Indianapolis, IN – March 1, 2011 – The International Laser Tag Association (ILTA) today announces the resignation of Executive Director Shane Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman served the ILTA as Executive Director for the past 8 years, Assistant Director for 5 years, and Product Fullfilment Manager for 2 years, totalling 15 years at the ILTA.

The Board of Directors appreciates all of Shane’s services and wish him success in his future endeavors. The Board responded to Mr. Zimmerman’s resignation by beginning the steps to identify a new Executive Director in the near future.

The Board appointed Eric Gaizat as Interim Director while the ILTA searches for a replacement. Eric graciously offered to assist during this transition. Mr. Gaizat is currently Director of Member Services and is knowledgeable of the workings of the ILTA.

Mr. Zimmerman stated, “It has been a great and humbling experience to work with so many wonderful people. I have enjoyed delving into the projects of the Developer Members, sharing new ideas with the Facility Members, and getting to know all of the suppliers.”

The ILTA’s will continue its dedication to its Developer Members, Facility Members, and the industry as a whole. The ILTA will continue to focus its efforts on industry research and statistical analysis in order to educate its members.

Alley Cats Center is no stranger to Creative Works.  Creative Works has had the privilege of working with Brian Smith, owner of the facility, in building their 4,500 square feet space themed laser tag arena in 2006 and then returned in 2009 to enhance the look of the arena to a high tech space adventure.  The team at Alley Cats contacted Creative Works to add the Lazer Frenzy attraction to a space in their arcade that wasn’t producing the revenue needed.  Lazer Frenzy is a great game to add to any arcade as it produces a great return on the investment.  “We’

# # #

Creative Works, the world leader in creating themed laser tag environments, started with a blank slate and customized one of their Jungle Quest style arenas to fit within the area allocated as part of the new center.  “The height of the space allowed for us to design and build one of our steel play structures for the client to ensure their guests had a great multi-level playing experience,”

The former Kick’s location reopened Friday as a different family entertainment center, America’s Incredible Pizza Company.

Incredible Pizza, headquartered in Springfield, Mo., has 15 other centers in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah, Texas, Tennessee and one in Monterrey, Mexico. This is the first in Illinois.

“We’re a family entertainment center based on Christian values,” said Rick Pogue, company president, who was in Springfield last week for the ribbon cutting.

His business card says the company “exists to bring families and friends together through great food and fun…We operate our business by Christian principles, delivering a positive family experience and a fair return to our company.”

Eighty local employees have been hired at the facility, 2744 S. Sixth St., Pogue said.

The 1950s-themed venue (pictured above) offers laser tag, indoor go-karts, mini bowling and more than 50 arcade and video games. Game winners can redeem points for prizes.

There are three large dining rooms and four private rooms for birthday parties, showers, church events, sports team banquets, family reunions and other get-togethers.

An all-you-can-eat buffet features pizza, pasta, taco, nacho, salad and dessert bars, plus two entrees each day, burgers, vegetables, mashed potatoes and the company’s signature item — cinnamon rolls.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Food service ends an hour before closing. Website: www.incrediblepizza.com. Phone: 280-4067.

For more information about Incredible Pizza, plus other restaurant news, read the A La Carte column in the business section of the print edition of today’s (Jan. 9)  SJ-R.

Read Here

Overview

The standard rate of VAT in the UK is changing to 20% on the 4th of January 2011!

INDIANAPOLIS — The International Laser Tag Association has created a new division aimed at serving the family entertainment center industry. The formation of the nonprofit National Association of Family Entertainment Centers was announced in mid-November during the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, FL. It is expected to grow into a standalone sister association of the laser tag group.

NAFEC presently counts 200 members, all of which are associated with ILTA, which counts 500 members. The organization is offering six months’ free membership to anyone who joins in any of the three membership categories: developer, operator or supplier.

The laser tag association’s board is providing leadership to NAFEC under the direction of ILTA president Davor Franicevich, who owns Laser Tag of Baton Rouge and Laser Tag of New Orleans.

