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elev8 fun family entertainment centre

Elev8 Fun: reinvigorating empty mall spaces across the US

The first location is now open in Sanford, Florida, featuring more than 125,000 square feet of family-friendly entertainment

Entertainment solutions company PrimeTime Amusements, in collaboration with an investment group, has brought Elev8 Fun, a new FEC concept, to its first locations in Florida, US.

Attractions at Elev8 Fun Sanford, the flagship location, will include a multi-level go-kart track, an arcade with more than 150 state-of-the-art and retro arcade games, 12 bowling lanes, laser tag, interactive mini-golf, F&B, a ropes course, and a full-service restaurant and sports bar, and more.

Elev8’s second location is set to open in Tampa, Florida in 2022. The company is also in talks with developers across the US, with plans to reinvigorate beleaguered malls and department stores. As retail struggles, Elev8 Fun’s concept addresses the issues facing malls by redeveloping space vacated by anchor stores. This draws customers back and brings malls viability and footfall.

David Goldfarb

David Goldfarb

David Goldfarb is the consulting partner of Elev8. He is also the founder of PrimeTime Amusements, a global operator and supplier of video arcade machines and simulators that offers turnkey solutions for most entertainment market segments.

“We’ve been in the Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) business for the last 25 years,” he tells blooloop. “It started with our core company, Primetime Amusements, and then it segued over to Xtreme Action Park. This is one of the largest entertainment centres in the United States.”

Elev8 is the latest iteration of the concept, set to bring new life to struggling retail spaces across the US.

A new purpose for department stores

Even before the COVID crisis, Goldfarb and his team identified the fact that, considering the challenges facing the retail industry, if malls were to survive, department stores would need a new purpose.

“We felt we could take the concept that we created at Xtreme Action Park and put it into these department stores. The first two that we purchased happened to be a Sears in Sanford, Florida.”

Sky Trail Elev8 Fun

“We felt it would be challenging to convert a department store into an FEC, because of the infrastructure parameters. We didn’t want to change the actual structure of the building.”

Department stores tend to feature many columns supporting the ceiling:

“Working within the columns was a limitation. It took us quite some time to try to understand how to do this process.”

Taking on new sites

In December 2019, the team made their second purchase, in Tampa, Florida.

“It was three months before the pandemic. That was stressful because the construction and the permitting were interrupted. It became a real process of working out how we could move forward on the project.”

Bowling Elev8 Fun

“In so many of these cases, especially on construction sites, when one person gets COVID the whole job site gets COVID. It was extremely challenging, and the process took longer than originally anticipated. We purposely did not announce our purchases in the media, we kept this thing quiet. We think we have something that is going to be scalable.”

Elev8 has been approached by many people already who, hearing about the concept, are keen to come aboard. However, Goldfarb says:

“We have purposely done this internally, between myself and another partner.”

Introducing Elev8 Fun

The flagship location is at Towne Center Circle, Sanford. next to the Seminole Towne Centre Mall and will occupy 125,000 sq. ft over two floors.

On the upper floor is an arcade, restaurant, kitchen and seating area, as well as bowling lanes with equipment by QubicaAMF, a leading provider of high-quality, innovative products for bowling and entertainment centres. It is also home to simulators, bar, and ropes courses, also situated on the upper floor. This connects to the main hall of the mall and is where most of the foot traffic is. Also on this level is the redemption room, the check-ins, kiosks and all the points of sale.

Go karts Elev8 Fun

Meanwhile, on the ground floor is a multilevel elevated go-kart track.

“It banks up and down, and there are ramps. In phase two we will add an interactive mini-golf concept that is being produced solely for us as a first-time demo prototype. There will also be event space, conference space, and a laser tag room. It is multi-layered in the sense that anyone and everyone can participate and have something to do. Whether it’s a family, a young adult outing, a corporate outing, community events or charity outreach.”

A wide audience

The target demographic is broad:

“It’s a cliché – everyone in business would like to capture every customer that exists. But the fact of the matter is that we’re staying away from the singular unit FECs where it’s just a trampoline room.

