BoddaH1994 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I met the owners and execs of Scene75 Entertainment last year at IAAPA in Orlando. I'm not that high up on FECs (Family Entertainment Centers) because many seem to be slapped together with no attention to detail, quality, or cleanliness. I was invited to dinner with Bill Balfour (former Paramount Parks Manager of Entertainment) who is now the GM of EnterTRAINment Junction and Don Oeters, the owner of EJ. As many of you know, I've worked with EnterTRAINment Junction and their subsidiaries for quite some time now. Having the utmost respect for Bill and Don, when they tell me they want me to meet someone, I listen to what they have to say. Upon meeting at an Italian restaurant near I-Drive, I was introduced to Les Sandler and his wife - the owners of Scene75. Additionally, I met Jonah Sandler, the Chief Entertainment Officer, and Sean Cope, the VP of Marketing. To make a long story short, Jonah, Sean, and I tossed around a lot of ideas about marketing, social media, and the entertainment industry. They had a lot of questions about the KICentral Universe in terms of: How big is it? When did it start? Where is it going? Many questions that do not have definitive answers. They invited me to stop by Scene75 and see what they had to offer. Many months passed and a lot of life happened, but I finally made it out there a few weeks ago and this is what I saw... They made no secret of the fact that their Cincinnati location (actually Milford) was formerly a K-Mart. Although the facade has the classic K-Mart "side of a pack of graham crackers" look, it has been incredibly updated by being painted black, adorned with a 3D exterior, and the Scene75 logo that many have come to recognize. Both Jonah and Sean were proud of their bar area at the newer Cincinnati location. I have to admit - I was also thinking that it was going to be a really nice bowling alley bar. As you can see above, I was wrong! I went on a Tuesday afternoon, so the whole location wasn't very busy, but I imagine that it rocks on weekend nights. The yellowish under-color of the bar actually fades between colors - similar to the bars that you might find on an episode of Star Trek. The Spin Zone is really unique. Although it, at its simplest form, is a set of bumper cars, this is something much cooler. You control the vehicle with two joysticks. Pulling them in opposite directions will cause the car to spin at a huge rate. The ride is set to a song, and during certain parts of the song the cars - whether occupied or not - spin uncontrollably to the beat. This is in addition to a neat light show that also accommodates the ride experience. The X Rider is a 4D Theater that constituted two rides during my visit. They have several ride experiences to choose, but my favorite was the one that involved going on a rocket bike on the Great Wall of China. This was actually my favorite thing at the entire complex and i can't wait to give it another ride soon! The GoKarts were a lot of fun and seemed faster than most that you would find in FECs. I enjoyed attempting to "drift" the cars, but I have to admit that I'm not the best GoKart driver. Mini Bowling was another highlight of my visit. It was very challenging, but still fun to use to taunt your friends. It's a good way to play if you don't want to be running around from game to game all night. Like many FECs, the place is loaded with hundreds of games. A personal favorite of mine is an air hockey game in which you play with two paddles and during the bonus round, dozens of small pucks are dropped onto the playing surface creating a chaotic situation. So much fun!!! I'm going to stop here because I could go on forever, but this does not scratch the surface. They have a zombie shoot-em-up, the coolest laser tag I've ever seen, and a full service restaurant. I definitely want to bring the KIC crew out there this offseason. This redefines quality when it comes to arcades and family entertainment centers. What does Scene75 have in mind for the future? Well... I'll let them make that announcement. Stay tuned. You may just like what you hear. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Who else went to that IAAPA Convention??? Never been but I hear the location in Dayton is twice the size- is that right? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 Who else went to that IAAPA Convention??? Never been but I hear the location in Dayton is twice the size- is that right? There were a lot of people at that IAAPA Convention. I can't name them all. The Dayton one is the largest FEC in the world, I think. I don't know if it's twice as large though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I've been following the Facebook page for the Dayton (original) location since shortly before it opened. However, I have not yet found both the time and money simultaneously to go there. I would certainly be interested in an offseason meetup, regardless of whether it's in Dayton or Milford. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Wow! That looks like lots of fun. Wouldn't something like that be so cool at KI in the main park or maybe attached to the outer reaches of Soak City? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haru-Kun Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I've been to the Dayton location many times with friends, and I always recommend Scene75, either location, to those that have not been. And if you have been, there's still something you're guaranteed to have not done yet. There's that much to do. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegajone Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I went a couple months ago. It exceeded my expectations. The only big drawback, and there's nothing they can do about it, is the clientele. There were some pretty rough, pretty rude people there on my only visit. Also they could use someone to man the mini bowling area. When I was there many of the machines were freezing up and on top of that, many groups were waiting for a lane to open up with no one there to facilitate. This wouldn't be a big issue if everyone there was respectful and waited their turn, but see my first point. The variety and level of fun of their different games exceeds D&B and Gameworks, in my opinion. Also I consider myself a mini golf aficionado and theirs is top notch, possibly the best in Greater Cincinnati indoor or outdoor. I'll definitely be back. Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondback96 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Sounds a bit like Latitude 360 with a lot more to do. Latitude 360 was a small chain of FECs that had lots of bowling lanes, a restaurant, party space, an arcade, and (at least in the Indy location) a dine-in movie theater. Major financial issues (such as missing loan payments, not licensing music, not paying drink tax) and (imo the cause of the financial issues) a sketchy CEO did them in. Would be nice if that announcement was an Indy location, but that's just wishful thinking. I really miss the Pump It Up machine at Latitude 360 here, it was the nicest dance game in the city. Considering the site we're on, it's more likely to be a location at or near KI. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I have been to the Milford location once. It is a fun visit, and the go karts are a blast. When I was there on a Saturday afternoon last October, the place was thoroughly busy. Definitely worth a visit. I have always wanted to attend an IAAPA trade show, but have never had the opportunity to do so. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted May 26, 2016 Author Share Posted May 26, 2016 I definitely want to do something there during the offseason. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freaks76 Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 Looks like a good time. Might have to make that a family trip this winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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