The bowling and entertainment center chain Round1 has plans to open its first Missouri facility next year at the South County Center mall in the southern suburbs of St. Louis. Their facility, which will begin construction later this year, will occupy about 50,000 sq. ft. of space, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The company operates more than 100 locations in Japan and more than 25 around the U.S., with bowling, arcades and much more. Learn about Round1 Bowling & Amusement at www.round1usa.com.
Author: Matt Harding
The movie entertainment center chain Cinergy will be moving into the Kansas City market next year, hitting Mission, Kan., sometime next summer. According to the Kansas City Business Journal, and confirmed by owner Jeff Benson, the company will be completing its sixth facility at the Mission Gateway, a 90,000-sq.-ft. venue with 10 screening rooms, bowling, ziplines and a 100-game arcade with much more. Benson said Cinergy will be looking at adding about three locations each year, and has deals in the works in other markets – looking to expand well beyond the current footprint in Texas, where the company is…
CenterEdge Software recently announced that Andretti Indoor Karting & Games selected its Advantage point of sale system for locations in San Antonio, Texas, Orlando, Fla., and Marietta, Georgia. The new software suite will manage in-store, mobile POS and online sales, group and party bookings, and waivers in “a totally cashless system,” according to the company. “We see anywhere from 600,000 to 1 million guests annually per location and our team was fighting with our former system every day to even sell something as simple as game cards,” said Joe Jenkins, director of information technology at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games.…
AMI Entertainment recently announced a new music contest to win an autographed turntable from The Head and The Heart, celebrating their latest album Living Mirage. Five runners-up will get a vinyl copy of the album, the band’s fourth. Their full discography is available in the AMI Digital Jukebox Network. The contest is open now through May 29. Entry is available on any participating AMI jukebox or through the AMI Music app, available on iOS and Android. More information is available at www.amientertainment.com.
Exotics Racing, dubbing themselves “the world’s largest supercar driving experience,” has a new outdoor go-kart track in Las Vegas, located on the grounds of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The attraction, called Vegas Superkarts, features a fleet of 4-stroke, gas-powered Sodikart SR5 270 CCs, according to Travel Pulse, and the longest, fastest and widest outdoor go-kart track in Vegas. The 2,100-foot asphalt track was designed by Exotics Racing co-founder Romain Thievin specifically for go-karts – with more than a dozen turns and professional safety barriers. Pricing starts at $35 per race and drivers must be at least 14 years old…
Intercard and Pinnacle Entertainment Group have joined forces to serve the arcade and FEC market, “providing each other’s clients with the best cashless technology and arcade consulting services,” according to the companies. The two firms have worked together informally since 1990, when Pinnacle president George McAuliffe was VP of Operations at Edison Brothers Entertainment in St. Louis, where Intercard is based. “We bought our first Intercard system in 1998 and it’s been very friendly with (founder Ray Sherrod’s son) Scott over the years,” McAuliffe said. “We’re fortunate to come together in this business. More information about the companies is available…
Betson will be celebrating the grand opening of its new Portland office with a barbecue cookout on May 23, which will also feature finance specials on their best-selling games. The event will be catered by local BBQ favorite Buster’s Barbecue, there will be a Betson Technical University scholarship giveaway and a free AMI seminar starting at 10 a.m. You can RSVP by clicking here. The office is located at 5211 NE 158th Ave., Portland, OR 97230, and the event will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. More info about the distributor is available at www.betson.com.
An equipment leasing program from Andamiro USA was recently unveiled for three of the company’s games. Their first-ever such program covers Prize Aquarium, an instant redemption piece dispensing 4” capsules, for about $25/week (36 monthly payments of $105.86); Safe Cracker, their flagship prize merchandiser, for about $35/week (36 monthly payments of $148.71); and their latest offering, the self-service kiosk Redeem Machine, for about $42/week (36 monthly payments of $181.48). Each of the options has a low residual purchase option at the end of the lease, the factory reports. Firstlease, a subsidiary of Firstrust Ban, will underwrite the agreements. More information…
The Golden State Pinball Festival, presented by the Northern California Pinball Association, kicks off May 17 in Lodi, Calif., where hundreds of pinball machines will be available for free play. Held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds, the event will also feature a 3-day tournament. There are a ton of other events, too, and even a 40 camping sites for RVs on the grounds. A 3-day pass is $50; the weekend pass is available for $45; and 1-day passes range from $20-$30. More information can be found at www.goldenstatepinball.org, or you can reach out at [email protected].
The global attractions industry association IAAPA is now accepting entries and nominations for its annual awards, including the Brass Ring, Service, Hall of Fame and Young Professional of the Year honors. The Brass Ring Awards recognize FECs, amusement parks, waterparks and many more. Deadlines for each of the categories are August 2 (except for the Young Professional Award – get those in by July 15). Learn more about them here on the IAAPA website. Click hereto submit an entry for the Brass Ring Awards; here for the Service Awards; here for the Hall of Fame Awards; and here for the…