Look Beyond Your Four Walls The Future of Entertainment Depends on It by Barry Zelickson One of the biggest mistakes an entertainment operator can make is believing their competition is limited to businesses that look exactly like theirs. It isn’t. Your competition is anywhere people can choose to spend their time. It’s restaurants. It’s bars. It’s immersive art installations. It’s boutique hospitality concepts. It’s mini-golf reinvented as theater. It’s bowling reinvented as nightlife. It’s anywhere that creates a reason to leave home. This month on Fun Across America, we visited two very different facilities: The Painted Duck in Atlanta,…
Author: RePlay Editor
Table for One, Sir? by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com I’d say that pretty much all of us travel, some more than others. But if you’re traveling alone, how do you feel when it’s time to eat? If I’m at a show, even if I made the trip by myself, I’m rarely dining alone. Honestly, I don’t want to go to a restaurant and sit solo. I love my own company, but it’s not my style to eat in public by myself. I do, however, remember a busy Vegas show where I just wanted to have quiet night…
As many visitors to the recent coin-op show in Las Vegas probably found out first hand, a big reason people play the gaming machines is the “sizzle on the steak” that comes when they score a bonus and all hell breaks loose on the playing field. I’m not talking about cash winnings here… I mean the pure fun that comes when the game you’re playing hits a special combination and goes into the unit’s bonus mode. More money? Yeah, of course, but whether it’s a choo-choo train puffing out numbers or a bunch of cute animals dancing or tossing firecrackers…
JET Games Takes Off Company Expands into Kiddie Rides, Bar Pieces & More With their continually growing product line, JET Games has been focused on developing a balanced mix of attractions for entertainment centers – not just high-cost flagship pieces. Today, following quite a few new releases at Amusement Expo, they’ve got a portfolio that includes kiddie rides, sports games, bar games, redemption and video redemption machines and motion-based experiences. A core principle guiding the company is a strong focus on return on investment, emphasizing cost-effective solutions that maximize operator profitability. The company is led by Justin Jennison, former CEO…
Two Stops, Two Very Different Takes on Fun The Hub Stadium and the Museum of Ice Cream by Barry Zelickson T his month, we head to two locations that sit on very different ends of the entertainment spectrum but share a common goal: to create an experience guests actually remember. First, we headed to Novi, Michigan, to visit The Hub, then down to Austin, Texas, for a stop at the Museum of Ice Cream. One is a massive, event-driven facility built to host everything from corporate outings to league play. The other is a highly themed, self-guided experience built…
Pratt Shares About Pinball, Games & More by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com Spring is here once again, and with the flowers blooming and temps rising, people will hopefully be out and about looking for fun. The winter was an odd one. Most of the eastern U.S. was battered by cold and snow, while the western U.S. felt like it skipped winter and lazily held spring instead. Here in Utah, we had record-low snowfall, which is not a good spot to be in for the summer when you live in a desert. I may sound a bit like a…
Successful Prize Redemption The Keys to Doing it Right No Matter Your Operation’s Size by Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group Hello, amusement aficionados! Prize redemption has been a cornerstone of our industry for years, and for good reason – done well, it is one of the most powerful tools an operator has to drive revenue, build loyalty and create the kind of experience that keeps guests coming back. I’ve spent a big part of my career thinking about how to get redemption right. This month, I want to share what I’ve learned across three areas that I believe are…
Get Dirty: The High-Margin Beverage Revolution Why “Dirty Soda” Is the Social Media Hero Your Concessions Need Owner of Planet Novak & The Novak Network In February, while attending the IAAPA FEC Summit, our group visited Pecan Lake Entertainment in Queen Creek, Arizona. As we toured their impressive food and beverage setup, I kept seeing a sign for “Dirty Soda.” Now, for those who know me, you know I’m not much of a drinker. When I hear the word “dirty” in front of a drink name, my mind immediately jumps to a martini or some other alcoholic concoction. I initially…
Hold a Potential Party Instead of a Pity Party By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment The first quarter of 2026 has come and gone. Old friends and new came to Vegas to attend the Amusement Expo show. The talk was full of uncertainty, lack of predictability, soft sales, and more. And yet, many I encountered showed signs of resilience. I want to share a very special person with you. Nancy Starr (yes, two R’s because one was not enough for Nancy), was my chair at Vistage, a global executive coaching and peer advisory organization. I met her in 2008 when my…
“What, Me Worry?” – MAD Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com Worry. It seems like the whole world is worried about something. What’s going to happen next?! I realized that a couple of my favorite songs are all about not worrying. One is Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds in which he sings, “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” Another is The Beach Boys’ Don’t Worry Baby. I’ve been playing that since I was 15 years old. People are worried about everything…maybe today more than ever. But, in…