Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley installs Neoverse LED video wall

Rich Palzewic

Staff

June 2, 2025

ASHWAUBENON – Thanks to recent upgrades, Neoverse – an immersive, multisensory experience that includes a large LED video wall located above the pins – is now available at the Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.

Co-owner Ryan Orvis said the center is now considered the largest QubicaAMF Worldwide Neoverse facility in the world.

“The Neoverse design delivers new dimensions of sight, sound and sensations that captivate guests,” he said. “Neoverse ensures everything works together and features a center-wide LED video wall, scoring system integration and a global soundtrack for music and effects.”

Ryan, 30, who co-owns the 60-lane bowling alley with his brother, Matt, 45, said the upgrades were installed by Mack Lane Service out of De Pere – a project that finished ahead of schedule.

“It was anticipated to take about three weeks to install but only took about a week to complete,” he said. “It was a pretty significant investment on our part, but we think it will be well worth it.”

According to the QubicaAMF website (qubicaamf.com), “the system is uniquely designed to provide endless in-center applications that provide fresh and unique content for any occasion with total control from one system.”

The website also stated that all elements of sight and sound work together, in any lighting condition, day or night.

“We had our eyes on installing Neoverse for a couple of years – basically since it was introduced by QubicaAMF Worldwide,” Ryan said. “We thought it would be a nice addition to the bowling alley, but we had other (remodeling) priorities then. Last May, we put in a new computer scoring system, and Neoverse integrates with that. Putting in the new scoring system was the first step we needed to possibly add Neoverse.”

Before the addition of Neoverse, Ryan said the bowling alley was traditional in nature regarding its masking units.

“As things started to evolve and we remodeled more of the alley, we thought it was a good idea to add Neoverse – the old masking units above the pins were looking a bit out of place,” he said. “The Neoverse LED video wall is nine feet tall and goes from lane one to lane 60, with a little break in the middle where our mechanics can get in the back.”

Matt said he knew Neoverse was the “wave of the future.”

“It wasn’t a hard sell, but the hardest part for me, personally, was the change part,” he said. “Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley got its start in 1976… but Neoverse has definitely brought us into the future. It’s probably reduced our age by 30 years. If you had asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have guessed we’d have Neoverse installed so quickly.”

So far, Ryan said the new Neoverse system has been “very well received.”

“Most people are in awe when they walk in,” he said. “It’s the first thing you see, so it catches your eye right away. Maybe we’ve had a few people who are uneasy about it because it’s a big change – especially for our league bowlers, but there is a fix for that.”

Ryan said the Neoverse LED video boards can be easily controlled with the touch of a button.

“The system is about the size of a desktop computer,” he said. “For our leagues, we’re not going to have something crazy going on in the background like you might see for open play, etc. We have some very simplistic backgrounds that don’t do much and are just there. We can change colors, and we even have one that looks like our old magic triangles. The crazy stuff isn’t going to be there for league play.”

Ryan said the LED wall can operate as a TV across all lanes or even present a slideshow.

“Recently, we had a company come in for a party, and we put their logo up on the LED board,” he said. “We’re still learning what the system is capable of, but we also have kids’ groups, birthday parties, etc.”

Other offerings

Besides Neoverse bowling, Ryan said the alley has a full bar, an arcade and a full kitchen.

“The kitchen is basically open anytime the building is open,” he said. “You can order online, get delivery through Grubhub or DoorDash or just come into the bar and eat.”

Ryan said Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley also offers event space.

“We have a space downstairs called The Brix,” he said. “The Brix can accommodate groups upward of 80 people. It’s the perfect place to celebrate wedding rehearsals, bridal showers, baby showers, class reunions/gatherings, birthday parties, company training and more.”

The Brix, Ryan said, also has a private bar, high-speed wireless internet, a TV and sound system.

“As long as you’re okay with the stairs, it is a fantastic spot,” he said.

Upstairs, Ryan said, is Capital Hall – a space large enough to accommodate groups of up to 250 people for a full sit-down dinner.

“It’s the perfect place to celebrate weddings, class reunions, family reunions, birthday parties, company training and more,” he said. “Capital Hall also has two private bars, high-speed wireless internet and high-definition projectors for PowerPoint presentations or movies. Each suite offers separate sound systems with a microphone and satellite music.”

Taking ownership

Though they only took full ownership of the facility about three years ago, Ryan said he and Matt’s involvement with Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley goes back further than that.

He said Matt has been involved with the alley for about 20 years.

“My involvement goes back about nine years,” he said. “We both got involved in ownership – a small portion – about seven years ago and eventually bought out our business partner, Dave LaBar.”

The entertainment side of bowling, Ryan said, is growing.

“In the last five years or so, open bowling, birthday parties, company parties and some leagues have shown growth,” he said. “In our 30-week leagues, those numbers have stayed fairly consistent year-over-year.”

Ryan said the bowling alley has seen growth in its “fun leagues.”

“Our nine-pin leagues, (which run 12 weeks), and our couples leagues once a month, (which run nine times per season), are popular,” he said. “I think a fair number of people like the shorter seasons because they aren’t as much of a time commitment.”

Though the Neoverse addition “gets all the press,” Ryan said he and Matt have done other major upgrades to the facility in the past three years.

One of those projects, he said, was redoing the bar area.

“There were plans for our main bar to be remodeled in 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit,” he said. “I had approved the plans the day we got shut down, so we put that project on the back burner for a bit. About three years ago, the timing worked out to remodel the bar.”

Also part of that project, Ryan said, included updating the bathrooms.

“We also added a patio and expanded the office,” he said. “We took a year off and then re-did the bar by lanes 13 and 14 and those bathrooms and added an office down there as well. We also redid the end walls by lanes one and 60.”

With the upgrades complete, Ryan said the Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley will be hosting the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Anniversary Open July 8-13.

“The PWBA has been back on tour for 10 years,” he said. “Ten years ago, when it started back up, we were their first tournament, so they wanted to bring it back here as a nostalgic sort of thing. For the finals of the Anniversary Open, they are installing lanes in the Resch Center.”

On the heels of the Anniversary Open, Ryan said the largest youth bowling tournament in the country will call Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley home for part of its competition.

“The Junior Gold Championships will be in the area for 10 days of competition,” he said. “Eight centers in Northeast Wisconsin, and as far over as Wausau, will see 10,000 youth bowlers.”

For more information on Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, visit ashbowl.com or find it on Facebook.