Site Evaluation
We offer initial site evaluation in terms of location, access, suitability, and capacity. This spans the visibility and access, ability to effectively utilize the site, available utilities, potential problems with floodplain/floodway or existing soils, zoning, the impact of existing topography, utilities, neighbors, zoning, traffic, and area roadway network.
Feasibility Studies
One of the most important steps in the process of creating a successful project is the determination of the project's feasibility. Over the past 30 years, we have developed more than 77 feasibility studies for projects that included amusement parks, large, and small family entertainment centers, stand lone miniature golf courses and go-kart tracks. These studies evaluated the location, demographics, proposed attractions, existing competition, projected attendance and revenues, operating costs, cost of construction, staffing, debt service and related issues.
Business Plans
Our approach is to assist our client's in the preparation of their business plans, rather than preparing plans and submitting them. The business plan the client submits to private investors or bank loan committees must be one the client knows thoroughly. Failing to convince investors that you know the sources and reasons for the data presented is one sure way of being rejected. We work closely with our clients to assure that the correct information is included, presented in a clear and concise manner and explains in sufficient detail the justification of the data included.
Concepts & Planning
Our services include the development of concepts and master planning for FECs, including assistance in determining specific attractions and creation of optimized building floor plans. Proper placement of attractions and amenities will maximize guest exposure to each, thus improving revenues and guest satisfaction.
Attraction Design - Outdoor Attractions
Concession Go-Karts
Since 1990 our firm has created many new designs and operational concepts for a wide variety of concession go-kart tracks around the country and overseas. We have probably designed more concession go-kart tracks than any other firm, created more diverse track configurations and continue to create new and innovative designs for facilities around the globe. We have developed family road courses designed to provide the ability to reverse the direction of operation which results in entirely new driving challenges; dual and triple pit designs that permit higher total peak hour ride capacity without having to construct additional tracks; greatly improved track barrier systems and entrance/exit gates that enhance safety; and pit building configurations with roll-up doors to permit on-track year around storage and higher lighting levels for safety.
Our pavement and geometric designs permit the use of the same track for three different types of karts (adult, family and rookie) with different speeds and skill levels in outdoor environments, and the creation of indoor electric (battery powered) go-kart tracks that not only provide full-sized karts with multiple speed ranges but add separate pitting for rookie karts for younger drivers without having to add a separate track. The addition of rookie karts to an FEC go-kart package greatly increases the appeal for families with younger children and adds a great birthday party component to the mix. For facilities that have too high a demand for full-sized karts to share the pavement, we design "rookie" road course configurations based on lower speeds, narrower pavements, and smaller karts.
Recognizing the potential for greatly increasing the popularity of slick tracks in 1995, our firm created the "adult" slick road course concept to provide older, more experienced drivers with a more challenging driving experience. This driving skills track introduced a number of elements that assured their popularity. This involved creating geometric track designs that required both left and right-hand turns on a tight flat track design with much tighter turns, a very flat cross-section, smoother pavement surface with waxed surfaces that simulate driving on "black ice." Our later designs introduced elevation changes into the mix.
Over the years we have also designed specialty tracks, including high-banked ovals, tri-ovals, dual and triple use, competition racing go-kart tracks, modern 'kiddie" tracks and related concepts. Call us to discuss your specific requirements.
Electric (Battery Powered) Go-Karts
We have always used electric (battery powered) go-karts for our indoor family entertainment center designs. This has been done because of the extremely high cost of maintaining a constant fresh air supply for the guests and staff when gasoline powered karts are used.
In 1999 we designed what may well have been the first outdoor electric (battery powered) go-kart track. While the initial high cost of these karts kept them from being more widely used outdoors, We've now designed several tracks for the outdoor market and anticipate the trend will gradually increase as battery technology improves and the costs approach that of gasoline-powered karts. This is especially true where public misconceptions pertaining to noise result in their restriction.
