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The Stinger Report #1231 - Vegas Amusement Gathering - Part 3
In Part Three of the #StingerReport coverage: The Amusement Expo International (AEI) 2025 showcased key trends shaping the amusement and entertainment industry, with a strong focus on immersive technologies, competitive socializing, and strategic shifts in event organization. Mixed Reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) innovations were prominent, with companies like Verse Immersive and INOWIZE pushing AR experiences into entertainment venues. Competitive socializing gained traction, as exhibitors highlighted platforms such as connected darts, shuffleboards, and mini-golf tailored to social environments. Active entertainment also expanded, with products like Gel Blaster Nexus and Valo Motion’s ‘ValoArena’ gaining attention for their high utilization rates. Meanwhile, international exhibitors emphasized Japanese IP-driven merchandise strategies, leveraging collectible prizes to drive repeat engagement. Despite a slight dip in attendance, the event reflected a "changing of the guard" in leadership, with plans for major structural changes in 2026 to align with complementary trade shows and enhance market relevance.
This is the Stinger Report, issue Number 1231, vegas Amusement Gathering, part 3, by Kevin Williams. This third part of our extensive coverage of the North American leading amusement and FEC trade gathering dedicated to the trade. This exclusive coverage of Amusement Expo International AAI 2025, looks across the immersive entertainment attraction and XR applications presented. We will also be looking as well as the trends shaping the market and the major development impacting the business. Xr, immersive, mr entertainment, continuing in the other aspects of XR and the mixed reality, mr and augmented reality, ar of the scene were seen at AE25. First, in the AR camp, we saw Exhibitor vs Immersive, the AR headset-based experience developed by NCLU. After operating their own standalone facilities since 2019, the operation is now deploying their holographic experience in existing entertainment facilities, able to free up spaces ranging from 600 square feet to 2,000 square feet for guests to explore immersive adventures. Most interestingly, they are also taking an ad agency approach, managing paid advertising for their experiences for nearly all their 20 locations across five countries, demonstrating on the booth the Microsoft HoloLens 2-powered experience. The other aspect of AR at AEI was seen with projection-mapped experiences. We have already touched on the LAI launch of their XR experience, cyberpunk 2077, turf Wars, previously Taking a dedicated booth at AEI 25 was Innowise Unable to bring their Kubik's immersive enclosure platform to the show. The company embraced AR technology, running demonstration of a virtual representation of their hardware viewed from tablets, while also promoting their new game releases and a hectic rollout of new installations. Opening promoting their new game releases and a hectic rollout of new installations. Opening Speaking about another VR developer diversifying away from their headset-based gaming. Though not exhibiting at this year's show, spree Interactive have been testing their brand new concept Called Spree Play. The motion-tracked game experience has a selection of games with the player's hand gestures controlling the action on the enclosure's screen. We hope to see the final production version of the concept after it finishes its lock test.
Speaker 1:Third part of Amusement Expo show floor. The Amusement Expo 2025 event continued the co-located aspect of the show with partnerships with the National Bulk Vending Association, nbva and the Billiards Congress of America. Bca Expo representing billiards, amusement and home leisure, the BCA pavilion sitting across the middle of the main hall. This partnership proved a little confusing for some as it broke up the natural flow of the hall, but did bring some new exhibition blood to the event. Brunswick Bowling and Brunswick Billiards was represented across the amusement and BCA pavilion components, the group finding more and more of their platforms deployed in social entertainment establishments, also carrying itself across from the bowling side of the business, the robot delivery and cleaning systems were evident at the show from exhibitor Bollmark Robotics. How many amusement venue operators will now have to take serious robotic serving Bellabot and cleaning systems? Cc1, to even out the wage bill is an important future for the sector. This attendance is in comparison of what we saw a few days later at the Restaurant and Bar Expo, which we will cover later in following reports.
Speaker 1:Aei Social Entertainment, amusement Mix. Competitive socialising has been a topic that many of the old guard surrounding Amusement Expo have been uncomfortable in discussing as an aspect of business. One previous gatekeeper too, the showboard, had even denied this aspect of the market had any relevance to the amusement trade. But this year's Amusement Expo and its exhibitors reflected a change not only in leadership but also what is represented. Along with traditional amusement exhibitors showing social entertainment, quality platforms such as ice games, neon bowling, given pride of place on their booth, amusement leads like Sega Amusement International also sitting astride the amusement and social entertainment sector, the SAI booth, including the representation of the popular 501 Fun AR Darts platform. The company did not bring their new golf concept to AEI.
