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Category Archives: pandemic

Our March Leisure eNewsletter is now available

This month’s issue looks at what past and current trends indicate the “new normal” may be for out-of-home entertainment in the post-pandemic world. It’s for sure we won’t be going back to the pre-pandemic 2019 normal. The two-year pandemic has … Continue reading

What they fail to explain about vaccines, Delta, and masks

It’s disappointing that the Federal government, especially the CDC, and the press are doing such a poor job of informing us about the factors that affect the risk of catching the new more dangerous Delta variant and what we really need to do to stay as safe as possible. Continue reading

No, the pandemic hasn’t ended. It’s still having a significant impact on indoor family and children’s venues

Parents continue to be concerned about attending indoor leisure venues with younger children that don’t require masks. Continue reading

Update on the current surge and comfort going out

Is the current surge a temporary phenomenon? Are regulars more likely to return? Continue reading

Comfort going out continues to increase, but beware of the un-masked un-vaccinated

As comfort going out increases, mask mandates are still important for entertainment and arts venues. Continue reading

How the CDC has failed us and probably hurt the economic recovery

The CDC, in their new short-sighted new mask guidance, may very well have prolonged the pandemic and its toll on Americans as well as slowed the economic recovery for many location-based businesses, including entertainment and cultural ones. Continue reading

The importance of human connection to Americans’ happiness

Post-pandemic, many people will find their happiness by maintaining their social connections with family and friends at home and less than in the past at location-based leisure venues. Continue reading

How vital are mask mandates for location-based leisure venues?

Here’s the latest research on whether location-based leisure venues should still have mandatory mask requirements. Continue reading

The relationship of loving to cook, getting the Covid vaccine, and visiting restaurants

The implications of people who love/like to cook being almost twice as comfortable getting the Covid-19 vaccine compared to people who don’t like to cook. Continue reading

The consumers that went into the pandemic aren’t the same ones coming out

The consumers that location-based leisure venues knew in 2019 are gone and never coming back, even when things are fully open. Continue reading

This may increase Wave 4 Covid infections

When I was digging deep in the April 2-4 Harris poll for any interesting new insights, some data jumped out at me. It indicates there is a definite risk of a significant widespread surge in Covid infections even as vaccinations are proceeding at a fast pace. Continue reading

Will vaccinations create a roaring rebound to attending in-person events?

What affect will vaccinations have on the return to in-person events, including dining in restaurants and attending entertainment and cultural events? Continue reading

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter

As infections decline and vaccinations increase, comfort in going to restaurants and out-of-home entertainment & arts is trending upward. Continue reading

The latest on the comfort visiting out-of-home entertainment & arts

Here’s the latest survey results on adults’ comfort visiting different out-of-home entertainment venues right now. Continue reading

Changes in restaurant foot traffic by state a possible indicator of changes in attendance for out-of-home entertainment and arts.

Changes in restaurant foot traffic by state a possible indicator of changes in attendance for out-of-home entertainment and arts.
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An update on when we might reach herd immunity and post-pan normality

Although the percentage of Americans who will need to become immune to Covid-19 to reach herd immunity may be higher than originally anticipated, a new survey on the willingness to get vaccinated indicates it still appears plausible in 2021. Continue reading

Millennials reach all-time high in comfort going to many out-of-home entertainment and arts venues

Millennials reach all-time high in comfort going to many out-of-home entertainment and arts venues.
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When will the out-of-home entertainment and arts industry recover?

Here’s discussion and my projections on when and to what extent the out-of-home entertainment and arts industry will recover. Continue reading

Prepare for the 21st Century’s roaring 20s. The human desire to socialize and have fun IRL will survive the pandemic.

If history is a guide, we should eventually make it to our own Roaring 20s when consumption and out-of-home socialization will come back with a vengeance Continue reading

Hometainment’s impact on the post-pandemic entertainment landscape

When the risk of the coronavirus finally disappears, will our current levels of hometainment continue or will our out-of-home entertainment return to its 2019 levels? Continue reading

Using slices of Swiss cheese to make people feel safe from catching the coronavirus at public places?

The coronavirus is an existential threat for getting people to participate in public activities. How Swiss cheese to make them more comfortable to attend. Continue reading

Covid-19 accelerates the socioeconomic bifurcation of out-of-home entertainment and arts

If you thought the 2019 out-of-home entertainment and arts market was gentrified, just wait for how gentrified the post-pandemic market becomes Continue reading

Covid’s impact on pumpkin time out-of-home public activities

Lots of people are going stir-crazy and craving some sort of ‘safe’ out-of-home entertainment they can visit. This fall it look like agritainment/agritourism will be the winner. Continue reading

Increase in work-at-home creates a shift in site selection strategies for location-based entertainment

More people working at home has shifted site selection strategies for location-based entertainment. Continue reading

The gap in comfort between millennials and all adults starts to widen for some activities.

