Widgets Family Fun, a FEC in Manhattan, Kansas, is collaborating with the pros at Creative Works to co-conceive multiple immersive attractions. The Midwest location features a steampunk/aviation-themed laser tag arena, with murals lining the arcade and party room walls to further immerse guests into the theme. Additionally, the FEC installed a Lazer Frenzy laser maze.
Identical twins and managers of Widgets, Lacy (Hull) Brown and Stacey (Hull) Niedfeldt, began work developing the family-owned facility in 2016. Creative Works collaborated with the twins from initial contact until completion, doing its best to bring the owners’ unique vision to life. This work included plans for a two-story, 3,110-sq.-ft. laser tag arena within the 15,000-sq.-ft. facility.
“After we got the first set of theme work, we said ‘You blew it out of the park the first time!'” Niedfeldt said. “It was exactly what we wanted, even though we didn’t know that’s what we wanted. We had general themes, general ideas, but Creative Works found exactly what we wanted.”
The arena theme is centered around a large steampunk-styled dirigible that Niedfeldt and Brown bought from Creative Works. The twins further cemented their relationship with Creative Works over the course of LaserTAG360, the company’s two-day educational conference held in Indianapolis.
“If you’re looking to get into the industry, it’s cheap to come to an event like this,” stated Brown, rather than spending a million dollars on a facility and getting the answers after the fact.”