“Once we get the ball rolling, NAFEC may have a life of its own with its own board of directors and separate membership,” said Eric Gaizat, who serves as membership services director for both associations.

The growth of NAFEC’s membership and its development of separate leadership are expected to accelerate during the first quarter of 2011, particularly as the association launches a dedicated insurance program for FEC owners and operators. NAFEC may use ILTA’s insurance company or negotiate policies with a new carrier, Gaizat said.

Gaizat said it’s “premature” for NAFEC to decide if it will produce a trade show, but disclosed that the trade show question is the most frequently asked which is directed to the nascent organization. NAFEC will offer ongoing educational programs, he said.

NAFEC also announced the formation of the Supplier Advisory Council, which includes U-Profit’s Bill Carlson, Amusement Entertainment Management’s Frank Seninsky, Prime Play’s Nathan Jones and Agile Software and Marketing’s Scott Drummond.

Carlson and Seninsky were both members of the International Association for the Leisure and Entertainment Industry, which folded into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Both men were vocal critics of IALEI’s merger with IAAPA, which took place in October 2009.

Sources said the Supplier Advisory Council is “very loosely” affiliated with NAFEC. However, any association of Carlson and Seninsky with the new FEC association — no matter how informal or arms-length — is bound to raise questions about whether the faction views itself as a rival to IAAPA for operator loyalty.

NAFEC’s announcement of its birth provided a hint that such an interpretation may not be unwarranted. “Many [FEC] operators are concerned that their ability to be treated as equals with other high-profile members of [IAAPA] is nonexistent,” the new organization claimed. “We know what it is like to be a member of a large association where you are spoken at instead of spoken to. Our objective is to make each member feel important to the industry as a whole by taking the time to work with them individually and use those experiences to assist other members in similar circumstances.”

NAFEC said its mission is “to help our members become better informed through our research, services and communications with all levels of the industry … to provide our members with up-to-date data on safety, operations, marketing, seminars, trade shows and … to give [members] the knowledge and resources to grow their business and increase revenues.”

NAFEC’s launch announcement also said: “Our aim is to be the voice for the small business FECs and provide a forum for operators to share innovative ideas, learn from industry professionals and consultants, develop effective marketing strategies and address industry obstacles.”

Parent association ILTA was formed in 1996. Just over half of ILTA’s membership is based in the United States. National Association of Family Entertainment Centers is online at fecoperator.org and can be reached at (317) 786-9755.

Incredible Pizza Laser Tag Arena

# # #

Creative Works’ Theme Factory recently installed their first laser tag arena in the country of Mexico. They
added a 3,600 square foot arena to a new family entertainment center in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second
largest city.

Creative Works’ Theme Factory recently installed their first laser tag arena in the country of Mexico. They
added a 3,600 square foot arena to a new family entertainment center in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second
largest city also known as the Land of Tequila and Mariachi Bands. It’s fitting that a city famous for
extraordinary vacations now houses an extraordinary laser tag experience at Laser Zone Fun Center. The
space themed arena is sure to capture everyone’s attention as it’s the only one of its kind in the entire
country of Mexico. With cosmic interplanetary murals and futuristic glowing barriers, the arena has the
look and feel of something out of this galaxy!
Paul Wagner and John Lines, the owners of the new center, found Creative Works at the International
Laser Tag Association trade show this past April in Las Vegas, Nevada. These gentlemen had seen other
themed arenas by Creative Works and knew that they wanted to add CW to their team of vendors. Known
as the Laser Tag Experts when it comes to designing and building these attractions, Creative Works was
able to create a high-tech space themed two-level arena with vivid colors and shapes to deliver the “Wow
Effect”.
The city and its people were excellent hosts to the Creative Works team that travelled across the border for
this project. “We were delighted to work with such great people and build a site that will entertain and
create memories for years to come,” said Jeff Schilling, the Chief Architect of Experience at Creative
Works. “Although our cultures are different, the game of laser tag and its appeal is worldwide.” The
owners were ecstatic at the end results of the themed arena. “We were impressed with the professionalism
of the Creative Works team. They did a great job from beginning to end and we’re looking forward to
continuing our relationship in the future,” said Paul Wagner.
Laser Zone is sure to leave an impression in the cultural center of Western Mexico when it opens later this
month.

