Commentary
Eatertainment and artainment: Where do they stand?
The roadmaps for new entertainment genres don't come with a clear set of instructions.
September 4, 2023 by Kevin Williams
While immersive entertainment has taken numerous new directions supported by new technology, new "genres" usually prove difficult to sustain. A couple of recent examples are "eatertainment" and "artainment."
Looking first at "eatertainment," Dave & Buster's has been redefining itself in this direction following its acquisition of Main Event and a partnership with the Malpani Group towards opening 15 stores in India.
The company also signed a second deal with NightOwl Entertainment to open five Dave & Buster's stores in Australia, all part of a global expansion plan started in 2022 which represents some 151 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The plan was for a "light-touch," "base" or "potential upside" remodeling as reported by FSRMagazine. These will range from refreshing interior or exterior designs, increasing F&B services and expanding entertainment.
With 40 sites already updated to the new branding, the corporation introduced a new tagline, "You Know You Want To," retiring its previous moniker, "Ding, Ding, Ding!" and focusing on an audience in their adulthood — away from the previous "eatertainment" approach.
As part of a new approach, including the global expansion, there is a massive restructuring of management, and now a new branding focus towards the key audience of young adults and with a sports bar and amusement approach.
One aspect of this refreshment moves away from traditional amusement and sees the corporation deploying a brand-new segment with the creation of its new "Social Bays," offering space to play AR darts called the "High-tech Darts" area, and a space to play AR shuffleboard called the "Social Shuffle" area.
A major departure
This marks a major departure for the brand from its traditional redemption and video amusement space — now being one of the first eatertainment operations to fully embrace competitive socializing. It is expected the company will be evaluating its audience's reaction to this inclusion towards greater expansion.
At the same time, it would be expected that a statement about the plans regarding brand positioning and further facility openings will be coming from Main Event, as it undergoes its own restructuring.
The operation is now looking at a growth of 16 new stores across the chain every year. This is a reflection of the surge in growth across the sector, following the well-publicized privations of the global health crisis on the corporation.
What is 'artainment'?
The immersive art experience scene, known as "artainment," has proven a more difficult market to define. Along with numerous openings, there have been bumps along the road.
Immersive art installations and exhibits have become a boom operation, offering a new way to consume artwork — such as immersive installations using the latest video projection mapping and those which incorporate extended reality technology.
One such example is seen with the latest installations from Enklu, developers of the "verse immersive" experience, with installations in the U.S. The company is famous for its "The Unreal Garden" AR experience, using see-through AR headsets and, predominantly, Microsoft Hololens systems — offering a mixture of physical fantasy exhibit set in a mysterious garden, overlaid with AR imagery supplied through the headset.
The company announced its latest new chapter in its AR experience, called "The Unreal Garden: Rudolfo's Discovery," featuring the new character of a baby dragon that appears through the experience, and guests being able to interact with characters to unlock puzzles.
Not all immersive art initiatives succeed.
Lighthouse Immersive, the Canadian developer and operator of immersive experiences, recently entered into bankruptcy.
The company is known for the creation of the original "Immersive Van Gogh" light show — which has seen installations such as in Paris, Chicago, Las Vegas and Toronto, along with other shows.
The company was reported to have filed Chapter 15 bankruptcy on July 28 to protect its assets. It was revealed that the timing for the move was linked to the $16 million dispute with its Californian partner, forcing the filing for creditor protection.
The company has created several immersive experiences operated with its Lighthouse Immersive gallery installations — but has also seen numerous imitators of its Van Gogh experience.
The Lighthouse marketing had boasted over 7 million tickets having been sold to experience their various light shows — but at this point, there is no news on the next plans for the corporation, following the Chapter 15 procedure.
The company was founded in 2019 and, at its height, operated 20 light shows, but has found expansion difficult and impacted by immersive art competitors.
Several operated attractions were abruptly closed in June as the buildup to the filing started, including the Immersive Disney Animation attraction in Dallas, forcing the payment of ticket refunds.
The roadmaps for new entertainment genres don't come with a clear set of instructions.
(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by Spider Entertainment and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)
About Kevin Williams
Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.
