Seven Thoughts on the Future
What lies ahead for the family entertainment center industry?
by Mike Bederka
To stay ahead of the competition, family entertainment center (FEC) owners have to remain adaptable to the current environment: whether it’s simply adding a new wrinkle to their facilities or adjusting their entire business philosophies. What changes will lead to success? FUNWORLD asked several FEC experts where they think the industry is heading.
Expand Your Audience
Birthday parties, of course, generate significant revenue for FECs, but they can only go so far. Facilities have to expand their appeal into different markets and draw a broader audience, says Rich Sanfilippo, owner of Sam’s Fun City in Pensacola, Florida. He believes FECs need to start making their venues more of an entertainment complex to draw a 20-something crowd. Some FECs already have added alcohol or are considering it.
However, George Smith, president of Barrington, Illinois-based Family Entertainment Group, urges caution when going after teens and young adults. “They are fickle markets that come and go,” he says. “What we have to do to get them in is to come up with new and better attractions: climbing courses, zip lines, and faster coasters.”
Sense of Excitement
The “wow experience” should begin before guests even enter your FEC, says Erik Guthrie, vice president of marketing and sales at Zone Laser Tag, which has more than 335 locations worldwide. For instance, facilities could decorate the trees outside with constantly changing lights. “A lot of times FECs are just these giant boxes,” he says. “Nobody can see what they are from the road. We should take a page from Las Vegas.”
The branding needs to continue right into the lobby—the first and last place guests see inside the FEC and an often-neglected area, says Armando Lanuti, creative experience broker for Creative Works Theme Factory in Mooresville, Indiana: “How do they know what your laser tag arena looks like if you haven’t brought any of that theming out into the lobby? How can they get excited about it? That’s when their memories can potentially begin.”
Stronger Food Offerings
Food often has been an afterthought, says Sanfilippo, a member o f the IAAPA FEC Committee. Now, it must be a primary concern for a facility to be successful.
Some FECs have started to partner with powerful restaurant franchises like Subway, Pizza Hut, and Dairy Queen to help raise the quality level of the eats, he notes. “A good food product is the lead for anything that’s going to work,” adds Smith, also a member of the committee.
Store-in-a-Store Redemption Areas
Employees at traditional redemption counters can only help one or two customers at time. A “store-in-a-store” redemption model can handle more guests and it requires less staffing, Guthrie says.
With the latter, guests are basically shopping in an enclosed environment, he explains. Most of the redemption items are on display; customers can physically pick up and touch the products. When they pick out what they want, they simply take it to the staffed checkout counter. The self-service system increases efficiency and improves inventory control, Guthrie says.
Don’t Stop Reinvesting
Even in a turbulent economy, Smith’s Family Entertainment Group is still growing. “Last year was our best year, and this year we’re ahead of last,” boasts the industry veteran.
The biggest key to this success: constantly reinvesting in equipment and technology, regardless of the economy. Owners who stop investing in their business will be behind the curve when the economy picks up again. So, when the economy takes another dip in the future (which it likely will), don’t be afraid to put some money back into the FEC, Smith advises.
Hybrid Entertainment
More facilities will turn to entertainment that’s a mix of an attraction and an arcade game, Lanuti anticipates. For example, he points to mini-bowling and his company’s Lazer Frenzy, IAAPA Attractions Expo 2009’s Best New Product for FEC Ride/Attraction.
These “mini-attractions” offer an experience the consumer can’t get at home, and they don’t require staffing. “That’s going to be a big draw,” he says.
Technology Boost
In the past, only larger FECs booked birthday parties through online reservation programs or owned debit card systems. That’s changing, Guthrie believes. More mom-and-pop facilities are using technology to make their businesses run smoother.
Several companies have introduced low-cost card readers to help instigate this shift, he says. Now, locations with only 30 or 40 games can move to a cashless system.
Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.
Three More Ideas
Erik Guthrie of Zone Laser Tag sees three more trends in their infancy that FECs can jump on:
1. VIBs. A few of his major bowling clients allocate space for “very important bowler” lanes. Four to six lanes, built in their own section or another room, feature nicer furnishings and a dedicated server, he says. Perfect for corporate events or higher-scale birthday parties, the VIB lanes will cost guests a premium.
2. Comedy shows. He works with one FEC that books comedians for the slow periods. “Why not on a Tuesday night have a ministage and bring in local comedians,” says Guthrie, adding facilities could charge $5 a head.
3. Quinceañera celebrations. The Hispanic coming-of-age ceremony is a virtually untapped market for FECs, he says. LAZER FRENZY |
|
