Bowl Expo Recap Operators Eye Growth by Improving Existing Centers by Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group Over the last 15 years, Bowl Expo has been one of the biggest drivers of the growth of our company, as well as the FEC industry as a whole. Bowling, combined with arcades, FEC-style attractions, and food and beverage, has been a winning combination. Converting traditional bowling alleys to bowling entertainment centers has worked so well that traditional FECs, movie theaters, resorts, and even bars have been adding bowling to their locations. The success of duckpin bowling has opened even more opportunities for…
Author: RePlay Editor
Summer Reflections by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com Roll out those “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” and happy August! It’s certainly a happy month for the team at Jersey Jack Pinball as we find ourselves humbled to be on the front and back covers of this issue of RePlay. It’s been a wild year for us with the introduction of our Harry Potter pinball game. Back to summer, I’ve got Nat King Cole’s record, Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer, playing on my Wurlitzer 1015 One More Time jukebox. It holds 50 45-rpm records, and I…
The August Pivot From Summer Survival to Fall Success By Clint Novak, Business Development Manager, A&A Global Industries For FEC operators, August is one of the most deceptive months of the year. The calendar says summer is ending, but your out-of-town guests often haven’t gotten the memo. This creates a critical challenge: You’re still managing summer-level traffic while your entire local student workforce heads back to school. A successful August isn’t about winding down; it’s about executing a smart, strategic pivot to bridge the gap. Navigating the Staffing Squeeze At Fun Land, our entire team was local and went back…
Many years ago, Los Angeles distributor Al Bettelman asked me if I’d ever thought about putting machines out…actually doing what I wrote about so often. I thought about operating a couple of times but never got serious because I’m not very good at fixing things that run on electricity. And as some manufacturers don’t like to admit, these machines break down like everything else that has a cord coming out of it with a plug on the end. Otherwise, why do they all have service departments? Back in the day, thanks to the U.S. Army, I pretty much knew what…
The Magic of Harry Potter Jersey Jack Brings Beloved Franchise Into the Pinball World With some incredible licenses already under their belts, the team at Jersey Jack Pinball has outdone themselves this time. It’s a game that company founder Jack Guarnieri has had in mind for more than a decade. “There’s a lot of great licenses that don’t show up on amusement games,” he said, “I’m happy to be able to bring Harry Potter to the amusement industry.” The license allows the game to feature all eight Harry Potter films in its immersive gameplay experience. Importantly packaged into the game…
Conquering the Summer Surge A Guide to Smarter Guest Flow that Speeds Them on Their Way to Fun! By Clint Novak, Business Development Manager, A&A Global Industries It’s July. The sun is out, the doors are open and a line of guests is snaking out from your front counter. For an operator, this is both a blessing and a curse. More guests mean more revenue, but that long line is your first – and most critical – operational bottleneck. During my nearly a decade as the general manager of Fun Land of Fredericksburg, I became intimately familiar with this challenge.…
Reviewing China’s AAA from Afar But with Keen Eyes on the Ground by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com While the U.S. market tends to focus on three main trade shows a year – Amusement Expo, Bowl Expo and IAAPA – there are many more of significance around the world. The global nature of our industry and the growth of product options have led to shows every month. Among them is the Asian Amusement & Attractions Expo (AAA) which was recently held in China. Although I didn’t get to attend myself, I have a great network of people I rely…
We are NOT the “Gaming” Business by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com I was recently working on a music license for use on a game when I read that an excluded channel of distribution was “Casinos and Gaming Establishments.” That term is defined as meaning “casinos, gambling establishments, gaming locations (such as arcades and carnival ‘midway’ areas) and associated retail venues.” So, signing this would mean I cannot cannot sell my games to an arcade! To me, the word “gaming” has always been a term for a gambling game or venue. In more recent years, it’s been used for…
Bringing 1988 Back! Why the Old School Philosophy of Grouping Still Works in Modern FECs for VR Arcade Games by Nick DiMatteo, Pinnacle Entertainment Group You shouldn’t be grouping games anymore, at least not like in 1988. Back then, all the gun games were in one row, the racers were side by side, and the only rules were grouping, noise and neon. But today’s FECs are different. You spread out the fun to make it feel smoother. You guide guests, rather than keeping them in one area, except when it comes to virtual reality. Strangely enough, VR is one of…
Elev8 Fun and Dart’em Up From Elev8-ing the Game to Foam-Fueled Mayhem by Barry Zelickson From a massive, two-story former Sears-turned-entertainment-epicenter in Florida to a foam-blasting battlefield born in a Texas backyard, Elev8 Fun and Dart’em Up couldn’t look more different, yet they share a mission that unites them: reimagining play for every generation. While Elev8 Fun dazzles with scale, tech and a full-spectrum experience blending go-karts, VR and craft cuisine, Dart’em Up thrives on simplicity done right, building community and adrenaline with foam darts, glowing dodgeball and heartfelt fun. One is a polished powerhouse; the other, a passion-driven playground,…