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Editor's corner

Thank goodness, here in the northern hemisphere winter is behind us and spring is arriving.

It’s been a busy winter for us and it is looking like spring will be even busier. We have a number of new clients since our last eNewsletter:

• Cape Cod, Massachusetts – evaluating a site and feasibility for a new hybrid restaurant-entertainment center that will cater to both summer tourists and local residents
• Beirut, Lebanon – working with a mall developer on evaluating space options and concepts for family entertainment centers in two malls
• Los Angeles area, California – conducting an audit and evaluating feasibility for expansion of an indoor go-karting facility with additional attractions

Then I’ll be presenting at the International Laser Tag Convention in Reno, NV on May 7th on The NEW Reality for Laser Tag Venues, Innovate or Die! And of course we have our continuing travels to Vietnam for our project there and other projects we have underway.

I've being writing a lot about the changing entertainment landscape and how it is affecting location-based entertainment venues. I often hear the comment from operators and potential start-ups that even with all the digital entertainment available at home and now on mobile devices, people will always need to go out to entertainment venues. There is some truth in that but that is not the whole truth. The truth is many people will continue to go out to traditional venues, but the real questions are:

• Will as many people continue to visit tradition entertainment venues?
• Will those people visit as frequently?
• How will their spending change?

In this issue you can read two articles discussing our latest research on trends in the location-based entertainment industry that address those questions. You can also read about the karaoke rooms we are designing for the Da Nang, Vietnam FEC, our continuing coverage of Chuck E. Cheese’s, why you need more than demographics for a feasibility study and an interesting pop-up restaurant we found in Saigon, Vietnam.

I hope you enjoy this issue. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and my occasional blogs.

Randy White
Editor

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