NEXT STEP PACKET Questions and Answers Helping you move your project forward by taking the next step… Presented by: Delivering the WOW Effect, one client at a time… All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from Creative Works. Beginning the Next Step… Congratulations on requesting our Next Step Packet for family fun centers with an emphasis on laser tag attractions. This is one of the most important steps you can take early on, as it affects all the other steps to follow and can attribute greatly to your success. We believe this is the point where you have made a decision to get serious about your project. From our experience, many people have begun writing their business plans and they have been scouting for potential locations. They have begun to look at their finances and credit to obtain funding to open their site. They have a sense as to what their community needs and they are ready to fulfill the need and make some profits along the way. In summary, they are committed to moving forward in taking the next step to see if their business venture is viable, what it will look like and how much it will cost them. As a leader in the laser tag industry with over 300+ laser tag locations to our credit that have been designed, built, themed, managed and/or operated in the 15+ years we’ve been in business, we are known as the “Laser Tag Experts” when it comes to opening one of these attractions. Besides working extensively throughout the U.S., we have worked globally delivering the WOW Effect to locations across Russia, Australia, the Middle East, South America, Canada, and more. Our experience is far reaching and in depth. When it comes to offering the best solutions and building the most flexible package in the industry, we have an edge that separates us from all others. • We have been in the trenches onsite during the construction phase of many projects • We have been a liaison between the architects and contractors to value engineer projects • We have been on the phone with fire marshals and building inspectors and speak their language • We have worked in various diverse markets and understand the importance of cultural influences • We have researched the application of color and understand the driving psychological factors behind choosing the right color pallet for an entertainment facility • We have looked at the demographics surrounding successful locations and have applied this knowledge to our site assessments when guiding clients through their options • We have worked with a multitude of vendors and developed great relationships of trust and respect to ensure our clients are getting the very best from others • We have assisted many attraction manufacturers to help improve their products through years of observation and feedback from our clients • We have been placed as references in business plans and other documents to help add credibility to projects and provide lenders and landlords with additional confidences • We have spoken at various industry events on the topics of design, build-outs and theming in general Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 • We have worked with the major laser tag manufacturers in multiple capacities over the past decade: o We have assisted many in improving their overall brand, their systems, and operations o We have been hands-on with the equipment – we’ve held it, played it, and tested it o We have seen the installations of the equipment hardware and understand their requirements o We have seen the capabilities of the systems and have a sense as to their success in various markets o We have an insiders look at the support provided to our clients by the various systems Leaning on our experience, we help skew the learning curve in your favor and bring resolutions to common and uncommon problems which may arise during the various phases of your project. Depending on where you are in the process and what services you ultimately choose, we will be with you along the way. After we get an understanding of what you want to do, we can look at your project from a feasibility stage to a design stage to a costing stage, and help guide you with advice and knowledge gained from being in the trenches and helping hundreds of others over the years. Many clients of ours choose all of our services to give them the greatest value and most information to make the best educated decision. However you choose to use our services, we are here to help you avoid the costly mistakes made by many new start-ups to give you a stronger start out of the gate. We also have great resources we can recommend when you enter the operations phase for specific training as well as marketing insights and more to keep things moving in the right direction. Take a look at the next few pages to gain a better understanding of the different consulting modules we can assist you with and let us know how we can best suit your needs at this stage. We are here to help and look forward to working with you. Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 MODULE 1: Phone Discovery Here we get a snap shot of the intended project and learn more about what you want to accomplish along with your goals, dreams and ideas. It’s the starting point to see where you want to go. • • • • • • • Learn more about the proposed project Understand your goals and expectations for the project Discuss where you are in the process from a planning standpoint Talk about the leased spaces or land development considerations you’re looking into Discuss the financial side of the project including the recommended equity and avenues for funding Provide feedback from initial data to determine the next steps Answer your questions on other relevant items concerning the project MODULE 2: Onsite Discovery Here we get our eyes seeing what you see – the spaces you’re considering, the surrounding businesses, the market, the competition and other factors that could affect the project positively or sometimes negatively. Many clients will choose this route to provide a “gut-check” to what their wanting to do as we assess their unique situation and provide some verbal feedback based on our experience and visual review of the market. Normally this process will