---

Editor's Corner - the issue

It's always interesting how our Leisure eNewsletters come together. We have piles of research and information that we'd like to share with you our reader. So sometimes we just start writing about the topics that seem most relevant to the times. This time all our articles have a common theme - the fast changing competitive entertainment landscape and digital disruption. Yes, the articles include lots of data. That's because it's through our research and analysis that we identify long-term as well as emerging trends so we can properly guide our clients' projects. And we don't mind sharing some of it with you.

Many of our articles discuss trends that could be perceived as negative about location-based entertainment. It's not that we are negative about the industry. Today there are many great opportunities for success with properly conceived and executed projects. It's just that we're frustrated by continually seeing so many well meaning entrepreneurs open projects that are doomed to fail from the very beginning as they are just copying some model from a different time that no longer has any long-term viability. What's most disturbing to us is that many of these entrepreneurs are being led astray by industry consultants who advise them to replicate yesteryear's outdated and obsolete business models. We're tired of being asked to consult to try to fix failing projects where the root cause of their struggles are their very business models.

It's a whole new world out there for entertainment and social destinations. What worked just a few years ago has already or is fast becoming obsolete. The industry's conventional wisdom is now false. Today, to be successful, you need to understand how the world and consumers have already and are continuing to change. We hope our articles about those changes will help aspiring entrepreneurs as well as existing projects from become tomorrow's industry roadkill.

In addition to reading this issue's articles, you should consider attending the last Foundations Entertainment University in 2016. It will be held in Phoenix October 18-20. We still have several scholarships available for our readers. You can contact us for one by clicking here.

I was pleased that InPark Magazine chose to reprint our Pokémon Go: a watershed moment article in their August 2016 technology issue.

This eNewsletter is shorter than usual as we are extremely busy. We currently have consulting, feasibility, full design and start-up work underway for 13 different projects and we are about to start work on a smaller entertainment project as part of a resort renovation in Cancun, Mexico and a feasibility study for development of a community leisure venue with a sports gaming parlor for an Indian tribe.

Wishing everyone an enjoyable and not too scary Halloween.

---