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International Karting Industry Buyer's Guide

GO KARTING!
A Guide To The World's Most Popular Motorsport.

Kart Expo International

Introduction: This 2 part article is addressed to the community leaders, administrators and citizens of any community considering an application to construct and operate a family entertainment center. Its purpose is to present realistic information concerning the realities of a facility proposed to become a fixture in your community.

Many people have never visited a modern family entertainment center (FEC) and therefore may have formed misguided opinions as to the impact an FEC will have on the local neighborhood in which it is proposed to be built. It is hoped that the information presented in this article is read with an open mind. Once you have had the opportunity to read and evaluate the information presented herein, you should have a better understanding as to what an FEC is and what is it not.

An FEC may consist of a concession (rental) go-kart track and arcade building, a miniature golf course and arcade building or a combination of these attractions plus bumper boats, additional go-kart tracks, miniature golf courses, Laser tag, batting cages, soft-play and other attractions. The mixes may vary, but the underlying concept of providing family-oriented entertainment remains the same.

An FEC can only succeed if the local community accepts it and finds it to be a positive addition. Most potential developers of FECs are people with a strong desire to be a positive factor in the life and development of their local communities. Those who do not have this approach will be setting a course toward failure.

This article is based on factual technical information as well as experience with numerous new and existing FECs around the United States. Most facilities are properly operated, do not accept rowdiness from their guests and are positive factors in their communities. They are not the dingy, gang infested facilities of twenty or thirty years ago. The great majority are well received and supported by their local communities.

We ask that this article be read with an open mind. Once you have read the information contained herein, visited existing facilities or contacted other communities to find out their experiences, we feel you will have a positive attitude toward the concept and an open mind with respect to the local developer’s proposed project.

Unfortunately, there are times when “the fear of the unknown” generates opposition to one of the potentially best family-oriented attractions that can be developed within your community. Properly conceived, designed, constructed and operated facilities will provide positive experiences for the entire community, including families, youths, adults and senior citizens. 

In every community there exists a desire for family entertainment and recreation beyond the local theaters, fast food outlets, organized sports, school and church activities. While some communities are fortunate to have available a wide range of such activities, both publicly funded and private, this is not the usual situation.

Most communities lack outside activities for almost every age group, especially pre-teen and teenagers. This is reflected in the difficulties in accommodating these age groups in family outings. It also results in the individual or peer group activities they partake in when not part of family units. Without wholesome outlets, these activities may result in anti-social activities.

Of course, it is possible to make family outings to regional and destination these parks and related facilities. The problem with this solution include the following:

1.  It requires a major time commitment
2.  The cost per family unit is very high for both travel and admission costs
3.  For destination facilities, food, lodging and travel costs must be added.

For many families, these visits are not economically feasible. Even for those families that can afford them, such trips are usually taken on an annual or longer spacing.

In recent years FECs have developed as an alternative to doing nothing, hanging out at the mall, becoming couch potatoes or become involved in anti-social activities. They take many forms and provide countless numbers of family and other group activities governed by time constraints, economics, personal preference and physical limitations. 

Outdoor or combined indoor/outdoor facilities offer the potential of providing the greatest variety of activities. Properly conceived, they can provide entertainment opportunities  over the complete age range from toddler to grandparent.

Proper conception, design and construction enable FECs to become valuable assets to any community. By their nature, they are happy places where people enjoy themselves. Integral to their success is becoming attractive additions to their neighborhood.

Careful selection of attractions assures that they appeal to both individuals and groups, providing opportunities to observe or participate as they choose. Enjoyment can be gained from both approaches.

Success of the FEC also depends on acceptance by the local community. As a result, planning must include consideration of its impact on the surrounding community. This includes consideration of appearance, the people attracted, traffic on adjacent streets, noise, lighting, drainage and related issues.

In developing an FEC in any community, both the developer and the designer seek to create an appealing, comfortable and entertaining environment for families. To be successful, the facility must attract repeat attendance. These characteristics are the same ones that will generate a good neighbor image for the surrounding community.

Often, people associate FECs with the old time amusement parks that came into being more than a hundred years ago. These facilities were usually a collection of hard rides and a midway consisting of individual games and rides managed by separate owners. Often they were staffed by and attracted unsavory people. Most were not well maintained or policed.  The lack of coordinated efforts to make the facilities more attractive to families contributed to the closing of many.

FECs, on the other hand, follow the example of the modern theme park industry in seeking to provide clean, wholesome, family-oriented entertainment in an attractive environment. They also seek to discourage attendance by trouble makers and gangs.

The goal of creating a comfortable and enjoyable facility spans assembling attractions that provide entertainment for the whole family and presenting an appealing physical environment, to controlling noise and lighting levels.
 

Impact On The Community

A properly designed FEC will have a positive impact on the community it serves. This includes providing an elective activity, generating additional revenue for other businesses in the area, increasing tax revenue, providing jobs for residents and related benefits.

Obviously an FEC will generate more traffic, but not in the concentrated volumes that would result from many other businesses allowed under the existing zoning classification for most sites. Further, the traffic it does generate will not be concentrated during peak hour traffic periods on the adjacent highway system.

As the site has certain capacity constraints due to the number of attractions, available parking and related elements, people attending the FEC will vary their times to avoid overcrowding. This will, in effect, reduce peak period traffic volumes.

Having an FEC in the community will keep many younger members of the community closer to home. This will also result in more of the community’s available disposable income being spent in the community, as well as attracting revenue from neighboring communities.
 

Appearance Of The Facility

There is no single formula for creating an attractive facility that will appeal to everyone. This is equally true in terms of homes, schools, churches, shopping centers, offices, municipal buildings, stores, parks and so on. In recognition of this, most communities have established guidelines, ordinances or other controls to assure acceptable designs.

It is important, however, that the FEC be attractive to the vast majority of its guests, or it will not be successful. Therefore, appearance must be an integral part in the development of the concept plan which includes the individual attractions and related facilities. Consideration must also be given to what is visible from off-site, as this contributes to the generation of attendance.

On-site design must include the development of attractive looking facilities, the synergism of each attraction in terms of its relationship to other attractions and the ability to maximize usage.

Landscaping plays a major element in creating visually attractive facilities and is, therefore, an integral part of any concept planning. In today’s environmentally concerned community, the use of green space, planting of trees and shrubs and the use of water in the total site configuration can help gain community support. Proper planning will result in the visual enhancement of both the overall site and its individual components.

Next Month: Part 2 - Modern Lighting, Site Generated Traffic, and more.

About the author: Peter F. Olesen is a registered Professional Engineer, in eight states and President of Peter F. Olesen and Associates, Inc., 500 West Central Road, Suite 205, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 USA. The firm provides consulting services to Concession Go-kart and Family Entertainment Center clients. Projects span 31 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Brunei. Services range from preliminary site evaluations, feasibility studies, concept development, master planning, design and construction, and engineering services for projects that include concession go-kart tracks, miniature golf courses, indoor and outdoor family entertainment centers and theme parks. These services apply to new facilities as well as renovation or expansion of existing facilities. Mr. Olesen has written many magazine articles on the industry and has made presentations at numerous industry seminars. For more information on the firm and the services it offers, call 847-253-1515, fax: 847-253-1532, e-mail: pfolesen@flash.net, web: www.olesen.com.
 

END

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