We’re seeing an uptick in Millennials’ comfort visiting different out-of-home entertainment and cultural activities Continue reading

There’s a nesting trend underway

Location-based entertainment and cultural venues face new headwinds from the nesting trend. Continue reading

Will Uber-Bunkering, an acceleration of a decades old trend, stay uber post-pandemic?

Time at home has been on the increase for decades. The pandemic has caused an abrupt and dramatic acceleration of that trend. Now, almost all socialization, entertainment and cultural activities take place at home. Post-pandemic, will things go back to the old normal? Continue reading

People’s comfort returning to out-of-home activities continues its decline

People’s comfort returning to out-of-home activities continues its decline Continue reading

People’s comfort returning to out-of-home activities on the decline

Here’s the most current poll results on people’s comfort levels and intentions on returning to out-of-home leisure activities. Continue reading

What does death of the buffets mean for location-based entertainment?

What does death of the buffet mean for location-based entertainment? Continue reading

Comfort for visiting leisure, entertainment and cultural destinations continues to decline

Morning Consult has been polling Americans every two weeks on their comfort levels of engaging in different out-of-home leisure activities. For every activity tracked, the comfort level was on an upswing into the second week in June, after which it … Continue reading

Is Chuck E. Cheese’s bankruptcy a bellwether for the decimation of the LBE/FEC industry?

The Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for the location-based entertainment (LBE) industry. Why I predict that at least 30% of FECs will go out of business and be permanently closed by the end of 2021, perhaps sooner. Continue reading

Increasing concern about Covid-19 impacting attendance at entertainment and cultural venues

Multiple polls show an increase in Americans’ concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and fear of getting sick. The worsening situation is sure to slow or postpone the reopening of entertainment and cultural venues of all types, including family entertainment centers (FECs)
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What impact will the Covid-19 pandemic have on births?

If you thought all the people stuck at home with their romantic partners during the lockdown and/or self-quarantining would reverse the trend and lead to a baby boom, you are probably wrong based on the lessons from history and what researchers are predicting. Continue reading

It’s a long road ahead for location-based entertainment to recover to pre-pandemic business levels

There’s been a lot of press coverage on consumers returning to reopened restaurants, location-based entertainment (LBE) and other businesses. Yes, the trend is up with increasing attendance. However, moving up from zero attendance doesn’t mean you will soon be at 100%. Here’s what all the polls and research is telling us about a recovery. Continue reading

To recover the fastest, location-based businesses need mandatory mask wearing

Now that businesses are being allowed to reopen, they need to make sure they are doing everything possible to attract customers back as soon as possible. In the coronavirus era, that includes a new criterion, “Is it safe to visit? … Continue reading

Peoples’ Covid-19 fears and its impact on out-of-home entertainment & dining activities

Following is some very recent polling data that I sorted through from multiple sources on the current state of consumers’ fears that they or a member of their family will catch coronavirus and the impact of this fear on their … Continue reading

When will people return to out-of-home entertainment and dining based on their income, education, generation & age?

Here’s some very recent data on when adults expect to return to restaurants and out-of-home (OOH) entertainment and cultural venues based on their incomes, education, generation and age. Continue reading

When, if ever, will location-based entertainment become profitable again?

There are a number of factors that will determine when LBEs will be profitable again including the share of the population at high risk of Covid-19. Here’s the latest data and predictions. Continue reading

Covid-19 is accelerating the migration of entertainment & socializsation to the metaverse

The acceleration of our use of virtual entertainment and socialization during the pandemic will have a long-term impact on out-of-home entertainment. Continue reading

Who’s ready to return to out-of-home entertainment and cultural experiences?

Now that states are starting to allow businesses to open and the lockdown is winding down, will people return to out-of-home (OOH) entertainment and cultural experiences? Our company has access to a large number of national U.S. polls with very current data. So, I dug into the data of some of them to see what people are saying. Continue reading

The inconvenient truth – almost all location-based entertainment business models are now obsolete

Our company prides itself in using research to identify trends and guide our clients to future-proof their location-based entertainment centers (LBEs), which includes the categories of family entertainment centers (FECs), social eatertainment venues and agritainment/agritourism farms. As they say in … Continue reading

Will no longer doing some things we used to do pre-Covid become a permanent habit?

While bunkered down at home, I’ve been taking long walks everyday whenever the weather permits. Here in Kansas City in the Spring, it’s a great time to take walks as all the greenery is emerging. Winters here are very gray. … Continue reading

Will your entertainment or cultural venue be ready for the post-lockdown guests?

Now is the time to start thinking about what changes need to be made to both facility design and operations to attract the post-lockdown consumer. Continue reading

Predictions on the post-pandemic location-based entertainment landscape

What will the post-pandemic out-of-home entertainment competitive landscape look like? Continue reading

The impact of virtual entertainment experiences during the lockdown on the post-pandemic entertainment landscape

What might the long-term impact be on our out-of-home entertainment behavior once the corona-crisis is over? Continue reading

The post-pandemic future of America’s location-based entertainment

The coronavirus is likely to devastate large portions of the location-based entertainment industry. Businesses that survive should expect a less-saturated market with a changed consumer base and market size. Continue reading