The preliminary numbers are in and IAAPA Expo says it drew 878 exhibitors, 28,229 attendees and 21,026 qualified buyers at last week’s show. The event also had an approximate economic impact of $80 million, according to the hosting Orange County Convention Center. “The successful turnout for IAAPA Expo 2021 is a testament to the resilience and continued growth and strength of the global attractions industry,” said IAAPA President and CEO Hal McEvoy. “It’s been a phenomenal week, bringing together the innovators who are moving our industry forward and building the future of attractions.” In addition to all of the happenings…
Author: Matt Harding
Amusement Entertainment Management recently coordinated the launch of Palace Social in Houston, Texas. The 29,000-sq.-ft. bowling-anchored multi-attraction venue marks the “rebirth” of the original Palace Lanes, according to the company. Palace Social has one of the area’s largest bar and lounge offerings along with state-of-the-art bowling equipment, golf simulators, a 16-seat XD motion theater, Omni Arena VR from Virtuix and a slew of arcade games. There’s also a 22-seat esports lounge. “Palace Social has crafted a very unique operating platform that captures the essence of one of Houston’s most storied brands while elevating the entertainment experience to new levels,” said…
A sports bar with indoor pickleball courts, golf simulators and more will soon be located at Haley Center in Rochester, Minn. The new development is expected to be open by March 2022. According to the Post Bulletin, the business is owned by brothers Nick and Nate Vreeman, Dave Kinneberg, Ryan Utterback and the Stationary Astronaut group, which is owned by former Minnesota Viking Marcus Sherels and Nick McLaughlin. “We aim to create a family-friendly environment filled with endless entertainment for everyone,” McLaughlin said. The venue will have three indoor pickleball courts, six golf simulators, indoor bean bags on Astroturf and…
The famous crayon brand Crayola recently announced that they’re seeking partners around the world to license and develop new iterations of their LBE venue Crayola Experience, a “larger-than-life, immersive and interactive family destination.” “Our growth strategy for 2022 and beyond includes extending our location-based entertainment footprint domestically and internationally, said Victoria Lozano, the company’s EVP of digital strategy and GM of attractions and retail. “We are now looking to develop licensing partnerships that bring new capital and expertise to accelerate our LBE expansion, particularly internationally where local market access and expertise are important.” Crayola began meeting with potential partners last…
The Entertainment, Attractions & Gaming International Expo is scheduled for Jan. 11-13 at ExCeL London. Floor space is reportedly filling up quickly. “With this year’s EAG International (2021) being an online-only event, there seems to be a strong appetite for what will be the first face to face event for two years,” said organizer Karen Cooke of the 2022 event – live and in-person at ExCeL London. “Our industry is a resilient one and several exhibitors have told us that although trading conditions have been tough, the past two years has been spent productively, with new launches planned for the…
IAAPA Expo finished up last week and the attractions association also announced the remainder of their Brass Ring Awards, one of which had already been given to Scene75 as the Top FEC of the World. Another winner was Triotech for their new Hyper Ride. It won Best New Product in the category of Major Ride/Attraction (with a product cost of between $2 million and $5 million). Bay Tek Entertainment won Best New Product in the category of Games and Devices for Axe Master. Creative Works’ Lucky Putt won a Best New Product Brass Ring Award in the Patron Participation Ride/Attraction…
Stern Pinball recently announced that Michael Grant will be its marketing manager, reporting to director of marketing Zach Sharpe and working closely with the company’s new director of location entertainment Tylor Carson. Grant brings more than 12 years of experience marketing pinball machines and other lifestyle brand consumer products such as licensed collectibles, tabletop games and collectible card games. “With Stern’s rapidly growing business, we are committed to investing in the expansion of our sales and marketing team,” said CEO Gary Stern. “Michael has a passion for pinball that is contagious and will help continue to grow the Insider Connected…
Launch Trampoline Park will soon have a facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. According to MLive, the trampoline park will open there in December with a second planned for nearby Novi sometime in the days and weeks after. The Ann Arbor location will feature a rock wall, launch pad, open jump area, static line and a “ninja course,” while the Novi location will have an open jump area, an agility course, dodgeball an an “XP Area,” which will feature an agility course with a scoring system. Tickets will cost between $23 and $39 and family packages will be available. Both are…
Trifecta Management Group has chosen Brad Rishmany to be its senior vice president of culinary activities. Rishmany will “perform implementation and execution of food and beverage operations and continue growth across current venues and new concepts.” He will also head purchasing programs for concepts and assist with F&B-related guest relations and experience. “Brad comes armed with ample experience in a variety of food and beverage spaces,” said COO Pat Hart. “He not only understands the latest food trends and expectations but excels at execution across all platforms of service.” Learn more at www.trifecta-mg.com.
United Distributing Company, known as UDC, is now the exclusive distributor of Elaut Group products in the United Kingdom and Ireland. According to the companies, UDC successfully introduced Elaut’s E-Claw crane games into the Middle East market a decade ago and will continue to handle the games for that region as well. “Team UDC has always been great to work with,” said Elaut Group CEO Eric Verstraeten. “We are looking forward to a wonderful cooperation in which we can serve our mutual customers – the players and arcade operators.” Learn more at www.elaut-group.com and www.udc.co.uk.