Take Advantage of Every Opportunity to Learn! By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment This year got off to a quick start with a host of industry events. BPAA featured its Bowl Summit in New Orleans, IAAPA hosted the FEC Summit at the River Walk in beautiful San Antonio, and Matt and Amy Mader put on a content rich, Dine-In Cinema and FEC program in Austin. 2024 has barely begun but our industry is on track to inspire, educate and ensure our guests continue to have “cutting edge” fun! Each of these events brings old and new friends together. It never ceases…
Author: RePlay Editor
Every successful businessman, as well as every satisfied customer, knows the value of good, honest customer service. Both the seller and the buyer of goods or services…from the shoeshine guy to the CEO of Ford Motors…deals with both sides of this necessary facet of business. The very phrase “customer service” can be a quick telephone fix or a dressed-up moniker that replaces the old fashioned “complaint department.” On occasion, it can also mean a compliment sent to express thanks for a satisfactory conclusion of a problem. RePlay’s operator readers are the kind of business people whose customer service employees are…
Team Play Looks Toward Hot 2024: Moves to Bigger Production Facility A lot has been happening over the past few months for the folks at Team Play. To meet their increasing production needs, the company moved into a larger facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, that accommodates an additional 6,000 sq. ft., plus an off-site building that adds an extra 10,000 sq. ft. and includes a second production line. “We are still settling in, but production has greatly improved with both lines up and running,” said Ed Pellegrini, the company’s CEO. No stranger to change, Team Play is mostly comprised…
A Double Dose of Distinctive Fun WhirlyBall Twin Cities and Up Your Alley Serve Up Great Times by Barry Zelickson Greetings, thrill-seekers and fun enthusiasts! In this month’s column, we’re taking you on a wild ride to two exceptional destinations that share a common thread of high-energy excitement and unconventional sportsmanship. Buckle up as we delve into the heart-pounding world of WhirlyBall Twin Cities in Bloomington, Minn., and the all-encompassing entertainment haven, Up Your Alley in Schererville, Ind. WhirlyBall Twin Cities – Bloomington, MN www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHYDmwmIho When our host, Nate, arrived at the doorstep of WhirlyBall Twin Cities, he was greeted by…
Zooom’n Into the Arcade Game Industry From 0 to 100: Zooom Studios Launches onto the Scene; Glen Kramer’s Team of Industry Vets Grows Company Fast By Matt Harding Last year in a mere nine months, Zooom Studios fully developed nine redemption and self-merchandising arcade games – in time for a big debut splash at IAAPA Expo 2023. “What do you call a company that goes from 0 to 100 in no time?” rhetorically asked this new game company’s president and owner Glen Kramer. “It’s Zooom.” In mid-2019, Kramer found himself out of the industry and quasi-retired. Then the pandemic rolled…
Planning to Party More in 2024! By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment In preparation for getting more out of 2024, I’d like to help you get your party on! In addition to a focused effort and goal planning for group events and birthday parties, what about designing BIG in-center events for your community. For example, you may have already considered events like the following for February: • Super Bowl Sunday – Run specials during the game, especially if you have it on the big screen! Do fun giveaways and have food/drink specials during the game. • Fat Tuesday – Get in…
To Phone or Text, Is that the Question? by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com The phone’s ringing…will you answer it? Probably not if you don’t recognize the caller or if you see “Potential Spam” on the display. Isn’t technology wonderful? I suspect I’m different from most people because I almost always answer my cell phone. This surprises many customers. I feel it’s important to be available and that answering the call shows respect and courtesy. If I don’t want to answer, I can send the call to voicemail and see the message the caller is leaving in text…
JAWS Debuts Stern Pinball Makes a Splash to Start 2024 Making its debut at CES 2024 in Las Vegas from Jan. 9-12, the latest game from Stern is officially in the world and ready to delight fans of the JAWS franchise and pinball in general. Designed by the factory’s Keith Elwin, who was also the lead designer on Godzilla, Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast and Jurassic Park, the new JAWS game features immersive film and audio assets from the franchise and includes custom speech by actor Richard Dreyfuss and the iconic movie theme music from John Williams. “Honoring one…
2024: A Year of Transitions? by Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group Business is booming across the industry. While we saw a softening in arcade revenues during the second half of 2023, that was coming off record highs, so business is really good. That said, it does appear that tougher roads are ahead for many of our businesses. The good news is that even in more difficult economic times, opportunities will arise. I believe out-of-home entertainment will continue to be an important part of American life but also that we will begin to see some significant changes this year. Permanent…
TokensDirect Touts Benefits 19th Century Biz Continues Product Relevancy into 2024 Despite card systems becoming increasingly used in the amusement industry, TokensDirect has forged ahead and is quite literally carving their own path forward. The company’s marketing manager Gibson Olpp said people may think tokens are old-fashioned, but they’re still a practical choice for a lot of operators. “We like to speak to the audience of people who are buying existing facilities,” she explained. “It’s more mom and pop type places like arcade bars, bowling alleys, FECs and route operations. Tokens are still a viable, cost-effective option – even more…