Creative Works Theme Factory builds and designs attractions for family entertainment centers. We provide
laser tag arenas, black light miniature golf, our Lazer Frenzy laser maze attraction and theming in general.

www.thewoweffect.com
Category Entertainment, Games, Tourism

Drummond will be exhibiting at the Leisure International Week in Birmingham, UK in late September and along with 9 other finalist will display his PartyCenterSoftware.com product to be voted on by members of the PPA.  He hopes to bring home top prize for his newly released version of his online party booking and facility management software. “This will be our first year exhibiting at LIW so I am very excited to meet many of our customers in person and if we can bring home the award it will make for one great trip!  I’m just thankful for our customers and all they do to help us grow as a business”, said Drummond.

###

PartyCenterSoftware.com is the world leader in online party booking and event management.  From an industry leading webPOS system to our online management tools, we help businesses in the fun industry improve their customer experience, increase revenue and decrease costs.  Some of the top franchises around the world rely on PartyCenterSoftware.com every day to run their facilities.

Scott Drummond started his first digital marketing business in 1998, owned and operated his own fun center for many years and has been a long-time member of the fun industry.   His experience in marketing and software, along with running and operating an FEC, give him a unique and cutting-edge perspective into the life and operations of the fun center world. Through the worldwide use of PartyCenterSoftware.com in almost every size and type of FEC, Drummond collects and analyzes industry data to make his company and software stronger.

Boomtown Reno just switch over to PartyCenterSoftware.com for all their party management and online party booking needs. “We never got the chance to compete when they originally signed up with a competitor, but now that are leaving their contract early to switch to our more advanced and reliable platform”, said Scott Drummond, President of Agile Software and Marketing, (Makers of PartyCenterSoftware.com). Boomtown is one of the largest attractions in Reno with a family focus. It has great staff and their 3D ride is truly amazing!

————————-
The Family Fun Center(sm) is an arcade featuring over 30,000 square feet bursting with exciting games for kids of all ages and a redemption center that offers a huge array of fun prizes.

There’s a 3D Motion Theater, Climbing Wall, Flight Simulator, Antique Carousel, Covered Wagon Ferris Wheel and the Rodeo Rider – plus over 200 video and redemption games, a separate party room and a snack bar. Now enjoy our new Bounce House! Fun Center Bounce House Waiver

Boomtown’s 3D Motion Theater is the first in the world to be all-digital. Hold on tight as you ride amid booming sound effects produced by Dolby Digital!

NORMAN — Summer vacation has just started and Eric and Andrea Hanson’s three kids have already reached the ends of their rope.

Emily Hanson, 13, tries to keep her balance on the ropes course at Hey Day Family Fun Center in Norman. PHOTOS BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

That’s OK, they’ll just turn and walk another portion of Hey Day Family Fun Center’s ropes course, which is laid out 12 feet above the facility’s floor. “It’s the whole reason we’re here,” Andrea Hanson, of south Oklahoma City, said of the suspended ropes. “It’s awesome because it’s physical activity; I like that it requires some exercise.” Brian Burks, Hey Day’s entertainment and program manager, said the course is the first in Oklahoma at a for-profit facility and is patterned after a larger one used by the Tulsa School District. All participants are tethered to harnesses and there are courses with varying levels of difficulty, all for safety.

“It is a lot of fun but after you do it, you’ll feel like you’ve been working out,” Burks said. The ropes course and other attractions at Hey Day, off Indian Hills Road and Interstate 35 near the Moore-Norman border, offer just a few ideas for summer fun.

