Kevin Williams

In concluding our extensive coverage of the crowded and record-breaking International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions European Expo (IAAPA-EU’23), we zero in on the growing trends that are shaping the modern amusement and attraction landscape. Active Entertainment Seen across the show floor, jumping around within an immersive enclosure offers a glimpse of “Active Entertainment” (also referred to in some sectors as “Active Social Play”) – which is a trend that has also seen continued investment. The interest in active citizens addressing health concerns following lockdown have also linked to the growth of “eXergaming” as a saviour to the slowdown in the fitness and gym industry.  Bringing examples of active entertainment to the Vienna show floor were exhibitors led by Valo Motion. Crossing the MR boundaries, the company showed their continued market penetration with their highly active and attractive platforms, […]

Continuing our extensive coverage of the crowded and record-breaking International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions European Expo (IAAPA-EU’23). In this second part, we continue to report on the trend of VR and other immersive investment on display. VR Attractions The application of this immersive tech into experiences was represented through “VR Attractions” – taking the mid-scale and large-scale attractions into the VR realm. The use of VR in attractions was seen on the Moviemex3D booth, with the company operating a two-seat motion variant of their ‘Flying Theater’ – running custom content created by the company ‘7 Wonders’. Also on booth was a demonstration of their ‘VR Labyrinth’ enclosure experience – players moved through various virtual spaces, with effects like wind, heat, and floor vibration, to achieve a compelling and small footprint virtual adventure. Both systems were running on PICO […]

We see a crowded period of international shows and trade events following the holiday hiatus. This latest coverage breaks down these events and the trends that emerged or grew during them, along with the appearances of latest technology which are shaping the market.  Asian Trade Investment A packed selection of Asian events saw the holding of the Tokyo Game Show (TGS’23), organized by the CESA and promoting a strong social media element for the pivotal Japanese game festival. There was a major showing from publishers such as Square-ENIX, as well as a conjoined booth for SEGA/Atlus, to name some of the standout highlights. This consumer game show also revealed some of the realities to the last penetration of VR into the consumer scene. One of the last of the territory’s shows for the year, GTI Asia China Expo celebrated the […]

Big consumer VR developments seemed to take place at the end of September, along with some additional developments that could change the scene. It is important that our readers understand that these developments will have ramifications for the Out-of-Home Entertainment landscape. Consumers’ intransigence to fully jump into the latest phase of home VR, means LBE becomes a prime provider of immersion. We look at these latest developments as we encapsulate them now. Meta Connect Taking place at the same time as the IAAPA Europe convention, and while there was no gathering of VR enthusiasts to hold a trade “Watch Party”, as had been for Apple a few months previously, there was still interest to see how the leading consumer VR developer’s presentation to the sector would be impacting this phase of VR. Meta held Connect (“Meta Connect 2023”) in California, […]

We continue the stock take of the incredible influx of new “Competitive Socializing” (abbreviated down to CompSoc) venues and trends that have been emerging over the last few months. This second part of our feature will hope to offer a snapshot of the developments, with more in-depth site visits and reviews planned. Northern Repurposing  The ability to drop CompSoc concepts into available and abandoned units has proven one of the endearing aspects of this new trend. One of the purveyors of the mixed-use approach in an urban entertainment placement is Gravity Entertainment, with their new ‘Gravity MAX’ concept. The second venue of this chain is opening in Liverpool and, again, the facility has been installed inside an old 100,000 sq. ft. Debenhams department store, previously abandoned in the city. The company is defining the venue as the biggest city arcade […]

It is important to take stock of the incredible influx of new “Competitive Socializing” (abbreviated down to CompSoc) venues and trends that have been emerging over the last few months. This two-part feature hopes to offer a snapshot of the developments, with more in-depth site visits and reviews planned. Start Your Engines! One trend that has seen a mixing of the RaceSim and CompSoc landscape is with Competitive Socializing and the racing experience. This was recently demonstrated by the opening of ‘VRROOM Brighton’ – a themed virtual race room, which comprises 12, Restech motion sims, supported by the venue, and includes a motorsports themed bar. The bar is used for a new aspect of the social entertainment mix of holding “Watch Parties” – linked to the motorsports races. This represents the continued development of the CompSoc style racing environment, which […]

The summer holidays move to a close and the markets move head-long into the next phase of developments. We have reports from the largest gathering of the computer graphics industry, the investment into AR and VR applications feeling market impacts, and the way that IP from the entertainment scene is shaping park and venue development.  Simulated Reality Takes to the Stage One of the largest and most influential gatherings of 3D display, immersive technology, and computer graphics, was held in the USA during August. SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) 2023 celebrated its 50th anniversary, holding a massive event at the LA Convention Center. The event comprised extensive presentations and conference sessions, and a dedicated exhibition and demonstration floor – all to attract some 15,000-computer graphics and animation professionals. It was all organized by the international […]

The continued investment and innovation in the immersive technology business sees both ups and downs across the market. This collection of developments, happening during July and August, is covered to offer a snapshot of the state of play in the industry. Immersive Gallery Growing Pains The immersive art experience (Artainment) scene has proven a difficult market to define. Along with numerous openings, there have been bumps along the road. The latest warning sign came with news that Lighthouse Immersive, the Canadian developer and operator of immersive experiences, had entered into bankruptcy. Lighthouse is known for the creation of the original ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ light show – which has seen installations such as in Paris, Chicago, Las Vegas and Toronto, along with other shows. The company was reported to have filed Chapter 15 bankruptcy on July 28th, to protect its assets. […]

Moving to the homeward stretch of the year, and we saw a culmination of major trade events mark the continuation of the June and July period. The ability to chart all these gatherings continues to be a hard task. Along with this, the Asian market sees China and Japan invest heavily in the next stage of entertainment developments, and news from the consumer VR scene shows a market in transition.  Asia Trending We complete the hard task to keep abreast of the leading trade events over this period. During the end of the month, the 38th CAAPA Attraction Expo (CAE) was held – organized by the China Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (CAAPA) and held at the China International Exhibition Center, Beijing. The event saw a smattering of international visitors and exhibitors and marked the latest in several China-based […]

Now into summer and we start to see the developments in the industry. Back-to-back trade events have defined the latest trends in the industry and beyond. In this comprehensive, two-part report, we now look at the key events that filled the last few months. We look first at the branding and licensing landscape, and then at the Asian event for attractions. Crowded LBE and Attractions Scene The ability to cover all the developments across the international scene has been a Herculean task. There has been a massive selection of events over May, June and July, which have charted developments and new investments in the Out-of-Home Entertainment sector, and the new off-shoots in the market. We now give a snapshot of those events and the developments.  The end of May saw the Global Gaming Expo Asia 2023 in Singapore, in a […]