Posts by Bob Cooney
ShowUp Conference Schedule Announced
The Conference Schedule is up and more than 80 speakers will cover a range of topics with 40 sessions over three days of interactive learning. Half the speakers are new to the amusement circuit. And then there’s the Carousel of Learning. What’s that? Read on…
Read MoreProduct Launch Mania at ShowUp Virtual Trade Show
January 25, 2021 — ShowUp, the new social convention and trade show for the location-based entertainment industry, is showcasing four new product launches at its virtual event scheduled for February 1-3, 2001. ShowUp features over 50-companies presenting the latest entertainment products ranging from arcade games to mobile payment systems to the latest immersive technology. “The…
Read MoreWhy the Transformation Economy is the Most Important Trend for FECs
Twenty-five years ago, Joe Pine and his partner Jim Gilmore wrote an article in the Harvard Business Review called Welcome to the Experience Economy. They used a birthday cake as an example of the entire evolution of economic progress: Commodities – Mothers would bake a birthday cake from scratch, mixing eggs, flour butter, and sugar…
Read MoreVirtual Reality and Hygiene Theater in a Post-COVID World
In 2015 I coined the term “Hygiene Theater” as a way of emphasizing the importance of showing customers that location-based VR attractions are being cleaned properly. Headset hygiene was a concern for about 20% of patrons based upon observational research at family entertainment centers. I encouraged early location-based VR operators to make a show of…
Read More10 Reasons ShowUp is Better Than a Physical Trade Show (and 3 Reasons It’s Not)
Virtual events are here to stay. Even the most jaded event planners admit that when trade shows come back, all will have a virtual component. There are many advantages to virtual events over physical events. ShowUp is designed to take advantage of them. No Crappy Food – We’ve all paid through the nose for a…
Read MoreVampire Pizza and the Home Escape Room Trend
Home escape room experiences are on the rise. I guess after a half year of being in lockdown, people are fantasizing about breaking out. FEC’s have been installing escape rooms for a few years now. Is there an opportunity to extend their reach and deliver escape games to people’s homes, increasing their reach, frequency, and…
Read MoreVirtual Corporate Events with Brent Bushnell and Two Bit Circus
Corporate events are the lifeblood of any profitable FEC. With work from home the new normal, companies are looking for ways to keep employees connected. Virtual corporate events are increasingly popular. We talked to Brent Bushnell from Two Bit Circus about their success with their virtual corporate event platform, “Remote”. See Brent and others speaking…
Read MoreI Miss Our Trade Shows – So I’m Doing Something About It
If you’re like me, you’ve been to a few virtual events this year. I guess that most were just ok—lots of webinars, too many PowerPoints, and hardly any real meetings. But nothing that got me excited to really ShowUp. I miss our trade shows I was in New Orleans at the Amusement Expo in March…
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