While Hey Day has ropes, Andy Alligator’s Fun Park, across the street from Hey Day, has “The Rock,” which is a 32-foot climbing experience for kids and adults weighing from 40 to 250 pounds. Both facilities, along with Perfect Swing near State Highway 9 east of U.S. 77 in south Norman, provide an array of indoor and outdoor activities that, depending on the business, ranges from go-kart racing, and miniature golf to arcade games.

In addition, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History has a full schedule of workshops and activities for kids and teenagers, and low-cost swimming is available at Norman’s Westwood Park and Moore’s Fairmoore Park.

Norman and the south metro area also have many free activities available. The Norman Public Library’s Summer Reading Program includes visits from performing artists, and both University of Oklahoma museums have free days — every Tuesday at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and the first Monday of the month at the Sam Noble museum.

There also are splashpads galore, including 16 throughout Oklahoma City, two in Norman at Andrews Park near downtown and Colonial Estates Park at 1641 E Lindsey St., and one at Moore’s Apple Valley Park.

And for summer fun at home, Sonya Meier of the Cleveland County Extension Service has composed a lengthy list of ideas that range from planning neighborhood Olympics to creative craft ideas. For more information, call Meier at 321-4774.

2010 Golden Phaser Awards to Robert Peppard with Battlefield Live in Manalapan, New Jersey,

Excerpt from The 2010 Laser Tag Convention Review by Eric Gaizat

On the show floor, the ILTA announced the winners of the 2010 Golden Phaser Awards. One of the show’s attendees, Robert Peppard with Combat Sports Laser Tag Park, New Jersey, won the award for best website (www.OutdoorLaserTag.com) and was able to receive his plaque at the show.

On Tuesday night, the ILTA had their first Convention Mixer on the third floor of Margaritaville in the Flamingo Hotel. Over 40 people joined in appetizers, drinks, and discussion of all things laser tag. A few ILTA Developer Members had commented that it was great to see a vast representation of the industry having a great time together.

The mixer event wasn’t all work though. Shane Zimmerman, Executive Director of the ILTA, presented Jarett Waite with the Golden Phaser Award for Operator of the Year. Scott Drummond with Party Center Software also turned 31 that night and everyone got to sing Happy Birthday while Scott wore a balloon hat in the shape of 31 (seen left).

The awards didn’t stop there. Before the show was done, Battlefield Sports also won an award from the RSA Trade Show for the best single booth! Congratulations to Elaine with BFS for representing the industry in style.

I believe that most people that read this newsletter are leaders, supervisors, owners, and influencers of some kind. We all influence or have some leadership roles with someone or ones in our lives. How are you showing up when it comes to leadership?

Whether you believe in scripture or not, Exodus provides great insight to the visual presence of leadership. Exodus 13:21 says that God lead his people out of Egypt with a cloud by day and fire by night. When I read this scripture it struck me that leadership has a real presence that others can see. It takes different shape depending on the situation.

In the fast paced world we live in, people move in and out of our businesses very quickly. Those that show themselves as leaders demand to be promoted. Our young leaders today have a confidence that they can get the job done, but may lack the wisdom of what leadership looks like. Oh wait, that can apply to mature leaders too!
I don’t know that I’m an expert in what leadership looks like but I have noticed that these 5 things inspire others to follow:

1. CARE: Great leaders show that they care. John Maxwell teaches servant leadership; and I have a personal philosophy that we are all in service to one another. As a leader, respect is earned and grows out of respecting others. When leaders express care and concern for the well being of their team and their guests great things happen.

2. ACCOUNTABILITY: Great leaders hold themselves and others accountable. It can be difficult to do the right thing all the time. However, leaders that stand by their own standards and live up to their own expectations, have the right to expect the same from others. It may seem ok to let this or that slide, but the minute you do that things become slippery with everyone and everything. Accountability requires discipline, confrontation, and established standards.

3. LISTENING: Leaders definitely need to give orders and share the plan. They are directive and need to make decisions even if they are wrong. However, great leaders place a great emphasis on listening. When we listen to our front line staff and to the customer, they can help our businesses be more than they could be if we try to do it all ourselves. A leader has one perspective and one voice – their own. When we put the voice of the team into play many great things can happen.

