Well-known merchandise supplier Redemption Plus celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 1, having grown immensely since it was established in 1996 as an incentive distribution firm. Among the highlights of their past two decades, the company boasts that it was the first to create “cutting-edge” tagging systems and digital packing lists for redemption programs in FECs. Said company topper and “Chief Enrichment Officer” Ron Hill: “In our first 10 years, we didn’t know we actually had the power to positively impact our industry. Today we do, and recognize that with power comes responsibility. To us it’s not about toys, products…
Author: Casey Minter
Jack Mittel died April 16, 2016, after a short illness at age 86. Beloved husband of Judy for some 60 years, Jack was one of the kingpins of the Chicago manufacturing business during the period before, during and after the pinball and video booms of the ’70s and ’80s. He worked in management and marketing positions at Williams, Gottlieb and Taito. Besides Judy, he’s survived by daughter Andrea and grandchildren Matt and Allyson. On the more personal side, Jack dabbled successfully in foreign currency exchange and was a devoted football fan. He was also probably the slimmest man in coin-op,…
Rachelle Granger has joined Intercard’s domestic sales force where she’ll focus on U.S.-based business opportunities, a sector the company says has experienced double-digit growth for the three past years. (Intercard also advised that early Q1 sales for 2016 predicts a similar growth once again.) Granger has a long history of FEC work. Prior to joining Intercard, she spent eight years working exclusively with FECs for Redemption Plus. Before that, she held sales and account management positions with Applebee’s International and MCI WorldCom. “We’re pleased to add seasoned category experts, such as Rachelle, to keep up with our tremendous growth in…
Trifecta Management Group (TMG) has promoted Bridget Smith to Executive VP of Marketing and Sales. She’s been the company’s Senior VP of Marketing and Sales for the past four years. The company offers wide-ranging services from creating and developing FECs, LBEs and other restaurant/entertainment-blended establishments, to owning and operating its own establishments, and even consulting. “Bridget is well-deserving of this promotion. She is simply the best in the industries that we work in when it comes to effectively getting our messages out, in all media. Her depth and breadth of knowledge, working with diverse concepts in multiple industries, has helped…
LAI Games recently announced several digital milestones they’ve hit with their Snapshot 2 photo booth series, saying 38,000 people have downloaded their Snapshot Companion App and 275,000 photos have been uploaded. These numbers include photos uploaded from LAI’s newest Snapshot photo booths: the super-sized Snapshot 2 Studio and the collapsible Snapshot 2 Portable. According to LAI, GameTime heavyweight Mike Abecassis said: “The Snapshot 2 Studio is a stellar piece. LAI got a lot of things right with this booth. Our guests vote with their dollars, and our guests are voting for this photo booth more than any other. It’s one…
Bandai Namco advised that their Star Wars: Battle Pod tracking website is now live. This global location finder helps players locate the nearest Star Wars: Battle Pod quickly. Click here and enter your zip code to try it for yourself! The site displays a breakdown of how far away the game is, what iteration it is and can even give directions via Google Maps. The company hopes that this website will bring more customers into arcades around the country. If you own a Battle Pod but don’t see it on the location finder, contact Nathan Nissen ([email protected]), the Bandai Namco’s…
Have you ever loved a certain routine in your life only to have it taken away? That’s what happened to four-year-old Mason Miller, a boy who just loved getting a gumball at the grocery store from an old-fashioned, coin-op vendor. However, after the supermarket changed names and leadership, the bright red, gum-filled machine that had graced this NYC neighborhood store disappeared. But little man Miller didn’t give up his desire to blow bubbles; instead he started a petition asking the new store to bring the gumball machine back. Luckily, the store did just that, and even made the sweets a…
Incredible Technology’s booth drew a large crowd throughout this year’s Amusement Expo, with the Golden Tee World Championships in full swing, a new video redemption game (Tickle Monsters), big savings with a show special and, finally, two Golden Tee 2016 Showpiece games that were raffled off to lucky operators. I.T. sales staffers handed out raffle tickets to any operators who came by the booth over the two-day show. At 4:00 p.m. each day, the company chose the winner of the brand new Golden Tee cabinet, complete with a new control panel, keypad and lit marquee. The first day’s winner was…
Phil Cohn, Executive VP of Sales and Corporate Marketing at TouchTunes, will be the guest of honor at the annual Amusement and Music Owners of New York gala to held Tuesday, May 10, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at Ben and Jack’s Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan. “AMOA-NY’s tribute to Phil Cohn is our way of showing respect to a dynamic executive at one of the leading global digital media and jukebox companies. He is highly regarded in the industry and is dedicated to the economic development concerns of operators,” said the association’s president Ken Goldberg. “Phil’s strong work ethic, high sense of…
Creative Works’ well-received FEC training course, Laser Tag 360, will take place May 17-18, this time in Indianapolis. These two-days of training include discussions concerning the future of gaming, choosing the right location, understanding your target market, the importance of design and why it will impact your ROI, the ups and downs of operating your FEC, marketing insights and the importance of social media use. Creative Works hopes to be able to help seminar attendees gain an upper hand in the increasingly competitive experience economy. For more information and to register for the class, visit www.FEC360.com.