The Amusement and Music Operators Association was pleased with its expo turnout, especially considering the state of the nation's economy, said association EVP Jack Kelleher. According to final numbers released a week after the show concluded, AMOA hosted total registration of 3,905, of which more than 1,700 were buyers. The total registration number is slightly higher than what was initially reported in Las Vegas.
"Given the less-than-robust business and economic climate right now, I think this year's show was quite upbeat and positive," said Kelleher. "Better-than-expected traffic and lots of innovative new equipment are largely responsible for the results. We celebrated AMOA's 60th anniversary at Expo this year, and the turnout validated the notion that operators support their show, their industry and their trade association."
In Vegas, AMOA's Wayne E. Hesch Scholarship raised more than $69,000, for the coin-op education program with 38 companies providing products to raffle. A new 2008 Polaris Ranger RZR ATV was the grand prize for the raffle. Kerry Shaffer, Shaffer Amusement Company, Dayton, Ohio, was the lucky winner of the ATV.
Rowe AMI ended its AMOA distributor presentation with a slide that said it all: "Led Zeppelin is Back." Although there had been little public fanfare, all the digital music providers had taken the English rock legend's music off their servers over a licensing flap with the band's remaining members. However, the impasse is apparently over, and execs from all the digital jukebox companies were feeling a "Whole Lotta Love" again when RePlay saw them at the AMOA Expo.
LAI Games games topper Malcolm Steinberg, whose amusement empire includes manufacturing and game sales as well as extensive operations across the Pacific Rim region, told RePlay that business outside of the U.S. is not as constrained. Both game sales and operations are doing well internationally, he added. "We're in an industry driven by fashion," he said. "You can do well, even against a tough economy, if you have the product that people want, provided that you're offering good value too."
Raw Thrills, the video game maker behind hits like The Fast and the Furious, Big Buck Hunter Pro and the most recent Nicktoons Nitro (Ieft) says it will have two new games at next month's IAAPA. The development house also expects to release as many as five new titles in 2009. All of this effort is a result of a considerable annual development budget and the diligent effort of as many as 70 game creators, all under the Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix umbrella. Of note, the company has moved into a new development center in Skokie, Ill., near Chicago. Raw Thrills' Andy Eloff told RePlay that there is significant opportunity to create new games for the U.S. market, particularly as the Japanese companies that used to dominate the video scene have faded.
Valley-Dynamo is offering a fall special on its Great Eight pool table; the deal is good through October 24. Operators who buy seven tables will get an eighth for free, or they can access 0% Firestone financing when they buy a minimum of three tables, with no payment for 90 days. A second financing option allows them to buy three tables or more at 4.9% for 30 months, with no payment for 30 days. To learn more, call 800/248-2837.
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