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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: Trends
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
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
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
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
A shift in parents’ emotional drivers and the meaning of family time
The pandemic as accelerated a trend that began several years ago – parents increasingly putting themselves first instead of their kids as their Gen X parents did.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Where does pizza at FECs and Chuck E. Cheese’s fall in the four pizza groups?
Most FECs need to wake up and get with it, or they will see drastic revenue declines no different than Chuck E. Cheese’s has seen over the years due to their behind the times, non-adult appealing pizza. 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
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
Evidence of Continuing Long-Term Decline in Marriages & Births
Now along comes research published three days ago . . . that finds that these two trends will continue long into the future. 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
Is the Terminator prophecy coming true?
I found a very interesting comment by James Cameron, director of The Titanic and Avatar movies in an interview in the current issue of Fast Company magazine about whether the machines have risen. 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
Playing Video Games Now a College Varsity Sport
This is just one more example of how the digital world is disrupting traditional entertainment, and now sports. Not only is pure digital displacing the physical and real world versions, but we are also seeing a convergence of digital and real world experiences creating new forms of competition. 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
No need to socialize, as that’s what smartphones are for
It is becoming increasing clear that digital technology is shifting our social interaction with each other from taking place in the real world to taking place in the digital world and consequently . . . 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
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
Households increased entertainment spending in 2012
American households increased their average spending for fees and admissions at location-based entertainment venues in 2012 . . . Both the bad and good news is that the staycation trend is still going strong. . . These continuing long-term trends have serious implications for location-based entertainment. Continue reading
2002-2011 Changes to Household Location-Based Entertainment Spending
The world of entertainment is evolving and toppling old models. . . The changing landscape of entertainment is having an adverse impact on location-based (bricks ‘n’ mortar) entertainment. Continue reading
Infographic on entertainment spending on trips
Infographic illustrates the changes to household entertainment spending on trips by quintiles of income Continue reading
