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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

Webinar is sponsored by Redemption Plus

My answer is: “sorry, we have no way to do that, but our tickets never expire so you can save them for your next visit.” I might even add: “Here’s ten tickets to add to your total.” Its better yet if I can promote my FEC’s “Super Savers” or other “VIP” club where the customer can receive elite status at a certain annual and/or lifetime ticket total.

I always advise not to sell items for three main reasons:
1) Redemption is a fantasy world of fun and excitement with its own currency-tickets. By letting people buy, the experience is diminished.
2) We generally set up our clients to run at a 15% cost of sales or less. In the retail world thats a markup of 6.7; Toys in the retail world average a markup of 3. Why trade a markup of 6.7 for a markup of 3?
3) A good redemption program is designed to promote the saving of tickets. Redemption then becomes a loyalty program for the facility. If people are saving your tickets then, when they and their family or friends decide to go out and bowl or play games, they’ll pick your FEC since they are building your tickets.

Allowing them to buy in goes against all of these goals.

At the same time we recommend a liberal policy for situations like this: a little kid has 20 tickets, Dad is standing over him (often impatiently cause Dad’s ready to go) and the kid wants the 25 ticket item. Dad asks- can I pay the difference? We recommend that the redemption pro say “that won’t be necessary, we’re glad you came today so please let us make up the difference.” Using the economics we set up for our clients, those 5 tickets cost you 2.5 cents and you’ve probably made a customer for life-plus, its taken care of in the rounding of your price points.

Obviously you have to have well trained employees to do this judiciously.

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

Most centers are reluctant to start allowing customers to book their own parties online for fear that they will lose that personal touch.  Having owned and operated an FEC that has been open for more than 10 years I can say that personal touch is critical to our centers success.  We used to have at least 5 personal interactions with a client before they even stepped inside our center.  When we went to move to allow online booking of parties we were concerned about keeping up the level of customer service our center has come to be known by.  We set out to make sure our service, whether through online booking or in person, stayed at the level we wanted.   What actually happened when we launched our online booking was an increase in customer satisfaction.

Many customers want to be able to purchase when and where they want.  Giving them the option to do it 24 hours a day puts the purchasing power into their hands.  Customers also spend more time reviewing event options and add-on’s since they don’t feel like they are being sold by one of your employees.  We have seen an increase in overall customer satisfaction in our booking process by allowing customers more options.  On top of this increased customer satisfaction is the potential for increased revenue.  We have many facilities that have seen 10, 15 and even 20% increases in revenue through the offering of events and add-on’s through online booking.

As your customers get more and more internet savvy they will come to expect more and more capabilities to interactive with your company through the internet.  Now is the perfect time to get started offering your events online.

Here is a quote from one of our customers…

“I have been involved in the Amusement Industry for over 5 years now and have multiple children centers. We purchased the Ideal Software System to handle our Point of Sale and Event Bookings, however, have been extremely disappointed with on-line party booking capabilities. We have found the system not customer friendly and we suspected that was the reason our on-line bookings were not happening. Over a 4 month time period we had only 2 customers that booked parties on-line and multiple calls from customers indicating they were having difficulty. With over 150 visitors to our website a day, we felt the number of bookings on line were way to low. After looking at several different vendors who could provide a front end solution for on line party bookings, we decided on Party Center Software. The reasons were many. We were up within two days and have seen Unbelieva-Bill results so far. We have booked over 30 parties on line in two weeks. Most importantly, the sales are coming in 7×24 and customers are finding it easy to use. As an operator, we are encouraging our bookings to go that way because of the automatic communication features the system is capable of and no need to train employees how to book parties. Also, selling upgrades is easy and we have seen a 20% increase in upgrades already from having them available for customers to chose on line. I look forward to many more bookings and features as we grow our business together.

Thanks again for an Unbelieva-Bill product.”

Bill Dubiel
President, Unbelieva-Bills

The Number 1 Mini Laser Tag system sold in the Softplay and Inflatable laser tag game market today.

The all-new Begeara 2 Laser Tag Equipment is the most advanced portable laser tag system on the market, yet is simple to operate. Simply open the sturdy case, issue the Phasors to the Players, plug in the Base Station, and start earning money. No computer is required, and managing games is simple, fast and stress-free with the Hand Held Mission Controller.

Players will experience state of the art technology and a game play experience that will keep them coming back for more.

• Plays Happy Birthday Song
• Adjustable Game Times (1 – 60 Minutes)
• Red Lasers and much Brighter LED’s
• Real Time Radio
• Audio and Graphical feed back
• Dual MP3 Sound effects
• View Score, Rank & Play names
• Even 4 Year old’s can operate this
• For Softplay and Inflatable markets
• 10 built in missions
• 2 Bases (Red and Green)
• All Blue LED’s in a solo game
• Hand held remote control wireless KeyFob
• Scoreboard solo = Top 3 players : Team = Totals for the team
• Quick charging = Hours of Li-Ion batteries for 24 hours or more of fun

The primary focus of Begeara Laser Tag is portability – everything you need to run a begeara game fits into the carry case, which can easily fit into the back of even a small car. The phasers, scoreboard, radio base station, charging unit and Mission Controller can all fit neatly into a single case. Adjustable Game Times (1 – 60 Minutes)

IAAPA
is the premier industry association for the amusement parks and leisure
activities. Tens of thousands of people visit their annual trade shows
around the globe. IAAPA
has been the world leader in this industry since the beginning and they
have done a great job at keeping and growing all aspects of leisure
activities.

