 We interviewed Sara Dodd and this is what she had to say:
1. Welcome back to Austin and welcome to NACE! We learned last evening during the Event Professional Spotlight that you and your husband lived in Houston prior to coming "home" to Austin, and that you taught 4th grade while there. What three things did you miss most about Austin when you were away, and what was the single most important thing that brought you back home?
After living in Houston for 5 years, we were able to realize what we were truly missing about Austin. Three things that we missed most were the natural beauty of Austin - the hills, lakes, so many outdoors-y activities, our friends, who we continued to keep in touch with, and of course our family because we both love being around our families and spending time with them...and want our future kids to be close to them as well. The single most important thing that brought us back home was the people we were missing.
2. You bill yourselves as "Austin's Only Private Arcade & Events Facility". How many square feet do you have on Friedrich Lane and what's your capacity for a private event?
Our private arcade has about 5,000 square feet of space and can accommodate groups of up to about 150 people, so there is plenty of room for a good-sized crowd, as well as plenty of games for any age person.
3. I'm wondering . . . do you have Galaga? I Love that game!! Were you into games as a teenager or young adult? What's your favorite game in your inventory? What game is the most popular or most requested?
YES! We do have Galaga!! It was actually one of our very first arcades to offer. We found it from a guy who had it collecting dust in his garage, and he sold it to us for a bargain. It quickly became my favorite arcade game in our collection and still is! I was definitely into games as a kid, teenager, and young adult. Growing up, I was all about the Nintendo, playing Mario Bros. and Duckhunt with my siblings. As the newer consoles came out, my favorite console as a teen was the Nintendo 64. I'd have friends over and we'd play Mario Kart and '007 Golden Eye for hours, seeing who could find the "golden gun" first. Then as a young adult, the motion-based games began coming out, so we'd love to have friends over to have dance battles on the XBox 360. In our current inventory, we have all of these games and more. Our most popular/most requested game is probably our Ms. PacMan multicade; it is a Ms. Pac cabinet but has 60 games in it - all of the old favorites, so something for everyone!
4. You're relatively new to the Events Community, and we're so glad you chose to join NACE. What have you enjoyed most about NACE so far? What do you look forward to in the future?
Joining NACE has been one of the most helpful things moving back to Austin. What I've enjoyed most is just meeting all of the fabulous people in this group, hearing their stories, and getting to know them on a more personal level. In the future, I look forward to continuing to grow these relationships and getting more involved in some of the committees to see how I can help.
5. Let's end with a just-for-fun question . . . March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, and I believe you're got some "Irish" in you. How do you celebrate the occasion and do you have the "Luck of the Irish"?
I definitely have some "Irish" in me. As far as having the "luck of the Irish," I'd say I've been pretty lucky/blessed being able to work with my amazing husband, caring for our sweet puppy dog, and spending time with all of our family and friends who love and support us. This St. Patty's Day, we actually plan to spend the day at the arcade, opening our doors for an Open House to families who attended this past Sunday's B'nai Mitzvah Expo at the JCC, as well as anyone else who would like to join. There will be plenty of free games and fun for all!
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