Page 90 - BCM June 2024

DESIGN

provides an opportunity for the
course to be remembered. Ditto
for escape rooms. Thrill Builders
Bass Pro Shops broke the mold
and upped the theming ante in
the bowling realm with its Uncle
Buck’s FishBowl & Grill restaurants
at five of its locations. It had more
at one time, but they, like so many
things, were lost to the COVID-19
pandemic.
The original location at a new
Bass Pro Shops venue in Altoona,
Iowa, was a joint venture with
Brunswick Bowling that was green-
lighted by Brunswick’s then-presi-
dent, Brent Perrier.
“Our goal was to create some-
thing never seen before,” said
Perrier, who passed away just a
few months after retiring in 2017, Indoor mini-golf is becoming increasingly
at the time. “There is nothing else popular, including in four-seasons regions,
like it in the industry.” and theming is a big part of their appeal.
The 15,000-square-foot venue
features 12 custom-designed lanes Creative Works
divided into two six-lane areas.
The lanes offer a unique “under-
water” ocean experience including
sea turtles, sharks, stingrays and
other saltwater species. Hand-
painted murals and fish hanging
from the ceiling bring everything
together for a deep-sea dive like
no other. Custom bowling balls
bear the likenesses of octopi, mer-
maids and more.
The theming extends to a bil-
liards room with a fireplace and
two tournament pool tables, as
well as a casual family dining area
for up to 150 people. An island-
themed bar features an elevated
750-gallon saltwater aquarium
stocked with exotic fish.
An immersive experience like that comes with a top of mind. Here are 10 tips to help with the process
price tag that most proprietors would say doesn’t from conceptualization to conclusion:
make sense for their operation. But much less costly 1. Begin by visualizing what you want your center to
theming can be accomplished to create “wow” look like. This is a great opportunity to involve your
moments for customers, Instagrammable backdrops employees in the process, especially if you can get
for free word-of-mouth advertising, and reasons for multiple generations to contribute their thoughts and
customers to come back and bring their friends. ideas.
For proprietors planning a refresh, a full-blown mod- 2. Consider how you want your venue to func-
ernization or a brand-new project, theming should be tion. Things like customer “flow” — how they can

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