Thank you IAAPA and all the staff for a job well done!

Owner of Cool-de-Sac Play Cafe Jose Luis Bueno

This is obviously the result of careful planning, but just how careful might surprise you.

In addition to repeated trips to trade shows, owner Jose Luis Bueno hired a firm staffed by anthropologists and sociologists to examine the ”DNA” of his concept. He had market researchers observe parents behind two-way mirrors and sent his menu to a nutritionist in Seattle to create, among other things, a healthy purée of sweet potatoes and carrots to hide in sauces. He hired Leotta Designers, a Miami-based design firm known for its efficient and sophisticated corporate headquarters and not theme park decoration. And he did a demographic study.

Then he let his own twin boys and daughter run wild in the place. ‘A lot of people ask me, `How did you come up with this?’ and I say really it’s about being a dad,” he said.

Bueno ventured into the growing arena of family entertainment centers after moving to Miami from Caracas and finding little to do with his young family.

For 14 years he had worked in marketing in the corporate world — he introduced Huggies and Head & Shoulders to Latin America — and before the move oversaw marketing for GE in South America. But he decided to make a change, enrolled in the University of Miami to get an MBA and started a venture capital firm. He, his wife and their infant daughter were building a pretty good life.

Then in 2001, the axis of his world tilted dramatically. His wife gave birth to twin boys, a joyous but thoroughly life-altering development.

”I remember my wife being completely desperate to find something [to do] and finding nothing,” he said. Friends and family in Mexico couldn’t understand how anyone living in Miami would lack for fun. But he assured them you can only take a toddler and two infants to the beach so much.

Still a marketer at heart, he decided to do a little research.

He told his wife, ‘I want to follow you for one full week and see how a struggling housewife finds things to do. I said, `C’mon, you have plenty of friends.’ What I found is they came to the Shops at Sunset Place [in South Miami] to Barnes & Noble, where they took me, and I made a surprising discovery. There were seven or eight moms sitting on the carpet having coffee while their kids were playing at the Thomas the Train table. I said, ‘There has to be a business opportunity here.’ ”

He did more research and discovered an emerging trend in family entertainment, the edutainment center, where fun is instructional and food nutritional, a kind of merging of the edifying but slightly tired natural history museum and the fun but completely un-edifying video arcade.

”What we’re seeing is a blending of experiences,” said David W. Mandt, spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. “We’re seeing . . . zoos adding roller coasters and parks adding educational experiences. We’re seeing museums making exhibits much more interactive.”

OLD IDEA, NEW TWIST

Entertainment centers have been around for decades, but in a more singular version: the miniature golf course or the go-cart track. They started in California in the 1950s when the Huish family opened its fun centers and underwent dramatic expansion in the 1970s and 1980s, diversifying by adding video games and food courts, Mandt said. Now, they’re headed toward making fun good for you, like the California-based My Gym Children’s Fitness Center, which started franchising in 1995 and has spread around the globe, including an opening last year in Bahrain.

Altogether, the United States has about 1,500 entertainment centers growing at a rate of 20 to 25 each year, Mandt said.

PARTIES A MUST

Originally Bueno wanted Cool-de-Sac to be a kind of mommy-and-me place where moms could gather for coffee while their kids played with something instructional nearby. But a Boston consultant he hired warned that if he didn’t make accommodations for birthday parties, he’d lose 50 percent of his market.

So he added party rooms, eventually settling on three rooms outfitted with sophisticated sound and lighting. He also installed a LightSpace Park, a giant light board that looks a little like a dance floor but one that can be programmed for different games.

The layout he settled on mimics a pinwheel, with the dining room in the center, enclosed by a giant circular banquet and play areas around the edges. Staff is assigned to each station where activities are geared for kids between 3 and 12. A fenced toddler area sits in one corner. In addition to the Legos, crafts and computers, there is a salon and dress-up area, an obligatory ball pit for toddlers and a towering, caged maze with a slide, swing and other features.

When Bueno finally opened in late April, he found himself not far from the origin of his idea. Cool-de-Sac is one floor above the Barnes & Noble where his wife used to sit on the floor with friends.

On a recent Friday, a birthday party of screaming girls rushed past the gift shop and through the gate where staff monitors who’s coming and going. Their squeals echoed from the party room where they sat in kid-sized Panton chairs parked under long tables, lights dancing overhead. Bueno explained that earlier, as the mom who booked the party was leaving, her friend showed up and decided she, too, would book a birthday party. In typical Miami style, she asked to have everything her friend had, and then more. Her bill eventually exceeded $2,500.

Esther Sampedro brought her son and daughter, 2 and 4, to escape what any parent of a toddler knows as the witching hour — between early afternoon and dinner when kids get a little crazy and parents start to fade from a day that can start at 5 a.m.

So far, she likes what she sees.

”Right now it’s wonderful,” she said. “But I really want to know what it’s like when it’s crowded. How long is it going to stay clean? How long before the floor gets really sticky?”

Bueno says he’s still working out some kinks. He wants to offer discount rates to frequent visitors. He’s also thinking of expanding the menu — exotic by family entertainment center standards with seared tuna and churrasco — to include breakfast. And if his numbers add up by the end of the year, he’ll expand, with stores in the Aventura and Dolphin malls. And like any ambitious businessman, he eventually hopes to franchise.

http://www.miamiherald.com/business_monday/story/528954.html