How ValoPark drives active entertainment

If you’ve spent time in the active indoor entertainment industry over the past decade, you’ve seen a pattern. New concepts emerge, some gain traction, many fade, and a few reshape how operators think about their business.

As Valo Motion marks its 10th anniversary in 2026, it has quietly become one of the companies in that last category.

Part of that comes down to product. But part of it comes from how the company thinks about growth, innovation, and what it chooses not to build.

Eldad Givon has been part of that evolution almost from the beginning. He joined Valo Motion in its early years and now leads business development, working across global markets to identify new opportunities, partnerships, and emerging trends.

His role sits at the intersection of operator insight and company strategy. Through constant travel and direct conversations with customers, he brings real-world feedback back into the business, helping shape how Valo Motion evolves its products and expands into new markets.

We spoke with Eldad to understand what’s behind that approach and how it’s leading to concepts like ValoPark.

Why innovation at Valo Motion looks different

Innovation is a common claim in this industry. At Valo Motion, it shows up differently.

At Valo Motion, it’s not just reacting to the market, but leading the market, finding where the market should go and developing a solution accordingly.” - Eldad Givon, Head of Business Development

That approach comes from the company’s foundation in academic research and long-term product development. Instead of iterating on existing ideas, the focus is on building something fundamentally better.

“I think people don’t understand the number of projects we actually killed.”

That discipline shapes everything that does make it to market. The pipeline includes far more ideas that never launch than those that do.

Inside the company, that approach is tied to a core belief in curiosity. Ideas are expected to be explored, challenged, and often rejected. The goal is not to move quickly for the sake of output, but to understand what actually works and what does not. That mindset is what allows the company to keep building things that did not exist before.

Why simplicity is a competitive advantage

One of the clearest examples is how Valo Motion approaches gameplay.

At Valo Motion, making our games ‘easy to play, but hard to master'  is part of our day-to-day thinking.”  Eldad Givon, Head of Business Development

The idea is simple. A first-time player should be able to walk up and understand what to do almost immediately, whether they are six years old or sixty. But that simplicity is balanced with enough depth to keep people coming back.

Eldad points out that many games lose players early because the experience feels confusing or unintuitive. Instead of making the player adapt to the game, Valo Motion focuses on making the game feel natural from the very beginning.

Why unattended matters more now than ever

When Valo Motion first built fully automated attractions, it was not a response to labor shortages. It was a product decision - something that Marisa Garris also mentioned in her interview recently

“Valo Motion was just looking to make really, really good products that work autonomously.”   - Eldad Givon, Head of Business Development

Today, that decision has become a major operational advantage.

“Now when the markets are changing and labor is becoming one of the most challenging aspects of operation, the fact that you don’t need an operator works like a charm.”

This is where product philosophy and market reality align.

READ: Marisa Garris's take on the staffing problem every FEC operator is trying to solve right now

How global reach creates resilience

Innovation alone does not explain why the company has remained stable through industry disruption. Geography plays a role.

Whenever one market was closed, the other one was opening.”

That global footprint allows the business to continue moving even when individual regions slow down. It also creates a constant flow of insight from different markets at different stages of growth.

That model also reflects how the company operates more broadly. Collaboration extends across teams, partners, and operators, with an emphasis on sharing insight and building long-term relationships rather than transactional ones.

A company built on more than profit

Another factor is less visible, but just as important.

Valo Motion is not working exclusively for profit.”

That does not mean the company ignores financial performance. It means profit is not the only driver.

The focus is on building experiences that are meaningful, engaging, and physically active. For many inside the company, that purpose shapes how decisions are made across product, partnerships, and long-term strategy.

From individual attractions to a full concept

Over the past decade, Valo Motion has helped reshape how physical play and digital gaming come together in location-based entertainment.

The company introduced one of the world’s first mixed reality climbing walls with ValoClimb, then expanded into jumping experiences with ValoJump, which found strong adoption in trampoline parks and active indoor entertainment venues. Later came ValoArena, a free-moving multiplayer attraction designed specifically for family entertainment centers and evolving operator needs.

Today, that progression has resulted in a proven portfolio of mixed reality attractions. Immersive experiences that combine sports and high-quality digital games, allowing players to climb, jump, and move freely inside the game.

While the formats have evolved, the core idea has remained consistent: creating active, social gameplay experiences that work for both players and operators.

Why ValoPark works as a business model

Beyond the experience itself, ValoPark is designed to address practical operator challenges.

With ValoPark, we are creating a new category of active indoor entertainment business that requires less CapEx and less OpEx while providing the top game experience.” - Eldad Givon, Head of Business Development

Lower ceiling requirements, automated operation, and strong throughput all contribute to a more efficient model.

That becomes especially important during birthday parties and group events. In location-based entertainment, a strong birthday party business is often one of the biggest drivers of long-term operator success, generating both recurring revenue and repeat visitation. Instead of guests waiting in long lines for individual attractions, groups can move naturally between experiences while remaining part of the same shared environment.

Dedicated party rooms create a clear home base for celebrations while the attractions themselves keep guests active, social, and engaged throughout the visit. The result is a format that works operationally for staff while creating the kind of memorable group experience families are looking for.

The social nature of the experience reinforces that. Players are not isolated. They are part of a shared environment where others are watching, reacting, and participating.

Underlying all of this is a balance that defines how the company works. There is a clear focus on performance, quality, and accountability. At the same time, there is an equal emphasis on creating experiences that are genuinely fun, social, and enjoyable to be part of.

That combination shows up in the products and in how they are built.

What comes next

That momentum is already visible. Two ValoPark-inspired venues are now operating internationally through Total Ninja Interactive locations in Dubai and Johannesburg, showing how the concept can adapt across markets and retail environments.

The Dubai venue features 12 Valo Motion attractions across a 1,400-square-meter indoor entertainment space with dedicated party rooms and group experiences, while the Johannesburg location brought the concept to South Africa with a lineup designed around mall traffic, birthday parties, and social play.

Together, the projects demonstrate how operators can combine active gameplay, mixed reality attractions, and streamlined operations into a scalable entertainment format that works in modern retail locations.

If that momentum continues, ValoPark will not just follow where the market is going. It will help define it.