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Bumper IAAPA FEC Summit 2018 reflects sector’s sustained growth and expansion worldwide

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Iaapa FEC Summit people enjoying amusement ride

IAAPA is celebrating a bumper FEC Summit 2018 with over 160 family entertainment centre (FEC) professionals attending the event in Laguna Beach, California.

The two-day event is widely viewed as the industry’s leading international conference for FEC owners and operators.

“This year’s event provided another great year of collaboration, engagement, and camaraderie among FEC owners and operators,” observed Leslie Hutcheson, Senior Manager of Constituency Programs and Services at IAAPA.

iaapa fec summit 2018 people sitting at tables listening to speaker

“They learned from one another and walked away with valuable strategies to apply to their businesses. The continued success of our annual summits reflects the sustained growth and expansion of family entertainment centres around the globe, and we are proud to host this valuable event allowing colleagues to build and fortify relationships while expanding their industry knowledge to build their business.”

Keynotes were delivered by Bruce Cameron, owner of Front Line Marketing and Annika Chase, Vice President of Marketing Strategy for Disneyland Resort. Cameron shared his company’s employee engagement process, giving attendees insights into increasing productivity without impacting budgets.

Chase explained Disneyland’s approach to attracting consumers with the Disney brand through strategic storytelling designed to engage consumers before, during, and after their visit.

attendees at iaapa fec summit 2018 sharing ideas

Various breakout sessions covered key topics such as human resources, risk management, sales, finance, and technology in food and beverage operations.

Boomers! in Irvine, California hosted a special networking event in honour of IAAPA’s 100th anniversary. Attendees could also take part in tours to local FECs, including Mulligan’s Round One, Big Air Trampoline Park, and Dave and Buster’s.

FEC Summit feedback: ‘I was able to learn new ideas and grow’

Feedback was universally positive with many saving the date of next year’s event in Austin, Texas.

“I think we always need to learn; we never know enough,’ said Evelyn Villame, from La Boite Aux Enfants in Paris, France. ‘The IAAPA FEC Summit taught us we should be asking, ‘What can I do for you?’ It’s all based on relationships, not transactions.”

Villame’s view that there is always more to learn was echoed by other attendees:

“I think the most important reason to be here was to grow,” commented Tyler Neill, Big Air Trampoline Parks in Laguna Hills, California. “Networking is important and you certainly do some of that, but I was able to learn new ideas and grow.”

woman giving talk at iaapa fec summit with surfboards in background

“We take all this useful information back to our companies and learn from the best practices. It’s very important,” added Cesar Largo, Executive Director of Mundo Cartoon Network in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Sponsors of the IAAPA FEC Summit 2018 included EMBED (platinum), Betson, DOF Robotics and Extreme Engineering.

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Charles Read

Charles is managing director at blooloop. He attends numerous trade shows around the world and frequently speaks about trends and social media for the attractions industry at conferences. Outside of blooloop, his passions are diving, trees and cricket.

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