The Future of Redemption Arcades Keep Your Eyes on the Details and Evolve In Order to Remain Strong by Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group A s we gather at IAAPA and 2016 comes to an end, it’s time to look toward 2017 and beyond. The redemption arcade business has never been better, and we have been enjoying steady growth over the last few years as new models are proving to be profitable. Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, is quoted as saying “change is the only constant in life.” While we’ve been enjoying this growth phase of the redemption game room,…
Author: RePlay Editor
Change Is Coming Fast It’s Going to Take a New Business Model to Attract & Keep Consumers By Randy White, CEO/White Hutchison Leisure & Learning Group It wasn’t all that long ago that film canisters, taxi medallions, CDs, video rental stores and book stores (among others) dominated their respective industries. Much of retail is now going down that same road due to e-commerce disruption. We can thank those histories for this indispensable lesson: Survival in the 21st Century demands new business models. Another variation of this lesson for existing businesses is this revised truism: If you keep on doing what…
You’re Going to Be Regulated, Like It or Not Why What’s Happening in Ohio Is Important to All by Tom Fricke Ohio has been a “battleground state” in respect of games for prizes for as long as it’s been a “battleground state” between the major political parties. Right now, a battle is brewing in the Buckeye State that requires an immediate response from the amusement machine industry. There have been skirmishes over many gambling-related subjects including video poker, charitable tip tickets (the Ohio name for pull tabs), games supposedly free of chance because you could see the next outcome before…
Rigging Won’t Bring Repeat Business Fairness, Fun and Skillful Winning Will Keep Your Players Coming Back by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com Everyone in our industry has some belief that a new game should make more money than an older game. But we all know that there are many “older” games that faithfully continue to earn money for years, week after week. Those games are the core of any route or FEC operation. Shows like IAAPA get us excited as we judge the new offerings, trying to figure out what the return on our investment might be based…
Redemption: Is It Art or Science? The Balance that Creates Success Starts with the Fundamentals By George McAuliffe, Chief FEC Strategist, Redemption Plus We at Pinnacle make our living working with clients who are new to the redemption game business. While our job is to flatten the learning curve and help these new operators avoid mistakes, some areas are steeper than others. A common trouble spot is the merchandise purchasing process and the economics that go with it. Simplify to Understand There are two critical numbers in redemption: sales and, on the expense side, cost of sales. These are interactive.…
Sales Versus Order Taking Selling the Experience, Not the Price, Will Get You to the Next Level By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment It always makes me crazy when a business owner has a fit about someone “taking” an order. Sometimes they refer to it as “low hanging” fruit. Here’s the deal: If we don’t grab the low hanging fruit, it will fall to the ground or someone else will come by and pick it up! My solution is that we talk about what’s really bugging us: order taking vs. sales. Order Taking It’s a transaction, plain and simple. The buyer says, “I…
Sometimes It’s Good to Take a Break Vacations Can Do You and Your Business a Lot of Good by Adam Pratt, Game Grid Arcade & ArcadeHeroes.com There are many advantages to becoming your own boss, but it’s not exactly a utopian gravy train. The cons are plentiful, too, as you have to manage people (staff and customers), cash flow, repairs, bills, taxes, marketing and more. Granted, in larger companies, many of those roles will be given to specific people to handle, but no matter what, any position of authority comes with plenty of daily stress. We’ve all read headlines that…
Midterm Reflections Bring Even Greater Appreciation of AMOA Q: Now that you’re halfway through your term as AMOA president, what’s been the biggest surprise? A: I’d like to think I am organized and that, after 16 years of watching and learning from others who have been AMOA president, I was prepared. While some of my predecessors told me they were not totally ready for the travel demands associated with the position — being away from the business and home so much for AMOA meetings and events — I was ready for that. Maybe it hasn’t been a huge adjustment or suprise…
Editorial I had breakfast this morning at a coffee shop near RePlay’s office. When I asked for the check, the waiter (whom I know well) asked if I was “going home now?” I smiled and said I was going to work (guess he doesn’t know me very well). I’m 77, and like a lot of others who, one way or another, make a living out of the jukebox and games business, I see a lot of wisdom in the adage “retire and expire.” Of course, life is a little different when you have your own business than if you’ve been…
Building a World of Fun From People to Products, Bandai Namco Continues to Make Its Mark How great is it to know that the effort you put forth in your work every day contributes to the joy someone else will experience? It’s pretty great indeed! Bandai Namco Amusement America’s Frank Cosentino (Senior VP) said, “We help put smiles on the faces of families all over the world. What else do you need to make you want to do your best to help make that reality come true?” The Bandai Namco Entertainment group of companies is about fun. From its development companies,…