Michael Gazer has joined the Player One Amusement Group team as the wide-reaching company’s new senior VP and general manager. Gazer brings over 20 years of leadership experience in marketing, sales, operations and finance to his new role. Previously, he was president of Apetito Canada, and was responsible for the growth of brand and business nationwide. He has also held executive roles at Hooplah Inc., Nelson Education Ltd. and Shifting Gears Consulting and has extensive experience in senior management positions leading a number of widely known, global brands. In his new role, the company says Gazer will oversee all aspects…

The Three Amigos, organizers of the always-exceptional F2FEC conference, have announced details about 2019’s event. This, the trio’s 5th, heads to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs once again, and invites over 225 thought-leaders from the family entertainment industry from March 5-7, 2019, to share in three days of networking and collaboration. The Three Amigos –– George Smith, Ben Jones and Rick Iceberg –– gave us a peek into the details of the show. “Attendees who experienced any of the past four conferences understand how moving and truly unique F2FEC is for everyone involved,” said Smith, prexy of Family Entertainment Group.…

There’s a new VR game in town! Spaces VR, co-founded by Shiraz Akmal and Brad Herman, opened its first store in the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, Calif., with a fun, four-player mixed reality experience called Terminator Salvation. Outfitted with HP backpacks, VR headsets and markers on their hands and feet, players enter the arena – a roughly 20’ x 20’ stage outfitted with physical props – and play the part of human/terminator hybrids. The experience takes about 30 minutes, including the initial face scan of each player to the mission briefing, gear up and down and rankings, with about…

Univest Capital is working with TouchTunes to not only offer solid finance deals on new jukeboxes, but to help kids battling cancer through the Angelina’s Song organization. For a limited time, Univest is offering operators rates as low as zero percent APR for 15 months on TouchTunes Angelina or Virtuo jukeboxes, and for each loan financed through the program, the company will make a contribution to Angelina’s Song. This organization was founded in honor of the late Angelina Miele who passed away from cancer (the jukebox is also named after the courageous youngster) and helps bring music therapy to other…

Betson-Specialty Coin is geared up to host its 9th annual amusement industry gathering for operators on the west coast. On Saturday, Oct. 13, industry professionals, their families and friends are invited to the Hilton in Vancouver, Wash. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is completely free for attendees. The event, as usual, will be packed with new products, as well as seminars, door prizes, drinks, lunch and dinner. Interested attendees can RSVP here or contact Sidney Waters ([email protected]) for more information. Betson is offering a group rate for hotel booking as well, which can be accessed…

Up and coming techs can look forward to another installment of veteran techie/teacher Randy Fromm’s Arcade School from Sept. 18-21 at Player One Amusement Group’s (P1AG) Orlando office. The four-day program covers the essentials in monitor and power-supply repair, and invites those with little to no prior electronics training for an intensive boot camp on how to get games back up and running. For $895, attendees can expect expert training in addition to receiving a digital multimeter, a soldering kit, sample components and a textbook. Lunch is provided for each day as well. Day one covers beginning electronics principles necessary…

Foundations Entertainment University has another class scheduled for Oct. 16-18 at the Doubletree by Hilton in Houston. The 46th FEU class will continue a 16-year tradition of world-class educational opportunities and networking. The program has more than 1,400 graduates and 275 FECs that have benefited and profited from the unique, hands-on classes. In the last few years, organizers have transformed the event into Foundations 2.0, which adds several new topics to the popular standards. Some new topics include testing market feasibility, creating an “experience destination,” virtual, augmented and mixed reality, mastering food services and more. Registration is $495, and companies…

Visitors to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium will have a new way to store their gear thanks to a successful installation by The Locker Network, a subsidiary of Helix Leisure. The venue upgraded to 304 keyless lockers that the company installed free of charge through its revenue share program. “This new installation is a direct response to the changing needs of our guests,” Meghan Curran, Shedd Aquarium VP. The new lockers allow us to modernize our experience, while still ensuring security.” For more information on The Locker Network, click here.

Young paddle pro Colin Cummings has clenched another Air Hockey World Championship title first place. The 19-year-old has dominated the air hockey scene since emerging in 2015 to become the youngest World Champion ever, and his reign seems far from over. The World Championships were held July 27-29 at the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs. The event is sanctioned by the U.S. Air Hockey Assoc., organized by the Air Hockey Players’ Assoc., and sponsored by Valley-Dynamo and Gold Standard Games. Cummings, a native of Beaumont, Texas, won his third USAA World title, losing just four games throughout the multi-day…

A laser tag and arcade facility in Indiana is designing a larger 50,000-square-foot entertainment center it plans to build and move into by late 2019, according to the Indianapolis Star. Peter Murphy, owner of Laser Flash, said he plans for the new FEC to feature bowling lanes, an indoor ropes course and Cyber Sport, a two-team game that combines lacrosse and basketball played on custom-designed Cyber Cars. The center, which will move from Carmel, Ind., to Westfield, will still feature an arcade and outdoor mini-golf course. A restaurant-bar with indoor and outdoor seating will be another added feature at the…