The toppers and teachers at Foundations Entertainment University have announced the educational seminar program’s next stop: Big Thrill Factory in Minneapolis, Minn., June 5-7. The FEC-oriented program is in its 16th consecutive year, celebrating more than 1,410 graduates and 275 FECs that got their start with FEU. The hands-on seminars will surely draw inspiration from the program’s host FEC as well, with Big Thrill Factory and its leader Barry Zelickson voted Best FEC in North America at IAAPA last year. Attendees of FEU can expect to learn about a few new topics along with a host of time-tested techniques. Among…
Author: Casey Minter
Jeremy Hein of Amusement Games, Inc. in Chrisney, Ind., is the newest recipient of the Indiana Amusement and Music Operators Assn. (IAMOA) Wayne Cunningham Award. Hein received the award at the annual IAMOA member meeting on April 5. Hein has been involved with IAMOA for more than 20 years and serves on the board of directors. He started his career at Amusement Inc./LL Amusements, working as a tech and league director before buying the company. Hein is a strong advocate of the IAMOA tournaments, working onsite and playing, and is a resource for league and tournament guidance among members.
Cineplex has announced a new addition to its growing Playdium FEC concept, this one in Brampton, Ontario. The company will convert a 45,000-sq.-ft. space currently used by Cineplex Odeon Orion Gate Cinemas, reimagining it as a teen-focused entertainment and casual dining experience. According to the company, the new location will feature a selection of classic and new-to-market video and redemption games, as well as attractions like VR, bowling, ropes courses and laser tag. “We announced the reinvented Playdium concept and our first location in Whitby last October and we couldn’t be more excited today to share the news about our…
The Oregon Amusement and Music Operators Assn. (OAMOA) will hold its annual on May 16 at Langdon Farms near Portland. The event serves as a gathering for the group’s statewide membership and set a course for the coming year. A meet-and-greet hour kicks off over coffee at 9 a.m. with the meeting itself beginning at 10 a.m. Of course, there “ain’t no such thing as a free lunch,” and the OAMOA has solid support from manufacturers and other companies in the industry. AMI and TouchTunes are sponsoring the lunch, as well as providing three new jukeboxes for a raffle that…
Longtime parts supplier SuzoHapp has bought the primary currency and cashless product lines of Coinco (also known as Coin Acceptors). Noteworthy additions to the product line now include the Vantage VR6 note recycler and Iris line of cashless systems. Coinco service in North America will continue to be provided by the existing Coin Acceptors service network. “This acquisition of the Coinco product lines is an important one for SuzoHapp, allowing us to provide our vending customers a more complete, technology-driven product offering,” said CEO Drew Scielzo. “Under the leadership of Jack Thomas, Coinco earned a strong reputation in the marketplace…
All-around businessman and sports enthusiast Joe Pankus died suddenly on April 10, 2018, several month’s shy of his 80th birthday. Best known to readers as the former Exec. VP of Seeburg and (from 1990 to 2005) as President of Wurlitzer USA, Pankus was also an avid golfer who had actually designed two 18 hole courses in Wisconsin. He was also the co-founder of the Greenbay Packer/Chicago Bear celebrity Pro-Am Golf event. A native of Chicago, Pankus began his career with the famed advertising agency Young & Rubicom, sold advertising for Playboy Magazine for a short time and worked in product…
Canada-based entertainment powerhouse Cineplex, Inc. (the parent company of the Player One Group) is laying off a number of full-time workers in an attempt to streamline and eliminate “redundancies” following multiple business acquisitions over the years. Company officials said the layoffs will impact fewer than 100 employees, and come as the company attempts to cut expenses by about $25 million annually. Company spokeswoman Sarah Van Lange said this in an email to RePlay: “I can confirm that this week a small restructuring occurred at Cineplex that effected a portion of our full-time workforce. A number of roles were eliminated in addition…
The longtime video game record holders and adjudicators at Twin Galaxies sent us some sad news about Billy Mitchell, “the King of Kong” who gained fame throughout the early days of the arcade era by claiming and defending a high score on Donkey Kong, as well as multiple other games. Now, after years of accusations and months of researching at Twin Galaxies, the organization has decided to strip all of Billy’s records from their leaderboards, including his Donkey Kong record which became the subject of a hit 2007 documentary King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. The online gaming community…
A massive ongoing expansion project at Liberty Arena in Williamsport, Pa. will bring a fun center to the site by October 1, according to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. The sports complex, which typically sees 170,000 annual visitors playing various sports inside, will add a sizable 6,000-square-foot arcade, 12-lane bowling alley, full-service restaurant, second-floor laser tag arena, and more trampolines and indoor turf. It’s part of the overall vision of developer Daniel Klingerman, president and CEO of The Liberty Group — meant to make Liberty Arena a one-stop shop for sports, entertainment and food. He said, “This new and exciting facility will…
John Margold of AMI Entertainment was honored last night as the AMOA of New York’s Man of the Year at their annual fundraiser and dinner party. The event took place at Patrizia’s Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan. As has become tradition, organizers also put the spotlight on the artists who create music for the jukebox. This year, instead of a single “artist of the year,” the AMOA-NY gave the award to two who were important to the punk rock scene in New York and around the world: C.J. Ramone of The Ramones and Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba from The Dictators.…