Electric karts are designed to permit changing speeds of all karts at the same time. This permits us to design tracks that can accommodate a broad range of speeds that can operate as testosterone speedways during periods where the track guests are primarily adult; as family tracks when the majority of the guests are families and younger drivers; and at even lower speeds for birthday party groups.
Miniature Golf
Making your mini-golf course look like a professional golf course or a non-conventional design, our design team provides concept development, creative fairway and site grading design tuned to your needs and the physical realities of your site. We design all our courses to be ADA compliant for all fairways (18, 36 or more). No person should be prevented from playing all the fairways on a course because of physical challenges. This includes guests with physical challenges, mothers with strollers, or parents and grandparents with arthritis.
Our staff works with our clients starting with the original topographic survey, through developing a working concept that establishes the size and shape of your mini golf course, creating the final design (including theming) and developing construction plans and specifications.
Bumper Boat Ponds
From the time we developed our first free-form bumper boat pond design in 1992, we've worked to improve the entertainment value of the ponds with islands that create chase channels, improving the operational safety through designing the individual boat docking system that hold boats in position for guests boarding and exiting, as well as providing safety walkways around the pond perimeters to enhance staff access to the far side of the pond in the event they need to be there in a hurry. All our pond designs include the use of flexible fiberglass walls to improve both the quality of the visual experience and to increase the longevity of the boat tubes.
With the advent of electric (battery powered) bumper boats, we exclusively specify the use of electric boats and all of our pond designs incorporate the provision of swimming pool quality water in the pond. This is especially significant with modern boats having squirt guns.
Each pond is designed with islands to create chase channels to permit far more exciting and entertaining experiences. Many of our newer pond clients ask for inclusion of battle zones where the boats compete with shore-based guests firing shore mounted water "cannons" firing at the boats as the boats fire at them.
Other Outdoor Attractions
We also offer the inclusion of other attractions into the outdoor mix of attractions, including but not limited to batting cages, WaterWars, outdoor laser tag, ropes courses, zip lines, midway rides, group picnic pavilions, performance gazebos, sand volleyball courts and related elements. These are incorporated into the overall site layout to present them in a way that maximizes their play.
Indoor Attractions
Indoor attractions can include mini-lane bowling, laser tag, laser maze, bumper cars, soft play, toddler play areas/parents lounges, indoor mini-golf, glow golf, roller skating game rooms, redemption centers, birthday party rooms and food services.
Overall Floorplan Configuration
The importance of proper attraction placement includes their relationship to the point of sale and redemption center counters, food services, maintenance and storage areas and related elements. It includes provision for properly sized entrances, aisle widths, initial placement of attractions, periodic relocation of games, moving elements into maintenance room for repairs and related issues.
Each project is analyzed to determine the specific mix of attractions that will best serve the age groups targeted in the primary market. We recognize that every facility must serve several age groups or it will fail.
Almost all facilities will have birthday party rooms, redemption centers, food services and restrooms. They also require offices, mechanical rooms, and storage areas. There are hundreds of potential indoor attractions that could be considered. Over the years, however, there have been a number of attractions that have proven themselves throughout the industry. We recommend to our clients that they consider using proven elements when establishing their initial attraction mix, withholding consideration of new or exotic attractions for later phases. Among the various proven indoor attractions we have incorporated into other facilities are mini-lane bowling, go-karts, mini-golf, game rooms, laser tag, laser mazes, soft play, toddler play with parent lounges, bumper cars, climbing walls and ropes courses attractions, such as go-karts, mini-golf, laser tag and other anchor attractions. Today's industry has moved toward redemption games being the major component of modern game rooms.
Food Services
Limited food services are a component of most family entertainment centers as they serve a need and offer the potential for solid revenue. While many larger facilities may make food and beverage services their major component on the concept of come for the food and stay for the entertainment, this will not work for most facilities. Food services for the typical facility are more closely related to snack bars.
There are many other attractions that could be added including climbing walls, flat rides, mini-roller coasters, ropes courses and others.
Contact us at peteolesen@yahoo.com or 847-561-7013 today for more about our planning and design services.
