The New Jersey Amusement Association (NJAA) is hosting its 23rd annual East Coast Gift and Variety Show later this month, Feb. 21-22 (exhibitor setup is on Feb. 20.) The event brings amusement industry owners, workers, managers and buyers to the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, N.J. for a trade show, seminars and networking. Two planned seminars kick off both show days, with the first inviting Mike Baier from the Dept. of Community Affairs to share updates on ride regulations. The second covers legalized games of chance with a host of regulatory officials from the government. Question and answer sessions follow…
Author: Casey Minter
The New York operator association has chosen John Margold as the honoree for its annual Man of the Year award. AMOA-NY will celebrate John’s long career in the industry on April 10 at Patrizia’s in midtown Manhattan. He currently serves as AMI Entertainment’s Senior VP of Sales, a position he’s held since 2002. In addition to his years at AMI (formerly Rowe International), John also worked at TouchTunes and NSM America. He also once served as president of the AAMA, during which, he promoted a more effective Government Relations Committee, an effort that still pays dividends for the association today. As…
From Jan. 25-27, 60 operators from 22 states gathered in San Diego for the annual AMOA State Association Meeting themed, “Together Towards Tomorrow.” This annual confab brings out the most active members of each state’s industry association, allowing for a sharing of ideas and updates concerning individual issues affecting operators around the country in different ways. “We had a lot of first-time attendees,” said Lori Schneider, AMOA’s Exec. V.P. “A few new states were represented as well.” Hawaii was the newest state to participate at this year’s meeting, Schneider said, with operator Brad Wong of Reliable Vendors Co. leading the…
As January wound down, industry members from across the world were returning from what was reported to be another successful EAG International show and Visitor Attractions Expo in London. The event increased in size this year with a larger exhibition floor for a strong contingent of first-time exhibitors who were seeking larger stands to show their wares. Show organizer Karen Cooke explained that the addition of 17 new exhibitors, along with requests for increased booth space from some of the event’s regulars, resulted in a more expansive show in the ExCel London Exhibition Center. “The actual number of visitors was…
Christian Longford has come aboard the Moss Distributing team as its new sales manager for the south and northwest territories. Christian previously represented TouchTunes in that latter region.) Longford brings a love of the coin-op business, as well as 20 years of nightclub, bar and restaurant experience. Moss hopes to leverage this experience to the value of its operating community and the FEC businesses it serves.
Citing a desire to “reflect the values of today’s game industry,” the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has rescinded an award meant for Atari’s co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Yesterday, GDC had announced that it would honor Bushnell with its Pioneer Award, prompting an online outcry over his alleged behavior towards women and Atari’s female employees. Nolan Bushnell issued a statement via Twitter this morning on the matter: “I applaud the GDC for ensuring that their institution reflects what is right, specifically with regards to how people should be treated in the workplace. And if that means an award is the price I…
The IAAPA FEC Summit comes to a close today, with holdover attendees in the midst of an optional, post-event tour of multiple FECs in the SoCal area. The event was a success with plenty of familiar faces present and even more newbies looking to set up their first FEC, full of ideas, energy and excitement about the growing industry. Attendees were treated to sunny skies and warm weather in Laguna Beach, Calif., bouncing between information-packed seminars and networking events focused on spreading a congenial community and sharing revenue-producing knowledge. Yesterday (Jan. 30) kicked off with a Government Relations update from…
Craft beer retailer Beer:30 recently opened Keg and Coin in Jacksonville, Fla., according to First Coast News. The new arcade bar is an expansion of Beer:30, which opened in 2012. “Arcade games are one of those childhood staples that really brings you back before the Internet, before it was so easy to play games,” said Keg and Coin co-owner Brooks Whalen. The establishment is using space from a former laundromat that was next door to Beer:30. In addition to their craft brews, they have classic games like Ms. Pac-Man and Street Fighter… not to mention pinballs like Godzilla and NBA…
Big Thrill Factory, the growing FEC chain voted the number one FEC in North America at November’s IAAPA Expo, is continuing to innovate with a new idea for attractions like (wait for it) axe hurling! You read that right! Big Thrill’s Oakdale, Minn., venue is set to open the attraction in February, complete with beer, wine and food in a cozy, lumberjack-style lodge constructed within the existing facility. “Think of it like darts – on steroids,” explains G. M. Darrel Blomberg. “You can rent a lane or two, sip on drinks and kick back for some friendly ‘lumberjack-style’ competition. It’s…
Ed Borgia, president of the VNEA (“Valley League”), reminds all street operators that the organization’s 38th Annual World Championships will play off at the Vegas Bally’s Hotel & Casino Wed., May 24, all the way thru to Sat., June 2. This “olympics of coin-op pool” will see local league winners vying for prize money in 8-ball, 9-ball and Scotch doubles (singles and teams, men and women) on a sea of Valley tables. A charter holders meeting will be held around noon on Friday, June 1, where route operators will discuss issues under review by the group. Pool table operators not…