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Recent Posts
- Our April Leisure eNewsletter is now available April 19, 2022
- Our March Leisure eNewsletter is now available March 14, 2022
- The February edition of our Leisure eNewsletter is now available  February 15, 2022
- What they fail to explain about vaccines, Delta, and masks September 13, 2021
- No, the pandemic hasn’t ended. It’s still having a significant impact on indoor family and children’s venues July 8, 2021
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Category Archives: Location based entertainment
Our March Leisure eNewsletter is now available
This month’s issue looks at what past and current trends indicate the “new normal” may be for out-of-home entertainment in the post-pandemic world. It’s for sure we won’t be going back to the pre-pandemic 2019 normal. The two-year pandemic has … Continue reading
The importance of human connection to Americans’ happiness
Post-pandemic, many people will find their happiness by maintaining their social connections with family and friends at home and less than in the past at location-based leisure venues. Continue reading
The consumers that went into the pandemic aren’t the same ones coming out
The consumers that location-based leisure venues knew in 2019 are gone and never coming back, even when things are fully open. Continue reading
Will vaccinations create a roaring rebound to attending in-person events?
What affect will vaccinations have on the return to in-person events, including dining in restaurants and attending entertainment and cultural events? Continue reading
Is a return to out-of-home entertainment and its previous normal on the horizon or a mirage?
Major changes that took place with consumers during the pandemic will have a long enduring impact on the post-pandemic location-based entertainment competitive landscape. Continue reading
Some bad and some good news
Here’s some bad and good new about people returning to out-of-home entertainment and arts venues Continue reading
The other side of accelerated economic inequality – Americans who have become better off during the pandemic and its implications for out-of-home entertainment & arts
There will be two Americas in the post-pandemic world. There will be the people currently going through financial hell and there will be Americans who have become better off during the pandemic. Continue reading
Millennials reach all-time high in comfort going to many out-of-home entertainment and arts venues
Millennials reach all-time high in comfort going to many out-of-home entertainment and arts venues.
Continue reading
When will the out-of-home entertainment and arts industry recover?
Here’s discussion and my projections on when and to what extent the out-of-home entertainment and arts industry will recover. Continue reading
Will increased cooking at home, restaurant takeout, and meal delivery become the post-pandemic future normal? If so, what are its implications for location-based entertainment?
How the pandemic has changed our dining behaviors and its impact on our post-pandemic dining and visits to location-based entertainment venues. Continue reading
Hometainment’s impact on the post-pandemic entertainment landscape
When the risk of the coronavirus finally disappears, will our current levels of hometainment continue or will our out-of-home entertainment return to its 2019 levels? Continue reading
Using slices of Swiss cheese to make people feel safe from catching the coronavirus at public places?
The coronavirus is an existential threat for getting people to participate in public activities. How Swiss cheese to make them more comfortable to attend. Continue reading
Virus infections spike, comfort levels visiting public activities, including LBEs, drops
The current surge in coronavirus infections is decreasing the number of people comfortable visiting location-based entertainment, including FECs. Continue reading
What can the comfort of returning to concerts tell us about the comfort of returning to other type LBEs?
Research on concert attendees offers insights on who is most likely to return to location-based entertainment, including FECs. Continue reading
Covid-time restaurant preferences and concerns
While people’s food and drink preferences are continually changing, some things remain the same as pre-pandemic for dining out during the coronavirus, while others have changed. Continue reading
The great location-based entertainment decimation event
The pandemic and its continuation into 2021 are a genuine existential threat to location-based entertainment and FECs. Continue reading
Comfort levels going to public places creeping up
Since lows in August, comfort levels going to different out-of-home public activities is now creeping up Continue reading
Covid-19 accelerates the socioeconomic bifurcation of out-of-home entertainment and arts
If you thought the 2019 out-of-home entertainment and arts market was gentrified, just wait for how gentrified the post-pandemic market becomes Continue reading
Covid’s impact on pumpkin time out-of-home public activities
Lots of people are going stir-crazy and craving some sort of ‘safe’ out-of-home entertainment they can visit. This fall it look like agritainment/agritourism will be the winner. Continue reading
Increase in work-at-home creates a shift in site selection strategies for location-based entertainment
More people working at home has shifted site selection strategies for location-based entertainment. Continue reading
The false dawn – a vaccine will get us back to normal
Unfortunately, most government and public-health officials are not preparing the public and businesses for the likely scenario following when a vaccine for coronavirus is available. Continue reading
The gap in comfort between millennials and all adults starts to widen for some activities.
