Creative Works, a theming company and attractions provider, held its virtual Amuseument 360 Event on June 23-24 2020 and saw a record number of people attend.
Over 600 people registered for the event, making it one of the largest virtual events within the industry and the largest Amuseument 360 Event to date.
The Amusement 360 Event started in 2011 and aims to help aspiring and existing entertainment centre operators gain new knowledge.
A need for education during difficult times
“With the current pandemic, most of the events in our industry had to be cancelled,” said
Danny Gruening, VP of Marketing at Creative Works. “We felt there was a need for education, so we pivoted to a virtual format. And we made registration free to make it easier on operators during these cash-strapped times.”
The two-day Event was hosted from the Creative Works office near Indianapolis. Attendees were able to participate from around the world.
Two days of insight
The first day focused on everything relating to opening a new entertainment centre. Discussions ranged from project financing, attraction selection, hiring and training staff and more.
The second day was filled with operator interview sessions. These interviews gave attendees valuable insights into how businesses are run. They also discussed the implications of COVID-19 on the industry and allowed operators to create action plans.
Guests included Michael Browning (Urban Air Adventure Park), Eddie Hamann
(Andretti Indoor Karting & Games), Phil Kaplan (GameWorks), Keri Little and Jenny Emley (High Five), Jay Trietley (Alley Cats), and Marc Wiese (Airway Fun Center).
Opportunities to socialise
Despite being a virtual event, there were plenty of opportunities for attendees, speakers, partners and the hosts to interact and share ideas.
One attendee, Julie Chandler, said that “This event was life-changing. Meeting new friends and learning from distinguished folks in the industry was just what I needed to keep going in the planning phase of my project!”
“Amusement 360 is an amazing resource for operators who want to learn from experts and industry leaders. The Creative Works team provides timely and topical information for FEC operators. The community of operators who share their experiences is fantastic,” commented another attendee, Chris Utgaard.
The next event will be in October 2020.
Creative Works has also helped launch Amusement Recovery with several other leaders in the industry. This new website is designed to help operators during the coronavirus pandemic.
