In a world of smartphones and social media, photo booths are as relevant and popular as ever.
PHOTO booths are no longer simply a means of obtaining the correct images for passports and driving licences, they are revenue-driving coin-op machines in their own right. The integration of social media is proving a powerful source of fresh revenue for operators as photo booths continue to demonstrate their enduring appeal while also embracing the latest trends in consumer electronics.
Photo booths, while clearly serving an official function, have always inspired a feeling of fun.
“We can all remember strips of photos taken with at least two people on it, either couples, best friends or family members, in addition to identity photographs. The public has always used photo booths for fun photo purposes,” said Francois De Freitas, head of marketing, at Photo-Me International, a company that launched its first digital photo booth, Photovision, in the mid-90s. “The Photo-Me booths are now offering not only passport photos that meet international standards, but also specific fun products such as portrait pictures, mini-CV photos and exclusive fun backgrounds.”
In keeping with this, Photo-Me has decided to launch a new Vintage photo booth this year. This booth offers photo strips with four different poses for each customer, one colour and one black and white strip with a personalised logo. This, said De Freitas, is designed for retail and entertainment environments.
Photo booths therefore fit neatly within the wider pay-to-play amusement mix because they offer a form of entertainment that cannot be recreated at home.
“From day one photo booths have been an amusement device of some sort,” said Allen Weisberg, CEO of Apple Industries. “There has always been a mystique about going into a photo booth and closing the curtains to take your picture. People would make funny faces and get silly while taking their picture.”
Read the full article in the May issue of InterGame.