We’re seeing an uptick in Millennials’ comfort visiting different out-of-home entertainment and cultural activities Continue reading
Location-based entertainment venue food & drink during the Covid-era
LBEs that make the guest dining and drinking experience as safe and positive as possible and broadly communicate their health and safety measures to guests will be able to maximize their attendance and revenues during these trying times. They might even get a competitive leg up on restaurants, peoples’ top choice to return to. Continue reading
There’s a nesting trend underway
Location-based entertainment and cultural venues face new headwinds from the nesting trend. Continue reading
When will people return to restaurants, museums, and location-based entertainment?
The data indicates that we won’t be getting back close to 2019 levels of visitation and attendance at out-of-home dining, social, cultural and entertainment activities any time soon. Continue reading
Will Uber-Bunkering, an acceleration of a decades old trend, stay uber post-pandemic?
Time at home has been on the increase for decades. The pandemic has caused an abrupt and dramatic acceleration of that trend. Now, almost all socialization, entertainment and cultural activities take place at home. Post-pandemic, will things go back to the old normal? Continue reading
People’s comfort returning to out-of-home activities continues its decline
People’s comfort returning to out-of-home activities continues its decline Continue reading
People’s comfort returning to out-of-home activities on the decline
Here’s the most current poll results on people’s comfort levels and intentions on returning to out-of-home leisure activities. Continue reading
Should location-based leisure businesses have strict mandatory face mask requirements?
This blog contains a lot of data from research and polls on the face mask requirements location-based leisure businesses should adopt to become the most successful during corona-time. Continue reading
How Covid-19 is reshaping the out-of-home leisure competitive landscape
The pandemic has reshaped the competitive out-of-home leisure competitive landscape, changing the leisure activities people will choose to do. Continue reading
What does death of the buffets mean for location-based entertainment?
What does death of the buffet mean for location-based entertainment? Continue reading
Less than 1/3rd of previous bowlers are ready to return
Due to the coronaviruses, less than 1/3rd of previous bowlers are ready to go bowling again Continue reading
The illusion that a vaccine is the magic bullet to the post-pandemic era (and if it is, the timeline is much longer than anticipated)
The illusion that a vaccine is the magic bullet to the post-pandemic era (and if it is, the timeline is much longer than anticipated)
Continue reading
Comfort for visiting leisure, entertainment and cultural destinations continues to decline
Morning Consult has been polling Americans every two weeks on their comfort levels of engaging in different out-of-home leisure activities. For every activity tracked, the comfort level was on an upswing into the second week in June, after which it … Continue reading
The post-Covid out-of-home entertainment competitive landscape
Pre-Covid LBE and FEC business models are all facing a true existential threat. Their existing business models will all suffer accelerated Darwinism if they don’t adapt and innovate for the new post-pandemic future with customers who are fundamentally different than the ones we knew before. Continue reading
Is Chuck E. Cheese’s bankruptcy a bellwether for the decimation of the LBE/FEC industry?
The Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for the location-based entertainment (LBE) industry. Why I predict that at least 30% of FECs will go out of business and be permanently closed by the end of 2021, perhaps sooner. Continue reading
Consumers’ comfort visiting leisure activities falls with Covid-19 infection surge
Consumers’ comfort levels visiting leisure and entertainment activities has declined with the Covid-19 infection surge. Continue reading
What impact will the Covid-19 pandemic have on births?