Speaker 1:An aspect of the social entertainment mix is its competitive nature, and examples at AEI included games that offer competitive league elements and are finding themselves in social entertainment environments. On the AEI 25 show floor also included Arachnid, representing Bullshooter, the connected soft-tip darts platform and its extensive tournament support, the company additionally having their Disc Glow range of shuffleboard. Looking at the social mix, another exhibitor, jet Games, were promoting their soft-nose Jet Darts platform, crossing the aisle into social entertainment. Also at AEI25 was Phoenix Darts USA, who were promoting their range of connected darts terminals, an example of the continued social entertainment investment now prevalent within the amusement trade and beyond. While incredible technologies celebrating their 40th anniversary represented an example of a video amusement piece dependent on its tournament element and finding a strong home in the hospitality sector than in the traditional amusement space. Golden Tee PGA Tour Golf was on show and the operation was promoting their 2025 Golden Tee World Championship taking place in July in Las Vegas at the Palms, with a $160,000 prize pot up for grabs.
Speaker 1:The more expansive aspect of competitive socializing was represented at AEI25 with new first-time exhibitors such as European social entertainment developer Shuffley came to the Las Vegas event. Developer of shuffleboard tables for the entertainment, social and hospitality sectors. Their new modularized shuffleboard table allows extra elements to be added to suit the need of the operator and the depth of their pockets, from a basic table all the way up to enclosure, touchscreens and LED lighting. Other mini-golf providers at AEI included Greenspan Projects promoting their new Putify Golf, while the Laser Blast booth was also promoting the Puttmania mini-golf platform. The immersive active attraction aspect of the business was represented by the association with the laser tag sector.
Speaker 1:Along with a seminar track, many key providers of arena design, development and hardware made the trip to the show. The big noise was from Gel Blaster Nexus who, beyond their AEI booth, were holding live demonstrations down the road from the convention at the Spy Ninja facility, which we at the Stinger Report visited last year. Gel Blaster has caused a stir in the sector with several new installations of their pellet and laser-based laser tag 2.0 approach. The company is planning some major announcements in the coming months At AEI 2025,. The active entertainment is finding its way into LBE and competitive socializing sites was also represented at the Las Vegas show by the likes of Pixel Games and their illuminated floor platform. Other examples of active entertainment included sitting next to Creative Works, valo Motion, along with the FEU seminar, had a booth on the show floor using tablets to take a virtual tour of their Valo Arena without needing to bring the enclosure to the event. The company, proud of the revenue impact it is having in the sector, reporting that Round the Twist, north East England's largest family entertainment centre, fec announced that their Valo Arena continues to maintain an impressive 70% utilisation rate within the venue some two years after being installed in May 2023, over 3,900 hours of use in 21 months. Active entertainment really seems to be a trend in assurance, a possible shoe-in as VR consolidates in the market.
Speaker 1:In conclusion, the sold-out AEI 2025 saw some 223 exhibitors. For the amusement component, the organizers had suggested 2,500 expected attendees, but the reality this, compared to 209 last year was, for the two-day convention, only 2,300. Also reported form the show organizers, it was revealed that 199 attendees were tracked attending the VR summit down on previous years. Numbers for FEU and the other events was not available at this time. Depending on the exhibitors' comments on the quality of sales is always a difficult science, but the general feeling was the event had quality leads, but international pressures of stagflation and market jitters saw many holding onto their money for the time being, building off a need for change as well as the hard work of show organising team at Glasgow. It was a reflection, and the new association and organisers' leadership revealed changes ahead for AEI.
Speaker 1:The 2026 Amusement Expo event is scheduled to see major changes in the structure of the show and the location of the event. First off, the news was officially confirmed, after months of speculation, of the move to the Resort World venue as the show hotel and the relocation of the convention floor to the West Hall. This move sees the event saying goodbye to the tired but venerable Westgate Casino Hotel Resort. It was also confirmed that the event will be held at the same time as Restaurant Bar and Pizza International, so aligning interests once again. A changing of the guard regarding the steering of the trade event reflects many of the industry's amusement industry events undertaking considerable restructuring in the face to stay relevant with their core audience.