only take a day to complete as we come prepared with an agenda and questions to make the most of our time together. • • • • • • Drive with you and your real estate broker to the places of interest identified ahead of time Discuss the overall sites and some of the renovation needs we observe Take preliminary measurements for the ceiling heights to determine the realistic placement of higher attractions and more Drive to review the local competition with you – their strengths and possible weaknesses including the décor, their offerings, the staff and more Visually assess the local market and traffic flow during our travels to and from the sites and competition Answer your questions on other relevant items concerning the project This module also allows you the ability to see who you’re dealing with and for both of us to get to know one another better. It also affords us the opportunity to provide you with more time and to impart additionally information and knowledge based on our observations. This module has helped save clients $1,000’s on their overall projects. Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 MODULE 3: Snapshot Market Report Based on providing Modules 1 and 2, we can write a report detailing our findings and provide more in-depth analysis if you’d like. Here we dig deeper and pull external data about your area to learn more and provide additional foundational discoveries and information about the viability of your project. This is meant for those who need more than the “gut-check” and require something written for their investors, their banker, and/or their landlord. • • • • • Market Research • Gather area demographic data and existing market information • Obtain current statistics and information regarding the residents and/or visitors • Identify any competitors in the marketplace that could affect sales Market Analysis • Review and analyze population reports, visitor statistics and other data pertinent to determine the size of the market for the project • Dig deeper into the competitors and provide a SWOT analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities you can capitalize on and any threats the competition poses • Identify the social economic lifestyle group for the targeted area and provide a brief analysis of their particulars to help understand the types of people surrounding the proposed site area Site Analysis • Review and analyze proposed sites for the business • Identify area compatibility and traffic counts based on the proximity of restaurants, retail and other recreation • Suggest lease points to include or consider before signing a landlord lease for the chosen space Attraction Analysis • Review the desired attractions for the project • Make recommendations for alternative attractions as necessary • Provide revenue figures for industry utilization standards for the attractions Food and Beverage Analysis • Review the desired F & B for the project • Make recommendations for alternative F & B as necessary • Provide revenue figures for industry utilization standards for the F & B Additionally, we have partners that can do full feasibility studies along with business plan preparation and more should this be something you require beyond our Snapshot Market Report. Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 MODULE 4: Site Design Here we look at creating an operationally efficient preliminary site plan for the space. This helps visualize it better and provides a basis for your local architect to work from to develop the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural requirements for the site to meet local building codes. It also helps to provide a basis for getting general contracting estimates for the build-out of the infrastructure and allows the landlord of the space (if leased) to see what you intend to do with their space so you can negotiate for tenant improvement monies to help reduce your outof-pocket expenses. • • • • • • Facility requirements: identify each area intended, adjacencies and estimated square foot needs Provide “test fits” to the proposed site/lease spaces under consideration and evaluate their suitability to meet the facility requirements (sizing, heights, improvements, renovations, utilities, etc.) Determine operational assumptions that may affect layout Create a draft floor plan to understand area relationships for further analysis • Storage and preparation areas • Registration and counter areas • Concession and snack bar areas • Arcade and redemption areas • Party rooms and guest areas • Restroom, janitor, and kitchen areas • Management and employee areas • Attraction areas Provide some general project specifications for the attractions based on information received from product/service vendors Answer your questions on other relevant items concerning the project After the Site Design is completed on our end, you may choose to try and obtain some estimates from local general contractors for the build-out costs of the space before proceeding forward with getting a local architect involved. While the contractor will probably require more information to narrow their price, the rough estimate you receive back from them will give you a close approximation for this part of the project. At this point, you will also be able to show the design print to your landlord, your bank, and any others who have an interest in getting your business started. When you feel comfortable with moving forward with something more formal, the next step would be to secure a local architect that can complete the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and any other structure concerns for the site based on the preliminary layout provided by us. Based on relevant local codes, permitting, stamping requirements and more, this is an important step to begin once you've decided to move ahead with this space and funding is eminent. As a reminder, we work on Site Designs that have a large laser tag arena component within them. If you have a site exceeding 15,000 square feet and are going more towards a full family entertainment center with 4 or more attractions, we can lead you in the right direction with trusted partners of ours that have been in the industry and work on projects larger in scope. Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 MODULE 5: Field Design During this phase, we focus in on the laser tag area itself to ensure it’s maximized from a build-out cost perspective, the operations side for running this attraction, as well as the importance of theming and décor to bring everything together. Over the years, we have seen many sites come and go. There are many reasons why this has been the case including: poor execution of the business, improper development of the playing fields, overall appearance of the facility, and lack of efficiencies in their operating and marketing programs. Additionally there is a great propensity of failures according to historical research when field designs are “home-built” and/or designed and painted by artists hired out. If you are doing a laser tag attraction as an anchor attraction or an add-on, this module is important to consider. With over 15 years of experience in an industry that has seen many vendors come and go, we have been a foundation for those looking to open this attraction. As the largest independent arena design and build firm in the world, we offer a host of services to meet your needs. Here is what comes with our Field Design Module: • • • • • • Arena requirements: identify player capacity, height requirements for a play structure, base configurations for strategic team play and additional target considerations Provide “test fits” (if applicable) to the proposed area for the upper level play structure platform(s) and the ramps leading up to them Determine ADA (American Disability Act) requirements that may affect layout Discuss theming/decor options and narrow down options for the area (we have 10 “off-the-shelf” themes) Create a draft floor plan to understand and encompass • Playing field barrier placement and sizing • Exiting and means of egress considerations • Traffic flow and area utilization • Playability and customer safety • Existing physical infrastructure within area • Briefing room placement and sizing • Vesting room placement and sizing • Control area placement and sizing Provide general project specifications for the attraction • Paint finishes and coloring options • Flooring finishes and coloring options • Sound requirements and dampening considerations • Electrical specifications for the outlets and switches for the various areas • Fogger and hazer considerations for the space related to prepping for their placement • Lighting and illumination considerations for UV fluorescent and regular fluorescent lighting • Wall finishes and protection options Working with the different laser tag manufactures, we have designed our arenas to be accommodating to any system. There are certain extra features that come as options with some systems that may affect the layout or placement of power and other considerations. Narrowing down your system selection to two or three will help facilitate completing this plan more efficiently. If you are purchasing your arena theming through us, 50% of the cost for this module will be credited towards your build-out. Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 MODULE 6: Costing (Creative Works products / services) Development of budgetary numbers is done during this phase. This will help flesh out any numbers needed for any items supplied by Creative Works (laser tag arena, Lazer Frenzy lazer maze, Cosmic black light golf, and other attractions) and provide you with pricing to plug into your business plan as you continue forward. Without a Field Design, we can still provide a quote based on the theme you’ve identified and any other options or features you’ve expressed interest in purchasing related to the laser tag arena. If we have a Site Design, we can also quote theming for the rest of the facility in areas such as the lobby, party areas, arcade, counters, redemption area, and others because we will know the physical parameters of the space. • • Creative Works products and services (Internal) • Develop a preliminary cost estimate for the products/services to be supplied • Develop a preliminary cost estimate for theming the interior decor throughout space Provide a summary of findings with their related costs MODULE 7: Costing (Partner Alliance Team products / services) This module is for those looking to get additional quotes at a savings from our Partner Alliance Team on various other amusement products and services. The Creative Works Partner Alliance Team is a group of like-minded companies looking to bring their resources together to the benefit of our clients to help them achieve greater success in their endeavors while lowering their costs to entry. Suppliers in our Partner Alliance Team include: arcade, point of sale, laser tag equipment, food service related items, bowling products, soft play equipment, ride manufacturers, redemption prize vendors, skill games, extreme sport attraction providers, flooring specialists, bumper car vendors, go-kart manufacturers, and more. Combining these suppliers with our own immersive laser tag environments, miniature golf courses, lazer mazes and more, allows you the greatest source of suppliers that have worked together to provide a seamless portfolio of products and services for your new facility. With this module, we will solicit quotes from them on your behalf which will generally save between 5 to 10% off their listed pricing saving you many thousands of dollars. Based on minimum product purchases of $50,000 or more, this can be a savings from $2,500 to over $10,000. If we can’t save you at least $2,500 off our Partner Alliance Team’s standard pricing, we will refund the full amount of this module. You can’t lose. The fee we charge is for the management of time and coordination to make this happen; however if you choose all of our Modules this one is FREE. This helps us and our partners focus the time on those that are committed to moving forward. • • Other vendors products and services (External) • Work with our Partner Alliance Team to obtain favorable pricing and delivery for products/services • Work with non-partner vendors as required to secure pricing and delivery for products/services Provide a summary of findings with their related