If you thought all the people stuck at home with their romantic partners during the lockdown and/or self-quarantining would reverse the trend and lead to a baby boom, you are probably wrong based on the lessons from history and what researchers are predicting. Continue reading
It’s a long road ahead for location-based entertainment to recover to pre-pandemic business levels
There’s been a lot of press coverage on consumers returning to reopened restaurants, location-based entertainment (LBE) and other businesses. Yes, the trend is up with increasing attendance. However, moving up from zero attendance doesn’t mean you will soon be at 100%. Here’s what all the polls and research is telling us about a recovery. Continue reading
To recover the fastest, location-based businesses need mandatory mask wearing
Now that businesses are being allowed to reopen, they need to make sure they are doing everything possible to attract customers back as soon as possible. In the coronavirus era, that includes a new criterion, “Is it safe to visit? … Continue reading
Peoples’ Covid-19 fears and its impact on out-of-home entertainment & dining activities
Following is some very recent polling data that I sorted through from multiple sources on the current state of consumers’ fears that they or a member of their family will catch coronavirus and the impact of this fear on their … Continue reading
Who will be the first to return to which out-of-home leisure/entertainment activities?
Here’s my latest research and thoughts on which customers will be the first to return, to which out-of-home entertainment/leisure activities, and at what frequency. Continue reading
When will people return to out-of-home entertainment and dining based on their income, education, generation & age?
Here’s some very recent data on when adults expect to return to restaurants and out-of-home (OOH) entertainment and cultural venues based on their incomes, education, generation and age. Continue reading
When, if ever, will location-based entertainment become profitable again?
There are a number of factors that will determine when LBEs will be profitable again including the share of the population at high risk of Covid-19. Here’s the latest data and predictions. Continue reading
The economics of operating location-based entertainment in corona-time
As stay-in-place orders are lifted, reopening LBEs will face financial challenges. Continue reading
What out-of-home activities consumers are now willing to do?
We’re seeing improvement in the percent of consumers ready to return to out-of-home entertainment, but it isn’t where we need to be. Continue reading
Readiness to return to out-of-home entertainment, arts and dining based on income and education
A May 5-9 poll gives us insight on whether and how peoples’ incomes and education will affect how soon they will return to restaurants and location-based entertainment and cultural attractions. Continue reading
Who’s ready to return to out-of-home entertainment and cultural experiences?
Now that states are starting to allow businesses to open and the lockdown is winding down, will people return to out-of-home (OOH) entertainment and cultural experiences? Our company has access to a large number of national U.S. polls with very current data. So, I dug into the data of some of them to see what people are saying. Continue reading
The accelerated digitalization of place is disrupting the real estate landscape
It was first back in 2015 in our company’s Leisure eNewsletter that we wrote about the growing trend of the digitalization of place – that the internet and digital technology is making it possible to acquire things or to have experiences at-home … Continue reading
Will no longer doing some things we used to do pre-Covid become a permanent habit?
While bunkered down at home, I’ve been taking long walks everyday whenever the weather permits. Here in Kansas City in the Spring, it’s a great time to take walks as all the greenery is emerging. Winters here are very gray. … Continue reading
Will your entertainment or cultural venue be ready for the post-lockdown guests?
Now is the time to start thinking about what changes need to be made to both facility design and operations to attract the post-lockdown consumer. Continue reading
A nightclub virtual experience with conspicuous leisure value
Virtual entertainment experiences are starting to take on the conspicuous leisure value of out-of-home ones. Continue reading
Predictions on the post-pandemic location-based entertainment landscape
What will the post-pandemic out-of-home entertainment competitive landscape look like? Continue reading
The impact of virtual entertainment experiences during the lockdown on the post-pandemic entertainment landscape
What might the long-term impact be on our out-of-home entertainment behavior once the corona-crisis is over? Continue reading
The post-pandemic future of America’s location-based entertainment
The coronavirus is likely to devastate large portions of the location-based entertainment industry. Businesses that survive should expect a less-saturated market with a changed consumer base and market size. Continue reading
The out-of-home entertainment blood bath
There is massive over expansion of out-of-home entertainment options occurring in many markets. At the same time, in-home entertainment options are becoming more alluring. Jim Kessler, owner and operator of two Lasertron venues, just posted a blog on what it … Continue reading
Digital disruption changes industry definitions
This year two major trade organizations changed the definition of their industries. Both are telltale signs of the major digital disruption that is occurring to all types of out-of-home (OOH) B2C businesses, including OOH leisure and entertainment. According to the National … Continue reading
Are you appealing to the Conscientious Consumer? Budweiser does.
