As you start your research, you’ll find there are a lot of companies that offer laser tag equipment. And that’s a good thing because they are constantly improving their hardware and coming out with new features to compete with one another.

But with so many options, it can feel overwhelming to know which vendor to go with. This article acts as a helpful guide to make it easier for you to choose a laser tag equipment company for your entertainment venue.

Equipment vs Arenas

It’s important to note that every laser tag attraction has 2 crucial elements: the arena and the equipment. The arena consists of the visual aesthetic, props, and themed decor within the playing space. On the other hand, the equipment is the hardware (phasers/vests; often called packs), the targets in the arena, and the software powering the game. 

Every attraction needs both. Without the equipment, the arena looks cool but doesn’t provide any gameplay. Without the arena, the equipment can function but the space would be empty and boring. 

Usually (but not always), laser tag arena designers and laser tag equipment vendors are separate companies. At Creative Works, we’ve been designing and building laser tag arenas for more than 25 years, but we don’t provide the equipment. Instead, we frequently work with a handful of the best equipment companies in the marketplace: Delta Strike, Laser Blast, Laserforce, and Zone.

This short list is a great place to start with your research. And the rest of this article provides some helpful things to consider as you make your decision.

Maintenance And Support

Laser tag equipment will get used and abused by guests over time. You’ll have thousands of players go through the attraction every month. Eventually, some equipment parts will break and malfunction. No matter how durable the equipment is, there’s wear and tear.

Since you know maintenance will be required, it’s important to find out how easy it is to perform the maintenance. Does the company make it easy to swap parts? Do they have maintenance documentation to make it easy for you and your staff? Do they provide inventory of commonly used “consumables” that are the most likely to break? 

The other consideration is the support they offer. Even if the equipment is easy to troubleshoot and fix, there will be times when you need help from their support team. What are their support hours? How quickly can they send you replacement parts? 

The most important element here is that you’re able to keep all your packs up and running. You don’t want to be in a scenario where you have your full capacity booked on a busy weekend, but you can’t serve all those guests because one or more packs aren’t functioning.

Equipment Features

The laser tag equipment vendors are constantly working on new features and game modes. As you do your research, make a list of the “must-have” features that are most important to you, along with the “nice-to-have” features that aren’t deal-breakers. If a certain equipment doesn’t provide a “must-have”, then it could be a way to narrow your list.

There are a lot of cool features that improve the player experience or make the attraction easier to operate: interactive arena targets and components, player memberships, LED screens on the phasers, redemption capabilities, tons of game modes, and much more.

Speaking of game modes, here’s something important to keep in mind. On your busiest days of operation, you’ll likely only be playing the standard team game. This is because you want to keep your hourly throughput as high as possible, and this is the easiest game to explain to guests. But then on your slower weekdays, you can run promotions and events where you incorporate these special game modes.

Since the standard team game will generate the bulk of your laser tag revenue, you probably won’t need to add any special game modes to your “must-have” feature list…unless you’re going to operate in a unique way.

Talk To Their Clients

Another helpful step is to ask the equipment vendor for a list of venue operators who use their equipment. And you probably want to talk to operators who have been using the equipment for at least a couple of years. 

This is the best way to get real-world feedback on the equipment. You’ll get their insight on what they think works well, what issues they’ve had, and what it’s like to work with the vendor.

If you want to go one step further, get on the road and visit some of these venues. Pictures and videos are great, but they can’t replicate what it’s like to put on the equipment and play it for yourself. Plus, it’s always fun to have an excuse to play a game of laser tag!

Choose Who You Trust

If a laser tag equipment company checks all your boxes, there’s still one more thing to consider. You’re going to have this equipment in your venue for at least 6-7 years (if not longer). Which means you’re going to be in a business relationship with this company for a long time.

If you have two vendors who made your final list and you can’t decide, then choose based on the people you’d rather work with. Choose the people you trust. If all else feels equal to you, then it’s better to be in a relationship with the people you enjoy.

Next Steps

If you’re researching laser tag equipment, then you’re also going to need a laser tag arena. This article about how to choose the right arena design vendor is a great place to start. Or you can Request a Quote below and our team can answer your questions to see if we might be the right vendor for you. If you want additional education to build a more profitable entertainment venue, check out the Amusement 360 event.