Jora Vision, a leading design and production company, has announced the launch of its new social entertainment product suite, which can now be found on the dedicated website social-entertainment.com.
This move comes as the demand for more active and sociable entertainment options continues to grow. Visitors want fun and engaging activities that they can enjoy with friends, family, and colleagues. The Jora Vision team refers to this development as ‘social entertainment’, and it is also often referred to as competitive socialising.
The rise of social entertainment
Design-build company Jora Vision has been producing fascinating amusement experiences since the 1990s. In addition to working on theme parks and tourism attractions, it has created numerous themed mini-golf experiences that have won awards. It is the only company to win a Thea Award for a miniature golf course when the interactive Forgotten Mine mini-golf course in Belgium won the “Oscar of themed entertainment.”
Jora Vision sought to expand its product line with a turn-key mini golf solution, using its expertise in golf games and the growing popularity of social entertainment. This led to the development of RemarkaBall. Developed three years ago, this technologically advanced minigolf is already proving popular with both operators and visitors. Guests can enjoy a combination of distinctive interactive minigolf and skill games at ten venues worldwide, with more being developed.
RemarkaBall’s popularity and the high demand for further social games inspired Jora Vision to develop its new social entertainment product line. The new site, social-entertainment.com, will serve as the hub for concepts such as RemarkaBall, Venue Design, and CustomizaBall (tailor-made mini golf), with more products to come.
RemarkaBall and more
RemarkaBall is the most significant product at launch and is shown prominently on the website, where the course builder can be used to create a custom selection and browse the 22 holes in the repertoire.
“We wanted to make it easy to create a course so you can select the holes you are interested in. Our tool automatically calculates the footprint of the holes, so you can gauge what is needed of your venue”, says Shane Lieberman, project advisor at Social Entertainment. “Of course, we can still consult our clients on everything, from the business case up to the design of your interior.”
The investment cases shared are compelling. Regardless of the course size, most locations can earn back their full investment within 1.5 to 3 years.
“People often forget that a game like mini golf has a gross margin of up to 98%. Operation costs are limited since the game uses an RFID wristband to automate play. We build all holes by hand out of top-quality materials, so maintenance is limited, too. Additionally, the games are designed to combine with a sparkling cocktail and savory snacks, which bumps the revenue. When a venue has enough traffic, this combination creates very compelling business cases”, says Lieberman.
CustomizaBall is the second mini golf product available after RemarkaBall. These are bespoke themed miniature golf courses created in the Netherlands at the Jora Vision studios from the ground up—examples on the website range from the acclaimed Forgotten Mine to retro glow-golf. Lastly, the social media platform provides Venue Design services, where Jora Vision produces anything from striking focal points to full interior designs.
“We expect to roll out and continue improving RemarkaBall even further. With our first RemarkaBall location in the Americas (RemarkaBall Caracas in Venezuela), we expect to see more interest in our products from across the ocean, including the USA and Canada. We are also continuously upgrading the guest experience and the quality of the games.”
RemarkaBall will also have a booth at the upcoming IAAPA Expo Europe 2024 in Amsterdam. Two games are playable: at the Speed hole, players must putt under time pressure, while at the Tilt table, they can set their club aside to carefully cruise their ball along the course to plop it into the high-scoring final hole.
Jora Vision expects to grow the Social Entertainment catalogue in the coming years, adds Lieberman:
“With the success of RemarkaBall and our other concepts, we are already working on new tech-infused social games. But I cannot give you any details yet. I advise anyone curious to keep an eye on the Social Entertainment website.”
Last month, Jora Vision revealed plans to further develop the Mystery Maze Experience at the Drielandenpunt in The Netherlands, following the success of its new ‘Amikejo Turo’ tower, which opened earlier this year.