Offering the coolest bowling or entertainment and/or the tastiest, trendiest burger or flatbread no longer cuts it. Continue reading
Dave & Buster’s continues its decline
Yesterday Dave & Buster’s reported record revenues in the third quarter, up 12.9%. Sounds all rosy, but it really isn’t when you drill down into the results. The revenue increase is attributable to an increase in the number of stores. … Continue reading
Nascent new technology will be a game changer
Live streaming 360 virtual reality isn’t just an exciting new technology. It’s a new type of media and a game changer that has high potential to change the way we live, especially our leisure lives. Continue reading
First mover doesn’t succeed unless its also best mover
The conventional wisdom is that first to market can establish a stronghold in the market, a first mover advantage, making it difficult for later entrants to capture market share. However, a first mover advantage is never a sure thing. Being a first mover at the expense of being the best mover will often lead to a competitive disadvantage. Continue reading
Pokémon Go introduces a new disruptive entertainment technology
Pokémon Go introduces a totally new disruptive technology to the consumer entertainment landscape Continue reading
Eatertainment webinar rescheduled for next Wednesday
The eatertainment webinar has been rescheduled for 1 PM Easter Standard Time, next Wednesday, February 17th. Continue reading
Free webinar on eatertainment this Wednesday
Free webinar on eatertainment this Wednesday Continue reading
The Tchotchke Index is down, but has discretionary spending on OOH entertainment turned the corner?
The Tchotchke Index is down, but other consumer spending is up. What does this mean for location-based leisure venues? Continue reading
America – a no vacation nation
The percent of Americans not taking vacations is not good news for any location-based leisure venues that cater to vacationers, whether they are out-of-town on a trip or on a staycation at home. Continue reading
Looking back and looking forward at the FEC industry
Looking back through the history of the family entertainment center industry and predictions of what the future holds for its success. Continue reading
BECs still prisoners of the past
So here’s the problem with using the name BEC or hybrid bowling center for these mixed-anchor centers that include bowling. . . Continue reading
Is Chuck E. Cheese’s the Blockbuster Video of the Eatertainment Industry?
Greg Casale, the head chef at CEC, tells the press that a desire to attract Millennial mothers is behind the menu change. “Her kids know it’s a fun place to go, but Millennial moms want to provide that great experience without sacrificing for themselves,” he says. . . .Greg Chef, your new menu is still so in the past. It’s a 2005 menu in 2015. . . Continue reading
Webinar: How Digital is Disrupting the Entertainment Landscape
Join this Wednesday’s webinar on how digital is disrupting the entertainment landscape. Continue reading
FECs and LBEs now facing new competition
Now along comes another form of competition to FECs and LBEs. . . Continue reading
Daily fantasy sports coming to family entertainment centers
Fantasy sports is not exactly something you would associate with a family entertainment center (FEC). That is about to change in the near future with the acquisition of Major League Fantasy (MLF) by Latitude 360 . . . Continue reading
Update on location-based entertainment spending trend
Our company has been tracking the long-term trend in location-based entertainment spending that has shown a decline started around the turn of the century. We now have new, more current data thru June 2014 . . . Continue reading
More Proof that High Fidelity is the Winning Formula
Despite a shrinking market for entertainment on trips and vacations, The Magic Kingdom . . . raised their admission price 44% faster than inflation. . . In today’s increasingly competitive entertainment marketplace, High Fidelity plays an important role in the formula for success. Continue reading
Be an LBE disrupter before you get disrupted
The LBE formulas of just a few years past are no longer future proof. Be a disrupter before you get disrupted, because that disruption is already underway. Continue reading
Vietnam’s Largest FEC Opens
157,000 SF Helio Center, Vietnam’s largest family entertainment center, celebrates its grand opening Continue reading
Smartphones are sucking the fun out of leisure time
Now along comes research that indicates a new type of disruption – that the use of digital technology, and more specifically the smartphone, is actually decreasing the fun many people have during the leisure time . . . Continue reading
The digital death of boredom and its implications for LBEs
Boredom used to be location-based entertainment’s friend. That has changed today. . . Continue reading
Movie Attendance Continues its 12-Year Decline
