Revenue BUILDERS // Attraction Fit
THE WOW WHAT HAPPENS AFTER HOW NEW ATTRACTIONS AFFECT THE WHOLE CENTER By Brandon Willey A new experience can look exciting on a trade show floor or at a competitor's venue across town and still feel completely disconnected once it is dropped into your location. Most of us agree that social entertainment attractions, from augmented darts and sports simulators to karaoke pods and immersive arenas can extend dwell time, support food and beverage sales, and broaden a center’s appeal.
What matters when choosing an attraction is whether it creates the kind of guest behavior you’re looking for. Existing guest mix, busy and slow dayparts, and gaps in the current entertainment mix provide a more useful filter than what happens to be drawing a crowd at an industry show. The question is whether the concept fits the way guests already use the center or creates a specific new reason for them to visit. Looking at when the center has excess capacity can also clarify whether the attraction is meant to solve a daypart problem, add a new audience, or simply give current guests another reason to stay. WHERE WILL PEOPLE GO? Once an attraction makes sense strategically, placement becomes the next important decision. Social entertainment naturally draws more than the people playing. Friends gather around, spectators stop to watch, drinks collect on nearby tables, and groups linger before and after their turn. Put all of that activity directly in a major traffic path and it can quickly become an operational problem on a busy Saturday night. Servers carrying trays should not have to weave through spectators, and guests heading to the restroom should not have to cross a simulator waiting area. Waiting groups need somewhere to stand without blocking the attraction or the path around it. These details become more noticeable when several activities are busy at once. At the same time, visibility can help sell the experience. Someone watching a group play augmented darts or compete in an immersive arena may decide to try it next. The challenge is giving the attraction enough exposure to create interest without allowing the crowd around it to interfere with the rest of the center. If spectators help sell the attraction, that sightline has value too. WILL IT DRIVE ANOTHER SALE? Can guests comfortably eat or drink while they play? Can servers reach them without disrupting the activity? Is there a natural place for drinks or shared plates? Those details help determine whether an attraction can generate spending beyond its own price of admission.
But one of the bigger questions when considering a new attraction is how it fits into the experience already around it. Each addition needs a purpose within the larger guest journey and a role that makes sense with traffic flow, food and beverage, customer mix, and the center’s overall identity. Those are the things that matter long after the trade show excitement wears off. WHAT SHOULD IT DO? It is easy to see a popular new concept and immediately start thinking about where it could fit. A better starting point is the guest behavior you want to create. The goal may be to keep bowling guests another hour, give groups something to do while waiting for lanes, increase adult evening traffic, or add bookable inventory for corporate outings and slower bowling periods. DIFFERENT ATTRACTIONS SERVE THOSE GOALS DIFFERENTLY. • A sports simulator can work as a longer-duration, reservable experience for small groups. • Augmented darts or shuffleboard may work better as casual entertainment near the bar. • Karaoke pods can create a separate reason to visit and reach guests who might not otherwise spend an evening at a bowling center.
IBI magazine // November 2026 14
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