The Minnesota Operators of Music and Amusements (MOMA) held their annual summer outing from June 2-4 at Breezy Point Resort in the city of the same name. The association reported a great turnout with more 50 attendees, including AMOA’s new President Tommy Hendley, VNEA’s Executive Director Michael Wiltse and several manufacturer representatives. Board members met to discuss financial and legislative reports as well as MOMA scholarships. League coordinators of the member companies met to discuss the past tournament and to prepare for the January 2027 pool and dart tournament at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. MOMA also hosted their annual golf…
Author: Matt Harding
With his more than 25 years of amusement and entertainment industry experience, Nick DiMatteo has suited up for Family Entertainment Group as their senior vice president of equipment operations and strategy. “Nick is the kind of hire that changes what’s possible operationally,” said CEO Rex Jackson. “When you’re managing game rooms across a portfolio of FEG’s size – and growing – the margin for error on equipment performance is near zero. Nick has spent 25 years building the systems, standards and instincts that close that margin. The depth of experience he brings, from route operations all the way through the…
Fans of Big Buck Hunter: Reloaded will be excited to know that Play Mechanix has added a Mountain Goat animal to the game. This latest update, they reported, comes with a new adventure (three hunting treks of Mountain Goat) plus three new bonus rounds. Players chose this animal through an in-game vote this past year. Now, the Reloaded game comes with 12 animal adventures, 36 bonus rounds, plus five premium content games. New offline games will come with the Mountain Goat update included, while the update is free for all online-connected machines and will automatically download. Learn more at www.bigbuckhunter.com.
Guy Fieri’s Downtown Flavortown concept recently opened at the Myrtle Beach Mall in the South Carolina tourist town. It’s a 50,000-sq.-ft. dining and entertainment destination and the first outside of their flagship Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, venue. “We are excited to officially announce that Downtown Flavortown Myrtle Beach is open,” said Bucky Mabe, CEO of FACE Amusement Group. “This concept has proven successful in high-traffic tourism markets, and Myrtle Beach allows us to bring it to life at an even larger scale. We are creating a destination that brings together dining and entertainment in a way that appeals to both visitors…
Valo Motion recently reported that Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Katy, Texas, has “achieved strong results” with its installation of ValoArena, the company’s mixed reality attraction designed for high-throughput active entertainment. “Not having load-in times and being able to move a lot more people through ValoArena is huge for us, especially when we’re doing birthday parties,” said Jason Bryant, the location’s general manager. “With 15 or 20 kids in a birthday party, being able to service all those kids with one attraction without making them wait to play is just amazing.” The attraction drives more than 1,000 guest interactions…
Elev8 Tampa and Elev8 Miami will soon incorporate Shaq’s Big Chicken into their food and beverage lineup, the company’s David Goldfarb told RePlay. Tampa will get it in July and Miami in September. Goldfarb said he was in Las Vegas for a trade show and stumbled upon Shaq’s Big Chicken for lunch and loved the idea. “We were already serving California Pizza Kitchen and Mr. Beast Burger inside Elev8, so we had two of the three major food groups intact,” he said. “Chicken was the one category we felt was missing.” Big Chicken was founded in 2018 by NBA Hall…
LAI Games recently announced that seven of its attractions were chosen for Pinstack Kincora, the newest location for that chain, which is opening in Sterling, Virginia. The selection includes Ubisoft All-Star VR as the venue’s only VR attraction. The 56,000-sq.-ft. space will also offer Cyberpunk 2077: Turf Wars, Galaxy Hunter, Tornado, Dragon’s Bane, Cosmic Tower and the Asphalt 9 Premium racer. As far as other attractions go, they have Brunswick bowling lanes, a zipline, laser tag, bumper cars and more than 125 arcade games in total. “We’re proud to have such a strong LAI Games lineup selected for Pinstack Kincora,”…
AMOA was recently celebrated by Graphic Design USA, which selected JMS Marketing Inc. as a recipient of its 2026 Digital Design Award for their work on the newly revamped AMOA.com. “The annual GDUSA competition honors excellence in digital and visual communications, recognizing standout achievements in website design and online branding,” the association explained. “JMS Marketing Inc. earned the distinction for its comprehensive redesign of the AMOA website, delivering a modernized look and enhanced user experience for the association and its members.” If you haven’t already, see what’s new at www.amoa.com.
Monster Mini Golf recently developed a mobile app that’s been expanded franchise-wide, offering all their players a more seamless mini-golf experience. The mobile app allows guests to track scores, reserve birthday parties, purchase special promotions and stay connected with the Monster Mini Golf experience before, during and after their visit. It’ll also mean less time standing in line in the venue. “This isn’t about an app – it’s about evolution,” said Chris King, president of Monster Entertainment. “Today’s families live in a digital-first world, and they expect their entertainment to keep up. By merging online convenience with our in-store experience,…
Meiling Wallaker is the new senior administrative assistant at the VNEA headquarters in Bay City, Michigan. A graduate of Ferris State University, she brings more than 10 years of experience in accounting, finance and administrative operations across a variety of fields. She’s held key roles with RWC, Inc., United Way of Bay County, Saginaw Valley State University and MidMichigan Health. You can help welcome her to the VNEA family by sending her a line at [email protected].