Music City Modernization What Bowl Expo 2026 in Nashville Taught Us About the Future of the Bowling Entertainment Center By Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group Bowling has been arguably the biggest driver of the FEC business over the last 10 years. We just got back from Bowl Expo, and this year the show rolled into Nashville. Music City was a fitting backdrop, because Nashville is all about reinvention, and reinvention was the theme humming through every aisle of the trade show floor. We began attending Bowl Expo in 2009 when there were almost no FEC vendors there, nor game…
Author: RePlay Editor
Staff as Stars The Secret to Social Media Engagement Owner of Planet Novak & The Novak Network If you’ve been following my adventures for a while, you know I’m a self-professed social media nut. Whether I’m documenting a road trip or promoting a new attraction, I’m constantly posting, sharing, and engaging. I’ve even earned the nickname “The Face of the Industry” along the way. I wear this title with pride because I believe that in our business, being present and visible is the first step toward success. But when I talk to operators across the country, I hear the same…
Swing for the Fences, Putt for the Win Two Attractions Reimagining America’s Favorite Pastimes by Barry Zelickson One of the things we love most at Fun Across America is discovering attractions that take something familiar and completely reinvent it. This month, we visited two destinations doing exactly that. In Scottsdale, Arizona, we found a mini-golf experience that feels more like a real golf course than traditional putt-putt. At PopStroke, Tiger Woods’ influence is evident in every green, bunker and break. Then in Katy, Texas, we stepped into what many have called the “Topgolf of Baseball.” Home Run Dugout has transformed…
Venco: “We’ve Got You Covered!” Leadership Says Employees Are to Thank for Continual Growth In October 1968, just a couple years out of high school, John Newberry bought his first pool table. That quickly grew into a route operation that supplied not only billiards but jukeboxes, pinball machines and eventually video games, cranes and other arcade and FEC equipment. Over the years, his Bland, Virginia-based Venco Business Solutions also expanded into services like background music and drive-thru systems for fast food restaurants. (They’re even licensed in Virginia for commercial CCTV camera systems.) “We continued to grow our routes and…
Walking the Tightrope Maximizing Customer Spending While Driving Repeat Visits By Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group There is a fine line between getting the most out of a guest visit and having them come back again. When a family or group of friends go out for a night out, you want them going home feeling good about their experience. That’s not likely to happen if you set up pricing that coerces or tricks them into overspending. While the customer may spend the money that night anyway, perhaps to avoid embarrassment, they might not come back. On the other hand,…
Two Paths to Play Lessons from FatCats and Blazer Tag by Barry Zelickson Family entertainment centers come in all shapes and sizes across this great country – but every now and then, you walk into a place that makes you stop and say, “This is something special.” On our latest swing through the Southwest and South-Central United States, we found exactly that. Twice. FatCats in Mesa, Arizona, proved that an entertainment center can be an all-day destination rather than a quick stop, while Blazer Tag in Austin, Texas, showed us what 25 years of passion, community and relentless love for…
A Mid-Year Review A Look at Operations, Celebrating a Milestone & Writing a New Book by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com 2026 has been a ride so far, although not one that has me jumping for joy. I know that it is beginning to sound like a broken record given how things have gone over the past few years, and I have to admit that there are times when it gets a little discouraging (especially when the cash flow keeps finding a way to go down instead of up, year-on-year). But while I draw breath, it’s important to find ways…
The Hunt for the Elusive Game Tech Stop Looking for Experience and Start Hiring for Aptitude Owner of Planet Novak & The Novak Network As I travel the country for the Novak Roadshow and talk to family entertainment center owners, there is one question that comes up more than any other: “How do I find a great game technician?” You can put an ad out for a general manager, attractions supervisor or an event coordinator, and get dozens of resumes from people with transferable skills. But where do you go to find a great game tech? There is no “Arcade…
Do Clothes Still Make the Man or Woman? by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com As I was packing for the License Expo in Las Vegas in May, I put a suit and a sports jacket into my luggage. The first day, Monday, was pick-up-your-badge day along with a showcase by a film studio, so I went casual. Everyone had the same idea. It’s Vegas in May so it’s warm … you don’t need many clothes. The show floor opened on Tuesday so I wore my suit and dress shirt though I did skip the tie. It turns out…
Medalist Darts Is Back Liberty Dartboard System Ready for Operators & Players Network Sports LLC’s CEO Pat Rhodes, along with former dart champion Dave Whitney, purchased the old Medalist Darts brand about six years ago and have been busy bringing the new Medalist Liberty soft-tipped dartboard to market. As a financial advisor to the former CEO of Medalist, Rhodes learned about the business and the potential that it held, while Whitney was a former dartboard operator with decades of experience in coin-op. The biggest difference about Medalist Darts now is it’s “sourced, based, supported, managed and owned in the United…