A&A Global Industries announced that they will be purchasing Top Notch Toys (TNT). The agreement calls for the immediate hiring of industry vet Rachel Rosenberg, TNT’s owner and key account manager. A&A will also bring on TNT Founder Michael Applebaum as a strategic consultant and a toy designer. “I have a lot of ideas and great concepts that I’ve worked on, but not necessarily the wherewithal to apply them,” said Applebaum.” So it’s nice to have a company tat has the structure and capability of taking on any type of project. The process of developing new toys and finding mixes…
Author: Casey Minter
Not something you’d normally see in the “Help Wanted” section of the paper, but Zone Laser Tag has recently been contracted by Hollywood bigwigs Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adaptive Studios and Pilgrim Media to seek out young adult laser tag players for an upcoming TV series, The Runner. The studios are looking for fit, independent players who are willing to participate in the series, which looks for Runners and Chasers who will compete around the country to get to (or protect) an undisclosed city. The runner is hunted by groups of chasers (à la the old cross-country running game, Fugitive)…
The first ever Virtual Reality (VR) Arcade Conference is scheduled for May 2-4 in Mountain View, Calif., and digital out-of-home entertainment specialist Kevin Williams will be delivering a keynote speech at the event. His connected companies, The Stinger Report and DNA Association, will provide media and sponsorship as well. The VR Arcade Conference, hosted in the heart of Silicon Valley, will be the first event to address the emerging application of VR in Williams’ area of expertise. The conference has been designed to bring together VR hardware and software developers, venue operators and investors and other major names in the…
Big Buck HD games that are currently online and activated will be treated to a free download as the clock strikes midnight on April 1. A whole new adventure is being offered, complete with new treks, bonus games and more. Building on the added content the game saw in 2015, such as the Irish Elk Adventure and In Case of Zombies: Doe Of The Dead, the new Majestic Bighorn Sheep adventure is ready to charge onto your machine. This added content will allow players to conquer a whole new trek, hunting the elusive mountain sheep through brand new locations. There…
The Laser Tag Convention wrapped up alongside the Amusement Expo in Las Vegas, and early reports pegged it as a success. The highlight of the convention, said organizers, was the 18 educational seminars talking about avoiding costly mistakes, increasing group sales and handling startups. The seminars were divided into three tracks, emphasizing different aspects of the laser tag world. Industry experts such as Frank Price of Birthday University, Armando Lanuti of Creative Works, Frank Seninsky and Jerry Merola of Amusement Entertainment Management also spoke to the laser tag crowd about mapping the experience, hiring and training staff, marketing to adults,…
BMI Merchandise has recently hired Keitha McBride as a regional sales manager where she’ll be responsible for managing existing regional business, as well as new business development. She will also continue to maintain and develop industry partnerships, says the firm. Prior to this post, the well-known McBride was an account executive at Redemption Plus. She also worked with Dave & Buster’s as a merchandise buyer. Upon leaving Dave & Buster’s she started her own company, Starlight Consulting, which primarily focused on buying functions and management consulting for FEC startups. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry, and…
Bulk vending vet Larry Goldstein has signed on as Marketing Manager of Parisi Vending (makers of the All American Chicken prize-filled egg vendor). Larry will work out of an office in Dallas, focusing on sales, distribution and operation of equipment and products. He will pursue plans to open a distribution center for Parisi’s line of machines and products in that town, plus also work to secure retail accounts with operators throughout the U.S. Goldstein started in the bulk vending world at the young age of 16, starting at Oak Manufacturing Company, and is the son of bulk vending pioneer Herb…
The annual Ohio Pinball Show will run March 31 to April 2 at Emidio’s & Sons Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Organizers say the show promises to bring in the latest and greatest pinball games in the world, and will include a diverse lineup from the burgeoning market of pinball manufacturers. Stern, will be there with its latest game, Ghostbusters, as well as Jersey Jack with its The Hobbit. Smaller manufacturers will be there as well, including Dutch Pinball with its licensed Big Lebowski table and Heighway Pinball with its Full Throttle game. Daily admission to the event is…
Triotech, makers of the popular Typhoon simulator, multi-seat XD theaters and dark rides, and large-scale interactive dark rides, has secured investments of $40 million each from Caisse de Dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and the Fonds de Solidarité . Company Founder and President Ernest Yale, said he’s “very pleased that our vision for the future for Triotech is backed by partners committed to the development of our business and who are among the largest financial institutions in Québec.” “This $40-million investment is aligned with our commitment to further the international growth of high-performing Québec businesses that put innovation at…
Last week’s Amusement Expo saw a host of new equipment, including several exciting pieces from AMI Entertainment Network. The NGX Ultra is a new flagship piece for the company, which features dual screens that are capable of simultaneously offering the customer control over music choice while also displaying one of the multiple music videos available exclusively to AMI customers. The large, top monitor can also be utilized with AMI’s BarLink mobile app and the Ad Manager system to further increase customer interaction and revenues. The new juke is shipping in April. The NGX Mini 2 is an improved version of…