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Commercial Arcades |  Starting an Arcade / Family Entertainment Center Guide      
 

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Guidelines For Starting and Planning Commercial Arcades and Family Entertainment Centers

Although this is not a comprehensive guide on how to start a arcade or starting a arcade business,
it does touch on a number of important points, steps and issues that must be taken into account
in order to create a successful arcade business. Our FEC / Commercial Arcade Gaming experts
with over 50 years combined experience in starting, planning, marketing and running arcades and
family entertainment centers are here to assist you whenever you need us.

Both "standalone" arcade game rooms and the larger " Family Entertainment Centers " (FEC
in industry jargon) are becoming more popular across America, as today's increasingly hostile
environment encourages parents to seek out exciting activities for their children locally, and
young and older adults seek out the hottest new and classic old arcade games to play.

A "standard-sized" arcade gameroom can range anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 sq ft, while a
typical Family Entertainment Center starts at around 10,000 sq ft (indoor facility) and up to a
multi-acre, multi-million dollar indoor/outdoor facility. Smaller arcades under 2500 sq ft are
usually easy to plan, design and get up and running in a short amount of time, with the help
and assistance of one of our experienced commercial arcade planners helping you to select
the correct mix of games depending on your arcade location, space, theme, demographics
and budget. Most small arcades can be planned and launched within 4-6 weeks or less,
while launching a large arcade or family entertainment center requires more planning time,
and usually takes from 1 to 4 months or more to properly prepare and execute a facility plan. 

As opposed to standard style video arcades with upright and sit-down video arcade games and
redemption games, family entertainment centers generally include "large format" attractions like
laser tag rooms, miniature golf courses, miniature bowling alleys, go-cart racing tracks, baseball
batting cages, motion ride simulators, amusement-type large rides and other such major-type
arcade attractions, and again takes a much longer amount of time to plan, order and implement.

Because an arcade or family entertainment center's success is mainly dependent on repeat
local customer visits, they are usually located near high-density residential areas, schools,
malls or high traffic retail and commercial zones. The size and location that is right for your
local area depends mainly on the population size and "market demographics" of your area,
and of course your project budget, factoring in any "competitors" currently operating in or
around your geographical area, as well as taking into account any local zoning ordinances.

Planning a large for-profit arcade gameroom or family entertainment center is usually not a
small undertaking. There are many points to consider, and having a well-prepared plan for
your business is crucial for your success. Good planning for any business is essential,
and in the arcade gaming business there are a few basics that must be addressed upfront.
Your most immediate concern is being sure that you can get local zoning approval for a
arcade or family entertainment center from your local Zoning Board before you proceed.

Although most cities have now relaxed the strict codes of the past that have discouraged
many arcades and some family entertainment centers from operating, there are still a few
cities out there where the size and location of your arcade is strictly regulated, or even
banned in some rare cases. After obtaining local zoning approval, your next step is to
create a detailed business plan to serve as your "blueprint" for your new business.

This document will be the key to the overall success of your new arcade.

Once you have obtained zoning approval and have determined the location/size of your arcade,
and have completed your initial business plan, the next step is to set a "game budget" to assist
you in the "floor planning" of your arcade, and then determining the proper "game mix", which will
be largely dependent on both the local demographics of your market, your marketing plan and the
type of facility you want to create, with the game mix primarily being determined on the age range
you are planning to appeal to - Are you going for a small arcade for teenagers, a facility catering to
children and their parents, or perhaps a "Dave & Buster's" type approach catering to young and
middle aged adults with liquor and food being served, or perhaps something entirely different? 

BMIGaming's experts are ready and willing to assist you with these steps and more, from
A to Z, in starting your new arcade gameroom or full-fledged Family Entertainment Center !

After completing all of the above, your final task is to actually purchasing your games and related
arcade equipment. Depending on the type and size of your arcade, this could include anything from
the actual games to "prize booths" for redemption games, back-office computer systems, cash
registers, kitchen supplies for a food stand, tables/chairs, etc for larger facilities, plus you will also
need to determine how your customers will pay for their games, either change, tokens or the newer
"card swipe" readers that eliminate the hassle of token collection and give you real-time data on the profitability of your game mix. All of this will all depend on the actual size of your arcade, your budget,
your "theme" and what games you ultimately select.

Finally, once you have completed all of the above steps and are preparing to open up for business,
the next crucial step is getting the word out to the public. Successful marketing of your new arcade
or family entertainment center is paramount, and there are all types of marketing tools and ideas to
choose from. Among these choices, some of the most effective can be direct advertising, ie; display
ads in your local weekend entertainment guide or local newspaper, radio and cable ads, yellow page
advertising, offering discount coupons through your local print media, etc, as well as creating a high-
quality website that showcases your gameroom, or partnering with local non-profit organizations,
schools, churches, youth centers, charities, and finally, creating a high-quality brochure about your
arcade or family entertainment center, complete with pictures, driving directions and operating hours.
 

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Let our highly experienced Arcade Gameroom and Family Entertainment Center Business
Team with over 50 years of combined experience instruct you in how to best to plan and start
your new FEC or Arcade from the ground up - We can provide guidance in the design, planning,
promotion and selection the most profitable mix of arcade games and redemption games for
your new or existing Commercial Arcade or Family Entertainment Center free of charge !

For new or existing Businesses, Arcades or FEC's buying over 20 Games at one time :

Contact our Large Account / FEC Sales Department from 9am to 5pm Eastern Monday to Friday
at 1-800-746-2255 or if outside the USA, 1-561-901-0061 or anytime using our Sales Inquiry Form

For new or existing Businesses, Arcades or FEC's buying less than 20 Games at one time :

Contact our Commercial Sales Department from 9am to 10pm Eastern Time Monday to Sunday
at 1-800-746-2255 or if outside the USA, 1-561-901-0061 or anytime using our Sales Inquiry Form

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