The first indoor laser tag arena in HRM will open Sept. 4 in Burnside.
Two young entrepreneurs from Saint John, Michael Goud and Don Backa, have returned to the Maritimes after heading west to work. They are now back east and are excited to be bringing something new to the Halifax region.
"With the population and the fact there are no other indoor laser tag arenas around we knew it was the right place and time to open our business, Alpha Strike Laser Tag," said Goud. "Metro, and especially Burnside, is the perfect fit for what we want to do."
What Goud and Backa want to do is to introduce the latest in laser tag technology to both new and devoted fans of laser tag.
"Our mainstay will be kids parties," said Goud. "And we wanted to offer families more than the usual go carts, putting edge and bowling. When you are playing laser tag you are running everywhere. It is quite the workout."
Gone are the days of the old infra red laser tag. And Backa says he knows parents now want to get their kids active and off the sofa.
"Playing laser tag here will feel like you are in the middle of your own video game," he said. "It can be as easy or as hard as want it to be. It is up to you."
The taggers of old will remember shooting a red infra red line at their opponent, with essentially only one way communication.
"There was no way to tally the score as you went along," said Backa. "Now we have blue tooth or radio communication. What you get with Alpha Strike is two way communication, which leads to real time scoring."
Goud says it is run like a computer game. Basic games are available but players can also suggest their own games to Backa and Goud .
Alpha Strike will arrange to have food delivered for parties or corporate events, or will allow people to bring in their own.
"We want people to have a fun experience here," said Goud. "We don't open until September 4th, but we have already had our phones ringing off the hook for bookings."
Goud, who has a background in management, says he knew he always wanted to move back. When he married he even told his wife he was working towards coming back.
"There was no hesitation to come back even though I was making ridiculous amounts of money out west, I was constantly thinking of ways to come back home," said Goud.
And although he is still young he says the years of 70 to 80 hour work weeks, management courses and incredible mentoring he received have made him confident this business will work.
Backa agrees.
"I worked as a sous chef out west, and although the money was good, it was not home," he said. " After a few other jobs here I was ready for a change when Mike called me in January to help him do some background work for Alpha Strike. Now we are partners and are ready to go."
Part of their plan is to be involved in the community as much as they can. They have already formed a relationship with the football team, the Dartmouth Destroyers.
Goud says he never thought as a kid playing Nintendo at home that he would be opening his own laser tag business one day.
"But the whole summer has been an incredible journey since I moved here July 1," he said. " Now it is time to open and show everyone what we have worked for."
Alpha Strike Laser Tag is located at 202 Brownlow Avenue, Unit CC-EE -Located in the Cambridge Center just off Burnside Drive. For information call 407-4423 or email: don@alphastrike.ca