“We want to be the 800-pound gorilla, in that we offer something for everyone. Most of the customers might come to do one thing. But then when they see all the other attractions that are present, they’ll want to engage and participate in them as well, because they are just so enthralling and captivating. It’s like sensory overload, but in a good way.”

laser tag elev8 fun

Goldfarb feels that the Elev8 Fun concept is a first step towards giving retail another chance. In terms of the plight of retail, he comments:

“This whole concept is still in its infancy. But it is reinvigorating malls as placemaking spaces in which people come to live, play, and eat. We see a lot of the less risk-averse mall owners developing the malls outright into mixed-use concepts, where they also bring offices, more entertainment, more restaurants.

“I wouldn’t say that retail is necessarily being downsized. It’s just being right-sized, where in the past it was abundant and in excess. Malls are now becoming a more multi-layered experience. We are a big driver of that experience because we occupy so much space.”

More attractions planned for Elev8 Fun

Further attractions in the pipeline include retro/classic arcade games, ping-pong, e-sports, and a boutique movie theatre.

Goldfarb says:

“Ping-pong is a nice team-building activity. It’s a game that everyone can identify with and play.”

Arcade elev8 fun

The Elev8 Fun team negotiated extra square footage within the mall, next to their existing space. This is for a further phase two addition:

“We came up with this plan originally before COVID. Yet we still think there’s a market for it if it’s downsized a little. What we are planning is luxury-style micro movie theatres that will service approximately 35 to 40 people. Here, guests can recline and have a food and beverage service. It’s the boutique theatre concept with another spin to it.”

Looking to the future

He touches on the expansion plan as Elev8 Fun extends across the US:

“We have purchased a second store, also 125,000 square feet, in Tampa, Florida. Plus, we will be closing on a third property in January 2022.”

In addition:

“We have identified two extra stores with a major mall developer.”

Bowling  at the sanford branch

On the business model, he says:

“We don’t want to trip over ourselves, so we’re moving slowly and methodically. As we go to market we know we’re going to be approached by a lot of people wanting to get involved in our company, and we want to be in a position where we can control our destiny. Because we’re being methodical, and it’s just two people that are the owners and operators of the properties, we’re able to control the situation.”

A new approach

In 2019, Xtreme Action Park was awarded The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) Location of the Year Award.

Goldfarb says:

“We have been in the business for 25 – plus years. We feel we’ve been able to capitalise on the learning process of Xtreme. But converting department stores into FECs is a different ball game. There are several challenges when you’re dealing with these types of building.”

arcade games at the sanford branch

While they are doing something that hasn’t been done before, their wealth of experience in the FEC sector stands them in good stead.

Guest expectations have changed post-pandemic

Commenting on the post-COVID changes in customer expectation, he says:

“Because nowadays there are such big entertainment experiences out there, I feel that everyone is expecting to get their socks blown off. To go to a little trampoline park or a go-kart track or a small arcade just doesn’t do it.”

People are aware they are spending their hard-earned money, so they want the biggest bang for their buck.

“People are aware they are spending their hard-earned money, so they want the biggest bang for their buck. Where better to get that than at a place that offers everything: top-class entertainment, that has on-point customer service, a facility that is sleek, clean, and whose brand gets instilled in the experience of the customer?

“These 800-pound gorillas like Topgolf, like us, are becoming commonplace. Partly that is because of the pent-up demand from consumers who have been staying home, and now have new variants, new restrictions, to contend with.  That pent-up demand drives up expectations in terms of what people want to experience and spend their money on.

“We want to go above and beyond those expectations. It’s all about delivering a top-class experience.”

Elev8 Fun will move with the times

Elev8 Fun’s broad demographic confers a unique appeal, particularly in comparison to the axe-throwing bars, for example, springing up everywhere, that appeal to a narrower clientele.

David Goldfarb Elev8 Fun

“Those are trends,” Goldfarb says. “We don’t want to be a trend because trends phase in and phase out. We want to be a mainstay concept. One thing that is very cool and unique about us is, because we own the properties, and because there is so much space, as the years go by, we can configure it, so it doesn’t get stale. That is particularly important if a big part of your clientele is local.”

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Lalla Merlin

Lalla Merlin

Lead features writer Lalla studied English at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, and Law with the Open University. A writer, film-maker, and aspiring lawyer, she lives in rural Devon with an assortment of badly behaved animals, including a friendly wolf

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