A partnership between two industry leaders was announced at the F2 Conference this week. Rhode Island Novelty added Pinnacle Entertainment Group to its team for sales support and corporate development. “We have a vision for advancing our company in the next five years,” said Bob Nowak, CEO of Rhode Island Novelty. “Looking forward has always served us well, and Pinnacle’s perspective on the marketplace will add to our team’s resources and capabilities.” Pinnacle partner Howard McAuliffe added, “Understanding the powerful player that Rhode Island Novelty is in the redemption marketplace, along with its wide reach into amusement parks, retail and…
Author: Matt Harding
Creative Works hosted their largest-ever LaserTAG360 event last month, which is an educational boot camp started in 2011 for operators who want to add immersive attractions to their entertainment centers. Held Feb. 4-6 in Indianapolis, the most recent event had more than 65 existing and aspiring operators in attendance. It kicked off with a keynote presentation from Jason Barnaby, founder of Fire Starters, Inc. To learn more and register for the next LaserTAG360, held June 10-12, visit www.lasertag360.com.
A recently-posted blog, written by Betson Enterprises’ director of operations Rob Zigmont, gives some tips on how operators can keep their games running smoothly. The straightforward approach includes cleaning the cabinet’s exterior using a soft rag like a microfiber towel, checking and cleaning cabinet vents and fans, vacuuming it occasionally, using compressed air to blow out the sensor on ticket dispensers and more. Betson also offers an in-depth maintenance class called Betson Technical University, where they do two days of hands-on training. Read the full post here.
LAI Games recently promoted Tabor Carlton to the position of marketing director, replacing Mark Easte, who recently assumed the role of managing director. Carlton will develop marketing strategy, maximize the department’s ROI and continue to build brand awareness in the industry. He previously held the position of brand marketing manager for Helix Leisure. “Having worked across multiple Helix Leisure companies for the past decade, Tabor has a very good understanding of the industry and he also brings a fresh perspective to what we’re doing at LAI Games,” Easte said. More information about the company is available at www.laigames.com.
“The Three Amigos” of F2FEC – George Smith, Ben Jones and Rick Iceberg – opened their fifth conference at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colo., yesterday (March 5) with the program’s trademark energy and relationship-building as attendees gathered for cocktails and dinner. With the theme of “Imagine,” F2 gets fully underway today (concluding Thursday) and RePlay’s Ingrid Milkes and Key Snodgress are “in the room” to take it all in. Having attended the previous events, Snodgress said, “Each year, the Amigos curate a program that is incredibly relevant, inspiring and meaningful. I can’t wait to see what they have…
The City of Brotherly Love is showing some love to ATM operators, with Mayor James Kenney recently signing into law a measure that would ban cashless retail establishments. With Kenney’s signature on Feb. 28, Philadelphia became the first major city to require stores, restaurants, and other retailers to accept cash. Set to go into effect on July 1, violators of the new law will be penalized up to $2,000. Exceptions will include parking garages, wholesale clubs, and rental agencies, as well as sales made online and by phone. The law, which was hotly debated, passed the city council by a…
The National ATM Council is gathering information through March 10 on the industry’s experiences with bank account closures via an online survey. The Council says the data is vital to its “continued fight to restore reasonable bank account access for ATM providers in the U.S.” The survey takes just a few minutes and all company-specific data will remain anonymous and confidential. NAC members and non-members can participate in the survey by clicking here.
March 3 marked the final day of amusements for Family Fun Center in Omaha, Neb., which originally opened in 1982. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the FEC had party rooms, arcade games, laser tag, paintball and mini-golf, and moved into a larger space – dubbed Family Fun Center XL – in 2012. “Seven years later we have unfortunately found it impossible as a family-owned business to keep our doors open any longer with the changing times of video games in everyone’s homes and smart phones, as well as many other factors,” owners Chad Reznicek and Tony Farrington said in a…
Another entertainment venue in Nebraska’s largest city will close this month, according to the Omaha World-Herald. SkateDaze, which has been around in one carnation or another since 1946, plans to shut down on March 31. Owners Scott and Pam Cernik said in a statement that they “are ready to hang up their skates and pursue other passions.” Now with an arcade, laser tag and other attractions, the roller-skating rink business began when Scott’s father, Frank, purchased a portable roller rink in 1946. He bought a brick-and-mortar rink in Fremont in 1950, opened “Skateland” in Omaha in 1968 and finally SkateDaze…
Old industry friends ran into each other not once, but twice, within a couple of days recently. Celebrating his 50th birthday in Santa Monica, Calif., Jon Brady (pictured at right), VP of business development with Player One Amusement Group and his wife Alicia ran into Mehdi Eghbal, senior VP of sales and business development at Adrenaline Amusements. “What a small world, and in a city of millions, we literally ran into one another,” Jon wrote in an email to RePlay. “But it gets even smaller, as we had a flight out of LAX the next morning … and guess who…