Operator Interface: Vegas Expo or Bust?

What are your plans for attending the AMOA Expo, Fun Expo and souvenir show this September? What expectations do you have?

If you're going, what company reps do you want to talk to? Do you have any potential purchases in mind?

Operator Interface: Should the AMOA, AAMA and IALEI co-locate their tradeshows?

Give us your Yeas and Nays on whether the time has come to combine the AMOA and Fun Expos with the Amusement Showcase International.

Does the schedule of one show in the spring and one in fall, in addition to IAAPA, actually spread the downsized coin-op trade too thin? Would consolidation bolster tradester and exhibitor attendance, perhaps giving a shot of adrenaline to the overall health of the industry? Would seasonal distributor open houses become even more popular?

Or are the ripe buying times for route vs. location operators -- fall vs. spring, respectively -- too inflexible for compromise? What about the AMOA and AAMA, who both rely on their shows as moneymakers?

Why or why not? Discuss.

Operator Interface: Do you give what you receive?

What charitable deeds does your street operation make to the local community? Donations, sponsorships, scholarships? If you have a location, are there causes you support outside of offering discounts or coupons?

Do you publicize these good works and, by proxy, give your business and the industry at large a better public image?

Are such donations just a luxury that only larger companies can afford? Can everyone give back in some way, regardless of size and overall health of the business?

Share your thoughts, words and deeds with us today.

Lucky or Good?

As most in the coin-op trade know, Club Lucky and Promo Nation are groups of amusement operators that have formed national consortiums to run tournament promotions. Club Lucky, in particular, is bargaining for direct buying rights from manufacturers.

Is this almost 20-person strong collective, drawn from larger-than-average operating companies, justified in asking for the special clout as major, multi-state operating businesses and arcade chains? How will local competitors of club members be affected, competitively? And how does the group fit into the larger discussion of the necessity for the industry’s middle-tier — regional distributorships?

ASI 2007, part ii: Wrap Up

What did you take away from ASI 2007? What caught your eye as interesting? What was “all hat and no cattle”?

Considering its size, was it a more focused show on the core of the industry, catering to buyers in a more intimate format, as show planners argue? If not, what was the tradeshow's main value?

Also, as a recent blogger posed, “Why does coin-op need two shows a year when a much larger industry such as amusement parks only has one (IAPPA)? Is there so much new equipment shown each year that we need two shows? If a regional show is required, why not depend on the distribution network to provide it?”

ASI 2007

The Amusement Showcase International 2007 is less than a month away. Planners are optimistic about a slight spike in exhibitors and registrants perhaps due to moving the locale back to Las Vegas.

Do you share that optimism? Why are you attending, or why not? Are there particular manufacturers and product that you want to check out? Will this show follow the lead of last year's event -- that is, a more intimate, boutiquey tradeshow with a healthy showing of FEC and arcade managers?

Planners are foregoing the traditional reception for what they are calling the Big Bar -- a recreation of the Chicago Hyatt's lobby bar, the bustling center for after-hours industry activity -- erected on the show floor. Do you think this will spark interaction among tradesters, or will people flock to leave the space they've been in all day?

Share your thoughts and expectations about these or any other issues.

Operator Interface: How do you get your party on?

We're turning our focus to the cash cow of arcades and family entertainment centers: birthday party programs. What was your learning curve in launching and profitably running a party system? How many do you throw during the week and weekend, respectively? What do your packages include? Have you branched out into corporate events?

Get this party started by sharing what works and what doesn't in professionally throwing a festive bash.

Also, feel free to continue grading RePlay (see previous post). Inquiring minds want to know.

Grading RePlay

Now that you've taken stock of 2006 and of what 2007 may hold, it's our turn. We want to know specifically what works for you about RePlay. What sections do you read each month? What articles and columns have assisted you in conducting business?

Don't by shy: Give us your honest opinion about what works for you, what doesn't and, most importantly, what you would like to see in our pages or approach.

Have winter storms given business cabin fever?

An unseasonably warm winter in much of the country has been punctuated by brutal blizzards and quirky weather patterns. A state of emergency was declared in Colorado in December, while much of Texas and Oklahoma were recently paralyzed by an icy grip for days. How has your operation or distributorship in the country's mid-section been affected by these massive storms? How has business been impacted?