4. MOTIVATION: Great leaders have the ability to motivate and inspire others to do what they are doing. When you get others to help you execute the mission at hand, the job becomes more fun. This motivation helps others get creative. Duplicating your own effort is the only way to build your business. While the ultimate vision is the leader’s responsibility, the how to get there can be shared with the team. Motivating that team to get the business to the next level is a characteristic that must be part of every member of your leadership team.

5. EXUDES CONFIDENCE: Great leaders look the part. They carry themselves in a way that says I’m in charge. It’s not arrogance or pride. It’s simple really. Your clothes are pressed. Your shoulders are back. You stand tall. You look engaged by looking people in the eye. You are available. You step up when others walk away or avoid a situation. You show up.

In closing, I’d like to know what your greatest leadership challenges are. We have many respected leaders that participate in this newsletter and have access to our blog. Please use the comment section below to take the time to post your leadership challenges or victories.

Trainertainment
1166 Country Club Lane, Suite 9
Fort Worth, TX 76112
Phone and Fax: 817-886-4840

Ahead of the expected release Tuesday of a House privacy bill, a group of public interest and privacy groups wrote House members Monday calling on them to support the inclusion of principles aimed at giving consumers more control over their personal information.

House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., is expected to release his long awaited data privacy bill Tuesday. The legislation is expected to address concerns about consumer privacy given the growing use of online behavioral advertising, which involves using data about a consumer’s Web surfing habits to target ads to them. Boucher detailed the bill’s provisions Monday during a speech at the American Business Media’s annual conference in Charleston, S.C. According to a news release from the group, Boucher said the bill would apply to the collection of personal information from consumers both online and offline and “initially require that all Web sites that collect information from consumers give consumers notice with respect to what information is collected, how it is used, who it is shared with, and the circumstances under which it is shared.”

It added that Boucher said it would require firms to allow consumers to “opt out” of having such information collected, which means that firms would be allowed to collect and use data unless consumers specifically request that it not be collected. He said unaffiliated third-party Web sites that “gather information from consumers across multiple unaffiliated Web sites” would be required to gain specific consent from consumers before using and collecting data from them, as would those who seek to use sensitive personal information such as medical or financial data.

Boucher’s spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment on the American Business Media report. Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, said if the report is accurate it is “a blow to consumer protection.”

Chester’s group and 10 others wrote House lawmakers saying that privacy legislation should include the Fair Information Principles, which allow consumers to “control their personal information, help to protect human dignity, hold accountable organizations that collect personal data, promote good business practices, and limit the risk of identity theft.” In addition to these, they also called on lawmakers to ensure that data used in online behavioral advertising cannot be linked to an individual’s name or address and also can’t be linked to them through an Internet protocol address, cookie or other identifier.

In addition, the groups called for ensuring that sensitive information, which the FTC should define, such as health or financial records cannot be used for behavioral advertising; Websites should only be able to use data for behavioral advertising within 24 hours after obtaining consent to use it; Web sites should tell users what they plan to use the data for at the time it is collected; and allow users to find out which online firms have data about them, to see the data and correct it if necessary.

“Companies engaged in behavioral targeting routinely monitor individuals, the searches they make, the Web pages they visit, the content they view, their interactions on social networking sites, the content of their emails, and the products and services they purchase,” according to the letter also signed by such groups as the Consumer Federation of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. They added that “Consumers have rights, and profiling should have limits.”

Mike Zaneis, vice president of public policy for the Interactive Advertising Bureau, noted the industry has taken steps to ensure online advertisers provide consumers with “enhanced consumer notice.” He said he hopes the legislation would follow the FTC in allowing for a “strong first-party carve out” from behavioral advertising restrictions.

“We are seeing a tremendous amount of innovation in this space and we hope that any legislation will not be overly proscriptive, but rather allow industry the flexibility to innovate and discover new and more effective ways of providing consumer notice,” Zaneis said.

Read the article 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