[quote]The FEC Las Vegas program was developed by FEC operators as they best understand the issues affecting FEC operators ensuring what happened at FEC Las Vegas, will not stay in Las Vegas.” — Gregg Borman, Senior Vice President of the FEC division for Palace Entertainment and Chair of the IAAPA FEC Committee[/quote]
Alexandria, VA, USA (April 16, 2014) – Approximately 170 FEC-industry leaders from 32 states and eight countries participated in FEC Las Vegas, the leading Family Entertainment Center (FEC) operators’ conference. The two-day event, which is organized and produced by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) and the IAAPA FEC Committee, took place at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa, in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 23-25.
Veteran FEC owners and operators from more than 79 facilities from around the world gathered to discuss the latest industry trends, expand their business networks, gain insight from colleagues, and share their best practices and experiences. The faced-paced, highly interactive education sessions featured real-time polling via smartphones to guide conversations. The hot topics covered in the sessions included managing for profitability, measuring guest satisfaction, arcade and redemption game trends and regulations, industry safety; trends in outdoor attractions, leveraging group sales opportunities, using social media to market your business; attraction pricing and discounts, trends in food and beverage, and much more.
Attendees said the event delivered on its theme and provided an environment for operators to share and engage with one another: FEC Las Vegas is a breath of fresh air in the convention industry,” said Bradley Alt, President, Equinox Laser Tag Inc., San Diego, California. “Real operators sharing real stories and real numbers about what is working in the industry right now.”
“FEC Las Vegas was a great investment of time and resources,” Craig Wescott, President and Owner, The Track Family Fun Parks, Branson, Missouri. “This particular IAAPA event was ideal because the focus was networking and sharing information that could benefit all the attendees at the event. It is exciting to have connections with so many new people that I can continually engage with about improving our businesses.”
Event organizers were pleased with the turnout and level of participation by veteran FEC operators: “FEC Las Vegas was a focused event that truly allowed veteran FEC operators and suppliers to share best practices and ideas that can be immediately implemented and impact the bottom line,” said Gregg Borman, Senior Vice President of the FEC division for Palace Entertainment and Chair of the IAAPA FEC Committee.
“Family entertainment centers are a big part of the IAAPA family and FEC Las Vegas is one of the many ways IAAPA connects FEC operators to share knowledge and exchange ideas,” said Paul Noland, IAAPA President and CEO. “Many of the FEC owners and operators who were in attendance are small business owners and entrepreneurs, and an event like FEC Las Vegas provides them with a great way to make new connections and grow their business network.”
During the conference participants also raised $800 for Give Kids The World and $800 for the IAAPA Foundation.
The following 26 companies sponsored FEC Las Vegas and played a key role in the event’s success:Amusement Insurance Resources; American Specialty Insurance & Risk Services, Inc; Bay-Tek Games;Benchmark Games; Betson Enterprises; Brady Distributing; Brunswick Bowling & Billiards; Falgas;fecMUSIC; Fun Express; Haas & Wilkerson Insurance; Intercard Inc.; J&J Amusements; Lasertron; Moss Distributing; QubicaAMF; Redemption Plus & Pinnacle; Rhode Island Novelty; Sacoa Playcard System;Shaffer Distributing; Simuline; Skeeball; Speciality Coin; SterlingRisk; Sureshot Redemption; and Zone Laser Tag, Inc.
The IAAPA FEC Committee has already started gathering feedback on the 2014 event and plans are well underway for a similar event in 2015. Details will be available at www.IAAPA.org/FECevent as they are finalized.