Speaker 1:One of the bigger surprises of the show was the news of a change of venue and timing for the AAMA Gala 2025. It was revealed that it will be held in August in Dallas, texas, for the Association Board Meetings and Educational Summit with the members' product reveals, along with a series of site visits. The move to August rather than September, the move to August rather than September and the departure from the Chicago home all examples of the dynamic moves within the trade association to position itself and benefit from the changed business landscape. We hope to have more news on the sessions planned. We would like to thank all those that have supplied information for this extensive coverage, especially our friends at Arcade Heroes. Please check out their videos of the show, thank you. And many attendees commented on the new atmosphere of change and investment that was being felt from the new Association Board leadership. A palpable changing of the guard, with many decisions that were needed to be made being actioned to drive forward the future of the event and the trade in general, the new show placement and that of Gala having been needed for some time, but now the management in place had the dynamism to make things happen. It was confirmed that this is not the only major changes that will be happening across the trade events. A dynamic new educational structure and a focus on growing new markets within the association was confirmed. As was stated, there is now a willingness to take the needed steps forward together, pulling everyone along for the ride, but also jumping up front to drive as well a willingness to take the needed steps forward together, pulling everyone along for the ride but also jumping up front to drive as well.
Speaker 1:Licensed merch's importance in amusement. As we reported previously, sega JP announced a partnership with Mitsubishi and Tomy towards the development of their IP and brand in the prize toy and crane sector in the US and internationally. Following this news, we have seen the announcement of the opening of their first Sega store in Shanghai, china. This will be a flagship store comprising merch and toys based on the prominent IP. In the announcement there were claims that the site will also include entertainment developed jointly between Sega, fave, am Division and Atlas. No further details available at this point if this pop-up venue will be more permanently and if these entertainment elements will be a return to AM facility business for Sega. But this development clearly follows a pattern from key Japanese corporations.
Speaker 1:This Sega news came while we saw Bandai Namco Experience AM, founded in Japan to take full control of IP as well as amusement facility and equipment development. The move to the Experience brand, away from the previous amusement prefix, marks the changes in business, with the corporation looking at their store business and attractions, as well as the evolving amusement site operations, bn having opened their Bandai Namco Crow store in Japan, america and Europe, this also supported by an extensive push of the Gashapon business, having seen the first installation of these capsule collectible vendotainment systems at the Los Angeles Angels Stadium. Continuing this theme, agenda announced a partnership with entertainment media creator CE Group towards creating an international operation to expand their business and improve their competitiveness in the entertainment field. Gender having recently completed their acquisition of the National Entertainment Network, nnen and their 8,000 plus North American facilities. This on top of their kiddleton chain of capsule and crane venues. Jenda in Japan, having expanded their over 800 amusement sites and adding a considerable karaoke operation to their entertainment strategy. Jenda has been actively acquiring Japanese venues, having considerably grown their empire and look at further acquisition in this M&A climate. Grown their empire and look at further acquisition in this M&A climate.
Speaker 1:Japanese IP in pop-up store-based approaches has been seen from Taito, with their experiments in this sector, their Space Invader merch, finding a strong following and only recently, capcom announced that they intend to open a pop-up store in Malasia that will be populated with merch and toys based on their IP. All this and the success that Nintendo and their stores have had internationally. The move towards promoting Japanese-focused merch and toys through these sectors was seen at AEI 25, with BNAAA pushing heavily their Gashapon range with the selection of unique anime and licensed capsule prizes, the western market being targeted for exclusive Japanese-style merch offering a collectible repeat-spend aspect. How long the Western amusement scene will attempt to ignore the obvious opportunity of filling their venues with these amusement-pedigree IP-based Japanese merch as prizes is another question. While promoting the co-located NBVA aspect of AEI25, we now position our coverage to chart the next series of Las Vegas events, including Restaurant and Bar Expo, international Pizza Expo and CinemaCon 2025, and the impact on the market of the social entertainment boom.
