Amusement industry veteran Dave Schwartz recently joined the Boca Raton, Florida-based licensed plush supplier Good Stuff as its vice president of sales. A subsidiary of Basic Fun, the company manufactures popular, exclusively-licensed plush like Nintendo Mario and Friends, Marvel, Care Bears, SpongeBob, Five Nights at Freddy’s and all major sports leagues, among others. “It’s a thrill to be part of amusement’s finest plush company,” Schwartz said. “Good Stuff’s commitment to the latest, trending merchandise today’s players want to win is second to none.” Most recently, Schwartz was with BMI Merchandise for 12 years. He previously held sales and marketing roles…
Author: Matt Harding
Frontgrid will show off their new Containerised Pod in booth #1765 at the upcoming IAAPA Expo, held Nov. 18-21. They say the product is “engineered to sit within a shipping container” but have “the same adrenaline-fueled immersive experience as ParadropVR.” The ParadropVR flying experiences combine motion-based engineering and VR content that takes guests through various cityscapes and landscapes. Learn more at www.frontgrid.co.uk and click here to book a meeting with the company’s CEO Matt Wells at the trade show.
The cashless supplier Embed will be in IAAPA booth #1040 next month to showcase the Embed Ecosystem, which offers a whole host of front-of-house and back-office tools that help operators power their venues. Their revamped BOOKINGS platform boosts guest walk-ins and impulse buys and now integrates seamlessly with KIOSK+ and SALES for a unified POS – online or offline. “From front-of-house to back-office, Embed powers a seamless, revenue-driven ecosystem – exactly how operators like it,” said CEO Renee Welsh. Added CTO Andy Welsh: “With these latest enhancements to the solutions under the Embed Ecosystem, BOOKINGS, WAIVERS, SALES, and REPORTS come…
The Texas-based cinema entertainment center chain Cinergy recently broke ground on a 90,000-sq.-ft. development in Corpus Christi, KRIS reports. “We love to come to cities the size of Corpus Christi,” said CEO Jeff Benson. “We wouldn’t have made a $45 million investment here if we didn’t have 100% certainty that it’s an under-served community when it comes to bowling, amusements and movies. So, we don’t have any doubt that we are going to perform.” In addition to the above, the facility will also have a three-level indoor electric go-kart track and mini-golf. Construction is expected to begin by the end…
The indoor slide chain Slick City Action Park now officially has 107 locations signed or opened across the country and beyond, the company recently reported. Since its founding in 2021, it’s grown to 33 states and even internationally. “This milestone represents a defining moment for Slick City and the incredible community of franchisees who have helped bring our vision to life,” said Bron Launsby, the company’s CEO and co-founder. “We’ve built something truly unique, an indoor park experience that appeals to everyone from kids to adults, and the response has been nothing short of extraordinary.” The company dubs itself “the…
Usually one to be giving out industry awards, IAAPA was recently named a 2025 Top Workplace by the Orlando Sentinel Media Group. The recognition is based on feedback gathered through a third-party survey from Energage LLC. “Being recognized as a Top Workplace is a true honor because it highlights that we are heading down the right path,” said president and CEO Jakob Wahl. “At IAAPA, we are proud to foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and passion for serving our members worldwide. Providing a Top Workplace is important to us to attract and retain this amazing team, whose dedication drives…
Brunswick Bowling will be among the companies heading to IAAPA Expo from Nov. 18-21 in Orlando. They’ll be in booth #4831. “Brunswick is bringing the latest in bowling innovation to IAAPA Expo,” the company said. “From Duckpin Social’s all-ages appeal to the power of Sync Center Operating System, you’ll see why today’s most successful centers trust Brunswick.” You can click here to book a show-floor demo of all their products and services. For more information, visit www.brunswickbowling.com.
Sacoa Cashless System will be in IAAPA booth #806 next month with their Redemption Kiosk, which is designed to “modernize and streamline one of the most important touchpoints in any arcade or FEC – the prize redemption experience.” By combining smart automation with real-time inventory visibility, the company said their innovative kiosk “transforms what has traditionally been a time-consuming and labor-intensive process into a fast, intuitive, and rewarding guest interaction.” Prior to the trade show, you can check them out at www.sacoacard.com. At right is the company’s Sebastian Mochkovsky at a previous IAAPA with a Brass Ring Award.)
Sega Amusements has announced their longtime leader Paul Williams died on Oct. 14 following a period of illness. He had recently resigned his position as CEO and executive chairman of the company. “A globally known and highly respected figure in the amusement industry, he was the driving force behind the company he led for more than two decades,” Sega wrote. “Paul started his career working in nightclubs in his hometown of Cardiff and progressed through the ranks of First Leisure to a senior level. He joined Sega in 1997, taking on a role at Sega World that marked the beginning…
New venues continue to pop up all around the country for Altitude Trampoline Park, which recently announced locations coming in Q3 and new franchise agreements that’ll add even more stores soon. This quarter the company is opening new parks in Cary, North Carolina, and Milpitas, California. The North Carolina location is led by first-time franchise owner and former NBA player Montrezl Harrell. The California location is being developed by a multi-unit owner in the state. New parks planned for the future include locations in Port Arthur, Texas, and Wenatchee, Washington, which will open with the added excitement of Birdie ParTee,…