The 2019 International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas (June 23-27) wrapped up another successful event as 2000+ bowling proprietors and staff came ready to invest in their bowling centers. The 16 Tuesday seminars were packed as were the Monday sessions. The ‘buzz’ on the trade show floor was all about the future of bowling and the new technologies that QubicaAMF, Brunswick, US Bowling, Switch, and others are introducing as well as small-footprint virtual reality attractions.
As reported by RePlay, “The annual Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America convention began with educational sessions, meetings, and other programs on Sunday, June 23, with the trade show occupying the final two days of the schedule (June 26 and 27). BPAA Executive Director Frank DeSocio was positive on this year’s outing, noting strong attendance, packed educational sessions and a slightly larger trade show floor footprint. “If you’ve been coming to the show for five years, more or less, you see that our show is absolutely evolving every year,” he said.
“Among the bowling innovations, balls, apparel, and other bowling-centric products on display, the amusement business was once again very well represented with games, player card systems and prize merchandise joined by a strong presence from VR makers, along with other attractions like laser tag and escape rooms.” [The AAMA booth comprised approximately 15% of the trade show floor space, featuring new games from dozens of game manufacturers].
RePlay will be featuring a full rundown of this year’s Bowl Expo in their August Issue.
What this could mean? I say that the future of bowling is secured because the BPAA is always moving forward in providing quality educational programs for the world’s proprietors (including Bowling University), saving them money with their Smart Buy Programs (thank you Amy), and bringing bowling advertising and marketing campaigns to the major media outlets.
QubicaAMF has recently invested more than $30M to develop Hyber Bowling, now with 5 phases and estimates that there will be more than 1000 Hyber Bowling lanes in 10 targeted countries installed by year end 2019. Brunswick and TouchMagix announced a deal at Bowl Expo where TouchMagix’s lane projection software (interactive games) can now be incorporated into any Brunswick lanes (both synthetic and wood).
I have recently featured QubicaAMF’s Hyber Bowling in last weeks Frank ‘the Crank’s Daily News (FCDN) and will be releasing YouTube Interviews from Bowl Expo with TouchMagix, Chaos Jump (their partnership with Betson), and a feature interview with BPAA President Randy Thompson. In addition, RePlay will be featuring in the July issue a 4-page article I recently wrote featuring HeadPinz in Fort Myers FL, “HeadPinz Has the Most Efficient Use of Space & Creative Design I’ve Yet Seen” I will also be featuring Bowl Expo Update in the next issue of Buzz Boyz in Tourist Attractions & Parks and the next edition of The Redemption & FEC Report June 2019 will be out in a few days and then comes Foundations Entertainment University Chicago July 16-18. What a busy time for our industry!!!
