Music City Modernization
What Bowl Expo 2026 in Nashville Taught Us About the Future Of the Bowling Entertainment Center
By Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Bowling has been arguably the biggest driver of the FEC business over the last 10 years. We just got back from Bowl Expo, and this year the show rolled into Nashville. Music City was a fitting backdrop, because Nashville is all about reinvention, and reinvention was the theme humming through every aisle of the trade show floor.
We began attending Bowl Expo in 2009 when there were almost no FEC vendors there, nor game manufacturers, attractions companies, FEC focused software, etc. Now, the show floor is filled with many of the same exhibitors you’ll see at Amusement Expo and IAAPA.
If you’ve read this column for a while, you know my drumbeat: the bowling entertainment center business is strong, but it is no longer a business you can coast in. Sales at many centers are running 5-10% off their post-pandemic highs, the consumer is hunting for value, and new competition seems to open down the road every month. This was our first Bowl Expo as bowling center owners and operators, so in addition to exhibiting we were looking for ways to improve our business as we continue our modernization efforts. Here’s what stood out – and, more importantly, what you can actually do with it.
Start Under the Hood: Scoring and Pinsetters
The biggest conversations on the floor were about the machines behind the lanes. String pinsetters have gone from a curiosity to a mainstream choice, offering dramatically lower maintenance, fewer mechanics on payroll, less downtime and real energy savings. Replacing pinsetters is an expensive proposition. In our case, we chose to invest in improving our existing pinsetters given the plethora of capital spending we need to do over the next couple of years. Fortunately, we have strong young mechanics that can keep our machines operating efficiently.
The other major bowling-related decision is when to update to the latest scoring systems. With those, you get something guests actually notice: fast, colorful, interactive screens with built-in games, camera moments and upsell prompts baked right in.
If your scoring looks like it did in 2010, your guests notice that, too. Modernizing the lane experience is no longer a luxury purchase; it’s table stakes. We have our eye on Sync by Brunswick, a well-integrated system which many centers are choosing, but for now, we’re updating our servers and hardware to optimize our existing system.
The Guest Journey Is Now Digital – Top to Bottom
The second theme was the friction we’re finally removing from the guest experience. Online reservations and lane bookings were everywhere, and the smart systems now do dynamic pricing – charging more at peak Saturday-night demand and using targeted discounts to fill your dead Tuesday afternoons. Some proprietors overprice on weekends, which can destroy the very important wait time. A bowling entertainment center should target a 1-2 hour wait on busy days, so customers are trained to spend money eating, drinking and playing in the arcade while they wait. Don’t overdo the dynamic pricing where you eliminate the wait to maximize bowling revenue.
I saw mobile and QR-code ordering that lets a group order food and drinks right from the lane without flagging down a server, which lifts both spend and satisfaction. Cashless and modern card systems continue to take over the arcade and the counter, and the data they generate is gold. My advice: pick technology that talks to itself. A booking system, POS, card system and management dashboard that share data are worth far more than four disconnected gadgets. In most of our consulting client business we use a bowling software, typically Brunswick Sync with an arcade card system, almost always Intercard. The systems are well integrated.
Beyond the Lanes: The Hybrid Center Wins
Nashville confirmed what we’ve watched build for a decade – the pure bowling alley is giving way to the entertainment center. Duckpin continues to be a story of the show, because it packs an experiential, social attraction into a fraction of the footprint of tenpin, and it’s perfect for boutique and eatertainment concepts.
Arcades and redemption were everywhere, and immersive attractions – free-roam VR, AR-enhanced games, interactive darts and competitive socializing – are maturing and getting more affordable to install. The lesson isn’t “buy one of everything.” It’s that guests now expect a menu of things to do, and food and beverage has to be part of the draw, not an afterthought. The centers winning right now are the ones that keep a family in the building longer and give them more reasons to spend.
Don’t Overlook the Boring Stuff – It’s Where the Money Is
For all the flash, some of my favorite booths were the ones selling operational discipline: management software, preventative maintenance programs and reporting tools that finally let owners see the truth. We are working on building out our systems to manage our data in F&B and bowling, and implementing arcade metrics from the beginning.
I’ve said it in this column before and I’ll say it again – do the math. Track your crane profitability, watch your redemption cost of goods, price with intention and keep your equipment running. Most centers we work with can find a 10 to 20 percent profit improvement in operations alone, before they spend a dollar on new attractions. The technology at Bowl Expo makes that easier than ever, because you can’t fix what you can’t measure. That said, nothing will automate data and operations completely. You must do some of it manually and understand the math.
So, What Should You Actually Do?
If you can afford to shut down and do a complete modernization at once, then that is likely the best way to go. If like us, you can’t afford that capital outlay or lack of revenue during the shutdown, prioritize your spending. We started with the largest and fastest ROI, which is to install a redemption arcade. Next, we prioritized basic maintenance that had been deferred, including filling potholes and paving the parking lot, repairing the leaky roof, updating our pinsetters and installing working speakers. We had some work to do just to get to meet basic customer expectations.
Our work for the rest of the summer will be on improving systems, staff training and expectations, and otherwise optimizing operations. Once the building is sound, and the arcade and existing operations are optimized, we will look at adding technology and taking the center to a higher level. The three areas most centers should focus on, and we will as well, are:
1) Added technology such as video walls for the lanes, like Brunswick’s Spark (QubicaAMF has their Neoverse LED Wall)
2) Optimized and updated scoring to the latest and best options
3) Adding outdoor elements including bar, games and other attractions
The through-line of Bowl Expo 2026 was that modernization is no longer about keeping up with the alley across town because our competition is more often other forms of entertainment entirely. Being successful is about meeting a value-conscious guest who has more entertainment options than ever and giving them a compelling reason to choose you. Nashville reminded me that our industry reinvents itself every generation – and the operators who lean into that reinvention are the ones who’ll be thriving in 2027 and beyond.
As always, I welcome your feedback, positive and constructive alike. Email me at [email protected] – and if you were in Nashville, tell me what caught your eye.
Howard McAuliffe loves to imagine and implement new products, business models, and ideas, and is CEO and president of Pinnacle Entertainment Group Inc. He’s an industry veteran who got his start in the business when he was just 16 and has 20 years of expertise in product development, as well as FEC and route operations. Howard’s wife Reem and young son Sami are the center of life outside of work. When he’s not working, Howard can be found enjoying the outdoors, hiking, fishing and mountaineering. Traveling anywhere new or to old favorites like the American West is a passion. Readers can visit www.grouppinnacle.com for more information or contact Howard at [email protected], he welcomes positive as well as constructive feedback and counterpoints.