 – $165 = $155 for 1-2 hours. You should be able to do a minimum of 2 per day, that brings in $620 each weekend in profit, times 30 weekends per year is $18,600 per year. Now that gives you 10 kids for your database with each party which totals 1200 players wit birthdays that you can market to……….. what if they purchase some paintball products from you???

Now there are a zillion kids 5-9 that you have not tapped into for your business, do it safely, and you will LOVE the repeat business and the increased income.

Larry Cossio has been the leader in insurance for the paintball industry for over 12 years. He has owned a paintball field and a family fun center that had paintball so he brings first hand knowledge to the table.

http://www.paintballinsurance.com/

Larry Cossio
Cossio Insurance Agency
107 Old Laurens Rd
Simpsonville, SC 29681
864-688-0121
864-688-0138 fax
larry@cossioinsurance.com