There is a real need for operators to stand out from the crowd and incorporating add-on attractions might just be the recipe for success

Adding spice to your arcade Adding spice to your arcade

In such a competitive market it is important location operators make their offering stand out from the crowd, offering a unique experience while providing high levels of service through good customer service and a good standard of food and drink.

This unique experience can be heavily influenced by the mix of games and entertainment a location chooses to include and can range from pay-to-play games and simulators to laser tag and climbing walls, as well as bowling facilities and go-karting - the options available to operators are almost endless. In the world of entertainment, these 'add-on attractions' as they're sometimes known, can provide an additional source of income to the traditional pay-to-play industry, giving the customer another reason to walk through the doors and stay in the venue for longer.

There is some difference of opinion in the industry as to what makes an add-on attraction different to an anchor attraction. For some, they are exactly the same and it all depends on the mix of games and attractions at a location, for example, as FX Simulation's Alan Flemming tells us, in a 'simulation zone' another simulator is not an anchor piece, whereas in a standard amusement area with shooters and drivers, a simulator is most definitely an anchor piece.

“The best kind of add-on attraction, without doubt, is a capsule-based motion simulator,” he tells InterGame. “It can handle small amounts of people effectively and when it moves it is dynamic and eye catching. Theatre-based attractions, for me, look boring from the outside as they are just a room enclosed in curtains and furthermore are rarely operating at capacity, while also needing an operator.

“An add-on attraction should increase dwell time, enhance the visitor experience and make the location more interesting to visit. An add-on attraction should be dynamic, new and different.”

For Laserforce's Sam Kelly, an add-on attraction is simply that. He told InterGame: “For me it more describes a form of entertainment that supports the anchor attraction of an entertainment centre, designed to provide an alternative source of entertainment when customers are not using the star attraction.

This feature can be found in full in the November 2011 issue of InterGame magazine.