Hollywood has reported that North American 2014 movie theater attendance dropped 6% from the previous year and box office revenue declined by 5%. Actually, the decline is greater when we adjust . . . Truth be told, there are much more fundamental reasons why moviegoing is on the decline. Continue reading
35 Million Households Visited an Agritainment Farm this Summer and Fall
Members of over 35 million households (29%) with more than one-third of the U.S. population visited and paid for an activity at an agritainment farm over the summer and fall this year. Continue reading
Industry Label Reinforces Paradigm Paralysis
At the IAAPA Convention in Orlando this year I was part of what we believe was the first seminar ever given at IAAPA about attracting the adult market, called Growing Your Revenue with Adults. . . This is a completely new idea for most of what is called the family entertainment center (FEC) industry. And that is exactly why it is such a new idea, as for over two decades . . . Continue reading
The Tchotchke Index Tracks Location-Based Entertainment Spending
American’s spending on tchotchkes—trinkets, junk, yard sale finds, gift shop items, home decor trinkets and other decorative items for the home—is an excellent measure of their impulse spending . . . Continue reading
The intersection of personal digital technology & bricks-and-mortar entertainment
The Triple Revolution of the Internet, social media and the always-on-connectivity of now ubiquitous mobile devices is disrupting the entertainment venue industry in ways and at a speed that most in industry fail to recognize . . . Continue reading
One-of-a-Kind Survey on National FEC Attraction Preferences
Last month our company completed a national survey of over 4,000 adults on their participation in major attractions at family entertainment centers. According to the results . . . Continue reading
The migration of the meaning of Place
Now the physicality of place is no longer its sole meaning. The definition of place has changed due to the Internet and mobile devices, especially the smartphone. Continue reading
Millennials aren’t necessarily who you think they are
The press continually implies that Millennials are a homogeneous group of approximately 19- to 34-year-olds. Nothing could be further from the truth. . . Continue reading
Travel spending on entertainment & dining takes a staycation nosedive
The U.S. Commerce Department has reported that spending on travel and tourism during the 1st quarter of 2014 decreased at an annual rate of 1.0%. However, spending on recreation and entertainment turned down dramatically . . . Continue reading
More about the Social TV competition
Twitter and Facebook Social TV are examples of just one of the many new kinds of growing digital disruptions to yesteryear’s entertainment landscape. Continue reading
Smartphones are making TV tougher competition than ever
Now we have the synergistic combination of two digital screens merging to become more powerful and attractive than either alone. Disruptive digital at-home entertainment competition continues to ramp up its game. Continue reading
More Evidence of the Digital Disruption of Location-Based Entertainment & Culture
So here’s what is so scary for location-based entertainment, sporting events and cultural venues, the vast majority of which are seeing a long-term trend of declining attendance. The use of mobile devices that can be used anywhere 24/7 continues to grow, and the majority of that growing screen time is being used to engage in entertainment . . . Continue reading
New research shows out-of-home entertainment & arts participation on the decline
Our analysis of the American Time Use Survey data shows a long-term trend of declining participation in out-of-home entertainment and the arts, but it is not an across-the-board trend. Continue reading
American’s Optimistic on Spending for Entertainment and Restaurants
Things have definitely turned the corner compared to early 2009 when three-quarters of consumers were planning on reducing spending for entertainment and restaurants Continue reading
How interactive location-based entertainment can bond families
In a world where our children are constantly alone on their tablets, it is so important to create environments where they can have fun with each other. It [laser tag] can even bring mom and dad together with their son to. Continue reading
Movie attendance continued its long-term decline in 2013
2013 North American movie box office results are in. On a per capita basis, movie attendance declined . . . the 2013 attendance decline is a continuation of a long-term trend of declining per capita attendance from its peak in 2002. Continue reading
College-degreed households biggest spenders at location-based entertainment venues
In 2012, households where the highest education level of a household member was a Bachelor’s Degree or higher accounted for the majority of all spending at location-based entertainment venues . . .Those households make up only 38% of all households. Continue reading
