June 2011
The Large Park Report
Higher Gas Prices: The 2011 Season Outlook for Florida Amusement Parks
While some local parks do benefit from higher gas prices because vacationers generally end up staying closer to home to save money, even local parks suffer increased operating costs whenever energy prices rise.
Business Strategies
For Optimists, the Recovering Economy is a Source of Opportunity
The opportunities to have a successful business are still out there, and those who act on them are the ones who are successful.
Food Service Spotlight
Ovens and Fryers: Putting the Sizzle in Major League Baseball Parks
Feeding thousands of people daily requires not only organization and skill, but the right tools, too. Integral to any large food operation, such as at major league baseball parks, are fryers and ovens, two of the hardest working and most important investments in a commercial kitchen.
Tips for Purchasing the Right Oven or Fryer
Food Service Spotlight – Waves
Waterpark Food: Offering Quality Quickly
Sooner or later, waterpark guests take a break from the slides and inner tubes and head for the food stands. Food service managers know they have to follow a simple principle in feeding waterpark guests: Make the food good and make the food quickly.
Tips for Selling More Food at Waterparks
Food and Fun: The Eater-Tainment Dimension
The ability to offer a family “eater-tainment” that mixed the attraction experience within the dining environment was groundbreaking in the 1970s and still holds strong appeal today.
AZA Section
Zoos and Aquariums: Raising Awareness of Conservation Issues
Visiting a zoo or aquarium is a great way for individuals and families to gain emotional ties to wildlife and participate in conservation initiatives. When conservation messages are relayed to visitors, it aids
in teaching them how to contribute to the preservation of wildlife and their related habitats.
AAM Report
Reimagining Museums – Reaching Out With Galleries Full of Fun
Museum directors have taken to heart a reputation for a highbrow sensibility and begun to transform their institutions into places that are not only educational but fun. Outreach programs are courting a wider range of guests who now view visits to museums with anticipation.
Tips for Drawing in Visitors
Family Entertainment Center Report
Mini-Golf & Go-Kart Report
Adding the Extras for a Winning Formula
No matter if you are tweaking or revamping your menu or adding more adrenalin-producing speed and increasing the challenge to make skillful strokes on the course, go-kart and miniature golf operations need to continually find ways to attract customers and keep them coming back.
Change that Works: Making Big Food Profits from Small Spaces
12 Top Tips for Successfully Adding Extras
Miniature Golf Product News
BPAA
Could 71 Million People Be Wrong? – Bowling’s Place in Your Family Entertainment Center
Bowling, 71 million participants strong, continues to be America’s number one participation sport. Positioned as an activity that has broad appeal across all demographic categories, bowling is in an enviable spot compared to many other recreation options.
Safety and Security – How Bowling Centers Get Serious About Ensuring Fun
From adult-oriented options, such as midnight bowling, to creative parties for kids, bowling center operators continue to devise programs aimed at attracting and pleasing visitors. But while ensuring that customers have fun during their visit is important, so, too, is keeping guests safe at all times.
RSA Report
Providing the Right Mix of Attractions and Special Party Offers at Family Entertainment Centers
A look at the Family Entertainment Center business from the perspective of RSA member facilities.
Simulators
Pilot Program – Inside the Popular Simulators at Wonderworks
At Wonderworks in Orlando, Fla., visitors can take a trip like never before. The popular space exhibition – which attracts tourists from around the world each season – includes not only a replica of the Mercury capsule with a control panel and large astronaut suit, but it also features full-motion MaxFlight simulators that give everyone the chance to play pilot for a day.
Bumper Cars
A Successfully Modern Take on Old-fashioned Fun
For more than 80 years, bumper cars have been a staple attraction at amusement parks and other attractions. At one time considered an adult ride because of height restrictions, modern designs make driving these fun diversions possible for nearly all ages. A leading company behind the new generation of bumper cars is Ride Development Company, or RDC, of Independence, Ore.
Industry Owls
Creating Memorable Moments – When Customer Service Isn’t Enough
Remarkable experiences are defined as just that, moments in time you choose to remark about. Engineering each guest visit at your family amusement or leisure business as a singular opportunity to create a remarkable experience adds a huge intangible value to your business.
Family Entertainment Center Trends for 2011 and Beyond
The Industry Owls is a group of independent consultants, operators, trainers and educators who have come together with one purpose: to challenge the way you think. Here, three of the Industry Owls writers share their ideas on the most significant Family Entertainment Center trends for 2011 and beyond.
ILTA
A Message from ILTA Membership Services
FEC Elements in Stand-Alone Centers – Increasing Your Appeal and Creating Synergy at Your Center
As the laser tag industry has matured in the last decade, what was at first a smaller niche market has become the dominant force in new laser tag openings: Family Entertainment Centers. It is easy to see why a variety of attractions can draw a larger audience.
Special Supplement
2011 Entertainment Center and Location-Based Entertainment Suppliers’ Guide
Street Beat
Redemption Games – Prizes Can Divert Attention from Handheld Devices
Video may have killed the radio song, but now, it seems, smart phones have killed the video game. According to one operator, the only thing that seems to lure customers away from their easy-access virtual worlds is the prospect of something concrete, tangible and valuable – a prize.
The Change Game – The Hottest Trends in Coin-op Games Throughout North America May Surprise You
If you think that arcades are a thing of the past thanks to home entertainment systems like Xbox and Wii, think again. Never have arcades been more popular among such a wide range of gamers.
Street Beat Product Feature – Photo Booth Manufacturer Serves Clients Around the World
Street Beat Product News
Amusement Rental/Inflatable News
Winning with Rental Sports Attractions
When Olga Gomez started her business Chicago Moonwalks, in the windy Illinois city, she offered one sports-themed bouncer as an inflatable rental choice on her Web site-parked business. Today customers can find nine sporty options.
Eight Tips for Generating Sports-themed Party Business
Foundations Entertainment University
Foundations Entertainment University is an educational seminar event held at locations around the country that offers a blueprint for success, growth and profit in the entertainment industry. The seminar, which is taught by leading industry experts, covers topics such as feasibility costs, games and attractions, financing, design, operations, food and beverage and more.
