Bob Cooney

VR & Amusement Thought Leader, Speaker, Writer, Mentor

Bob Cooney is an electronic gaming and location-based entertainment veteran, and a frequent contributor to RePlay Magazine with 25-years of experience bringing high tech out-of-home entertainment to consumers, operators, and venues. In 1991, as founder and CEO of NASDAQ-listed laser tag pioneer Laser Storm, he partnered with Edison Brothers Stores to introduce laser tag and Virtuality VR centers across America. He later joined the initial executive team of Global VR, which introduced the first commercially successful virtual reality arcade game, the “VR Vortek”, and the first successfully licensed AAA PC-to-arcade cabinet conversion, “EA Sports PGA Tour Golf”. Cooney went on to become VP of marketing and business development of Ecast, who introduce the world’s first broadband-enabled digital jukeboxes, and COO of NTN Buzztime, the networked trivia game company where he launched the restaurant industry’s most successful restaurant entertainment system into chains like Buffalo Wild Wings.

Cooney is excited about this third wave of VR and its potential for the commercial amusement space. He now consults on strategy and business development for VR manufacturers and operators, including Zero Latency, the global leader and pioneer in free-roam multi-player VR, with warehouse-scale game arenas on four continents. Cooney has been a long-time vocal proponent of leveraging new consumer technology to keep the out-of-home amusement industry relevant at a time when in-home entertainment continues to threaten its very existence.

■■ Location-based Virtual Reality, VR Arcades, VR technology in high-tech attractions
■■ Interactive location-based entertainment technology and experiences
■■ Intersection of consumer technology and location-based entertainment
■■ Marketing to Millennials for LBE, bars, restaurants
■■ Authentic marketing and branding for entertainment products
■■ Theming and licensing for location-based attractions

Podcast Series:
VR Arcade Podcast Series Host for Replay Magazine – VR Arcade Conference
DNA (Digital OOH Network Association) Conference -Speaker Podcast Series Host: In-depth interviews with the leading
minds shaping the location based entertainment sector–
Touchpoints: Kioskcom Conference, Exploring Best Practices for Deploying Customer-Centric Solutions, Las Vegas 2009