costs Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 Taking the Next Step… Throughout this whole process, we are always available through email, over the phone, via Skype or fax as questions arise from yourself, your architect and/or contractor concerning the design and build-out of your site. Having been involved in this exciting industry since its early inception, we have been able to provide outstanding atmospheres and experiences to our clients that attract, entertain and amaze their customers over and over again. Our experience in the entertainment industry as owners and operators has also enabled us to design visually stunning attractions and themed environments for the young and the young at heart, and to deliver the “WOW EFFECT” to clients again and again for years now. Please understand that as we proceed forward with the Phone Discovery Module and possibly the others depending on your needs, we will give you an honest assessment of your project to help you make better decisions on the direction to take. We want you to succeed in your endeavor and as such, we might advise you not to proceed forward based on the information we gather. We just want to ensure that the foundation is in place before you begin and that your market will support your project. Should you be interested in any of the above Modules we offer to help see projects get off the ground, please fill out the next page and let us know what you’re interested in so we can get started down the right path. Upon receiving the agreement back on the next page, we will schedule a follow-up call and send out our Site Survey Packet to assist us in learning more about the area and your goals. Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771 NEXT STEP PACKET – Letter of Agreement Client Name: Work Phone: Company: Home Phone: Address: Mobile Phone: City, State Zip: Fax Number: Date: Email: This letter between Creative Works, Inc. ("Consultant") and (“Client”) shall govern the provision of providing professional consulting services for the Client by the Consultant. Client agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Consultant for any liability arising out of the design or build-out of the Clients’ location. Consultant agrees to provide to the Client the services selected according to the “Service” section below. In exchange, the Client agrees to pay the Consultant the listed non-refundable Fee for its services. Additional changes made to any of the layouts after the design is complete will incur an hourly charge of $75.00 for adjustments and corrections needed to each layout. This additional work will be approved in writing by the Client before commencing. Please select the service(s) which you would like to have Consultant provide: ____ MODULE 1: Phone Discovery ............................................................................................................................................................. $FREE ____ MODULE 2: On-Site Discovery Visit (per day fee plus travel expenses) ............................................................................................ $1,250.00 ____ MODULE 3: Snapshot Market Report................................................................................................................................................ $1,250.00 MODULE 4: Site Design ____ Up to 9,000 sq. ft. ....................................................................................................................................................................... $1,650.00 ____ Up to 12,000 sq. ft. ..................................................................................................................................................................... $1,950.00 ____ Up to 15,000 sq. ft. ..................................................................................................................................................................... $2,250.00 MODULE 5: Field Design ____ Up to 3,500 sq. ft. ....................................................................................................................................................................... $1,250.00 ____ Up to 5,000 sq. ft. ....................................................................................................................................................................... $1,450.00 ____ Up to 6,500 sq. ft. ....................................................................................................................................................................... $1,650.00 ____ MODULE 6: Costing (Creative Works products) ................................................................................................................................. $FREE ____ MODULE 7: Costing (Partner Alliance Team products) ..................................................................................................................... $1,500.00 ____ IF YOU ARE INVESTING IN ALL MODULES, WE PROVIDE MODULE 7 FOR FREE ................................................................................ ($1,500.00) TOTAL DUE .............................................................................................................................................................................................. $ Client understands that any drawings provided by Consultant will need to be put to blueprint and expanded on (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc.) by the Clients’ local architect of choice so the drawings reflect accurate field measurements and conform to local codes and ordinances of Clients’ respective city/state. If the terms of this agreement meet with your approval, please indicate below by your signature and return this page to us with a check in the amount of the Total Fee Due or input your credit card information below and FAX BACK to: 317-834-4771 for faster response. CONSULTANT: (Creative Works, Inc.) CLIENT: Signed: Signed: Print Name: Print Name: Date: Date: PAYMENT METHOD: Check Enclosed Credit Card #: Visa MasterCard American Express Expiration: CCV Code #: Creative Works, Inc 350 Bridge Street • Mooresville, IN 46158 Tel: 317-834-4770 • www.THEWOWEFFECT.com • Fax: 317-834-4771