Editorial Way “back in the day,” I attended AMOA’s very first Notre Dame conference in South Bend, Ind. One of my takeaways was something an instructor told us about employee motivation. He said the human race principally looks to fill two social needs: the desire for variety and the desire for recognition. Variety and recognition. “Give your people an interesting place to work and pat them on the back when they do a good job,” he advised. I also remember something the late and great pool table salesman Len Schneller saw happen at the windup to one of his 6-pocket…

Social Cues Helping Our Young Party Hosts Handle Difficult Situations Successfully By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment We ask a lot of ourselves and our teams. Think about it: We put 16-20 year olds in charge of the most important day of a child’s life. Holy cow, when you think of it like that, it’s easy to wonder if we know what we are doing. These young people are bright. They are informed. They know how to get any answer to any question with a click of a button. What they might not know is all the complexities of human communication. They…

Quite the Big Shot! Snapshot 2 Excitement at LAI As Studio & Portable Join Its Photo Booth Team In recent years, LAI Games has become an active member of the photo booth manufacturing community. Now their Snapshot 2 (which won the coveted AMOA Innovator Award in 2015) has been joined by two more booths, the Snapshot 2 Studio and the Snapshot 2 Portable. All were on stage at last month’s Amusement Expo in Las Vegas. “With Snapshot 2 Portable and Snapshot 2 Studio joining our original model, there’s now a Snapshot unit that suits everyone,” advised Mindy Rosenfelder, LAI’s R&D…

Longtime AMOA Executive VP, Jack Kelleher, will move over to top post at the group’s National Dart Association as its executive director effective Oct. 1. It has also been announced that the NDA will be managed by W.T. Glasgow, beginning Sept. 1; Kelleher will be working with NDA through this well-known tradeshow and event company. Said Jack, “Brian Glasgow and his team will head up NDA’s events, while I will oversee the overall management of the organization. As far as goals, our mission is to continue to grow the sport, and participation in it, on all levels:   among players, charter…

Andy Haas of Ohio Retains Title at Amusement Expo 2016 The Amusement Expo show floor was bustling with attendees and booths to visit, but it was also home to one of the best Golden Tee golf matches in history. Incredible Technologies held the two-day event right in the exhibit hall with 32 of the best players in the world squaring off in a head-to-head, double-elimination tournament to crown the new world champion. At stake was not only bragging rights, but also a piece of the whopping the $60,000 prize. In the end, reigning 2008 champ Andy Haas of Stow, Ohio,…

Main Event and QubicaAMF Worldwide have announced that the FEC chain will install QubicaAMF’s bowler entertainment system, BES X, and management system, Conquerer Pro, in all of its centers. Main Event says the decision is part of their focus to further improve bowling and the guest experience in their centers. “Our goal is to work together as industry partners for the mutual success of our companies and to drive the future of bowling entertainment,” said Charlie Keegan, CEO of Main Event. “The positioning and features that BES X offers will enhance our guests’ bowling experience and solidify our position as…

Scholarships for a “Master’s Degree in Birthday Parties” Courtesy of Embed Embed will offer full scholarships to operators interested in attending Birthday University, an event that offers the tips and tricks of the trade for birthday parties and events, from April 5-7 at Hilton Garden Inn (Addison) in Chicago. There are two seminars being held that Embed offers scholarships toward: the original Birthday University (April 6-7) which covers profitable birthday concepts and marketing and the Key Revenue Mastery Seminar (April 5) which will go over making the best out of company parties, holiday events and more. For more information and…

Veteran Terry Lacher is retiring from his position as Inside Sales Manager at AMI Entertainment after many years with the company going back to the days it was called Rowe International. He’ll be replaced by Broderick Norkus. “Everyone at the factory, in the distributing network and in the field thinks the world of Terry, and we all wish him the best,” said AMI’s sales top John Margold. “Broderick will be a great replacement and we’re glad to see him take this important post,” Margold added.

A robust and energized crowd entered the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center as the 2016 Amusement Expo opened. Product wise, everything’s up to date in jukebox city. For example, Mike Maas of AMI told his distributors at Expo that their BarLink app usage continues to grow at a fast rate, doubling last year and expecting it to do so again in 2016. The company also introduced the Ultra version of its NGX jukebox series, coming in April. On a separate note, Maas announced that AMI’s inside sales manager Terry Lacher is retiring March 24. Meanwhile, RePlay met…

Distributor American Vending Sales (AVS) purchased well-known vending supplier Midwest Equipment Supply (MES) of Jackson, Wisc., on March 1. AVS is headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Ill., and recently acquired Leiberman Companys’ distribution business headquartered in Bloomington, Minn. Midwest Equipment business will now be conducted under the AVS name, and officials from both companies expect a smooth transition, saying customers can continue to contact existing account managers for all of their vending needs. “Though we will now operate as one company, our customers can still rely on the same personal working relationships that they have had in the past,” said…