Out-of-home entertainment
Out-of-home entertainment (OOHE or OHE) is a term coined by the amusement industry to collectively refer to experiences at regional attractions like theme parks and waterparks with their thrill rides and slides, and smaller community-based entertainment venues such as family entertainment and cultural venues. In the US alone, there are nearly 30,000 attractions—theme and amusement parks, attractions, water parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, science centers, museums, and resorts, producing a total nationwide economic impact of $219 billion in 2011, according to leading international industry association, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). The industry directly employs more than 1.3 million and indirectly generates 1 million jobs in the US, creating a total job impact of 2.3 million.In recent years, the use of this term has gained acceptance with and been popularized by amusement industry players, industry associations, trade magazines and even securities analysts. This stems from the desire to distinguish between the social, competitive atmosphere and dedicated hardware found in location-based entertainment venues from at-home consumer-game entertainment, mobile entertainment or even augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The reality is that the lines are increasingly blurred with today's sophisticated consumers and emerging technologies.