The Laser Tag Summit

This year I found myself being part of a planning team to put together the Laser Tag Summit. Essentially, this is a fresh start and a new name for maintaining a presence for laser tag education to happen via three discussion panels during this year’s Amusement Expo International in Las Vegas. In the past this has been done under the umbrella of the Laser Tag Convention, but for the Laser Tag Summit, this is a new day, new name, new team and new start.

The three laser tag panels were scheduled over the course of two days at the start of AEI, with the Laser Tag Summit being co-located with several other amusement-related conventions and tracks. We had a dedicated room for the panels to take place and it was rewarding to see things come together upon my arrival at the Westgate.

The Laser Tag Summit began on Monday with a discussion about “Off-Peak Marketing Ideas to Maximize Laser Tag Revenue”. I moderated this discussion with my marketing guru guests Beth Standlee, who is both the founder of TrainerTainment and the president of AAMA (the American Amusement Machine Association) and Candi Kelley, who has just been announced as the new CEO of TrainerTainment. Talk about having a great knowledge base for this marketing topic!

You will have a chance to hear this discussion on an upcoming episode of Laser Unfocused Tag Talk and I appreciate having these ladies share their insights!

The next morning things got started bright and early with the second panel called “Numbers Don’t Lie: Where is Laser Tag Trending?”, which was moderated by Shane Zimmerman talking with his guests, Dave Wallace of Turfway Entertainment Management and Pat Hart, Vice President of the Trifecta Management Group. These guys got into the practical numbers for planning the incorporation of laser tag into an amusement endeavor.

In between the morning and afternoon sessions an amazing keynote speaker took to the stage during the AEI luncheon. I don’t always stake out an early spot in the lunch line, but this year I did and got the best possible seating to see Dana Monique, a finalist from The Voice and an amazing musical talent.

Beth got up on stage to tell the story of how she saw Dana Monique performing and immediately knew she had to be invited to be part of Amusement Expo. Dana Monique gave an inspiring talk, impressing upon the audience that “you are built for this” before giving a spectacular musical performance with her band.

This was unlike any typical keynote speaker and hands down the best luncheon presentation I have ever seen at one of these events! So much fun and had people (even me by the end!) getting up and dancing to her music…this was such a fitting way to address an audience of industry leaders in the field of fun! I was delighted to have a moment to meet her at the end of her performance and thank her for being part of the day. Dana Monique truly is amazing!

After the concert (it really was an actual concert at lunch!) I literally took off running to be on time as a guest for the final laser tag panel, “Anchor vs Afterthought”, where moderator Russ Van Natta led the discussion Caleb Bittar, owner of Cedar Fun Center, and me discussing our perspectives on what makes for a successful laser tag operation and how experience.

I appreciated that we had some great questions from the audience and I was able to meet some laser tag operators after the talk. This panel will also be shared on my podcast soon.

It was a great first few days at Amusement Expo! I had taken some time in the dedicated speakers room, where our goodie bags actually included a gift of a speaker for the speakers…genius!

And my thanks to all the organizers of Amusement Expo International who put on a tremendous event, for which I am delighted that we could take part. I truly appreciate that they have extended the opportunity for laser tag education to continue here in the form of the Laser Tag Summit.

As the day wrapped up, I decided to take some time to relax by doing something fun, completely separate from the expo, so I headed for the Vegas strip and paid a visit to the Paradox Museum. Here are a few of my pics to show that, whether it’s presenting to laser tag operators or looking for a unique experience, there’s always something interesting happening in Vegas!