Sometimes It’s Good to Take a Break Vacations Can Do You and Your Business a Lot of Good by Adam Pratt, Game Grid Arcade & ArcadeHeroes.com There are many advantages to becoming your own boss, but it’s not exactly a utopian gravy train. The cons are plentiful, too, as you have to manage people (staff and customers), cash flow, repairs, bills, taxes, marketing and more. Granted, in larger companies, many of those roles will be given to specific people to handle, but no matter what, any position of authority comes with plenty of daily stress. We’ve all read headlines that…
Author: RePlay Editor
Midterm Reflections Bring Even Greater Appreciation of AMOA Q: Now that you’re halfway through your term as AMOA president, what’s been the biggest surprise? A: I’d like to think I am organized and that, after 16 years of watching and learning from others who have been AMOA president, I was prepared. While some of my predecessors told me they were not totally ready for the travel demands associated with the position — being away from the business and home so much for AMOA meetings and events — I was ready for that. Maybe it hasn’t been a huge adjustment or suprise…
Editorial I had breakfast this morning at a coffee shop near RePlay’s office. When I asked for the check, the waiter (whom I know well) asked if I was “going home now?” I smiled and said I was going to work (guess he doesn’t know me very well). I’m 77, and like a lot of others who, one way or another, make a living out of the jukebox and games business, I see a lot of wisdom in the adage “retire and expire.” Of course, life is a little different when you have your own business than if you’ve been…
Building a World of Fun From People to Products, Bandai Namco Continues to Make Its Mark How great is it to know that the effort you put forth in your work every day contributes to the joy someone else will experience? It’s pretty great indeed! Bandai Namco Amusement America’s Frank Cosentino (Senior VP) said, “We help put smiles on the faces of families all over the world. What else do you need to make you want to do your best to help make that reality come true?” The Bandai Namco Entertainment group of companies is about fun. From its development companies,…
RePlay has learned that Joe Levitan, co-founder of JVL and Cashcode, has passed away. While JVL has been exclusively concentrating on the gaming market in recent years, many in the coin-op trade remember the heady days of countertop touchscreen games in which JVL was among the major players. We will share more of Mr. Levitan’s passing as we get the information. May he rest in peace.
AMI Entertainment Network is sponsoring the ArtPrize 2016 Blue Bridge Music Competition. Now in its eighth year, ArtPrize is an international art competition and festival held in AMI’s home town of Grand Rapids, Mich. Music will be at the heart of this year’s event with a song competition, pop-up performances, and the Blue Bridge Music Festival. Quinn Mathews, ArtPrize 8 Music Venue and Coordinator, said, “Visitors from all over the world will be walking around Grand Rapids to look at art and they will come across these fantastic digital jukeboxes from AMI that are set to free play and ONLY…
AMI Entertainment Network has partnered with Bad Boy Entertainment, a popular hip-hop label, to give one lucky fan the label’s 20th Anniversary Box Set. Now through Oct. 6, AMI users have the chance to win the set by visiting a jukebox on its network, going to the company’s Facebook page or by checking in at an AMI jukebox location via the company’s BarLink mobile app. Bad Boy Entertainment was founded by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs in the early ’90s and is home to some of the biggest names in hip-hop. The five-disc box set features 80 tracks from an impressive…
George Smith’s Family Entertainment Group (FEG) (operators of FECs and other amusement facilities) has added two seasoned industry professionals to its team: Greg Kunde and Robin Kerr. Greg will be managing and supporting FEG locations in the western region. He joins the company with a long history of industry experience dating back to 1987 in New England when he began working with AMF Bowling Centers. He moved to Reno in 1995 to become director of amusements for Reno Hilton Resort, now Grand Sierra Resort. In 2002, he was hired as GM by Wild Island/Wild Waters and was tasked to design…
Sacoa’s PlayCard system will now be integrated with products from a firm named Revention. This company is a developer of customizable restaurant and entertainment solutions such as point of sale, HungerRush online ordering and Revention Enterprise (a web application with all sorts of location data and reports). The companies say the integration of PlayCard system capabilities will allow Revention to include more amusement parks and live music venues. Sacoa is offering the following integrations for this first joint version with Revention: login, card balance, card recharge, debit card, refund balance, card sell and zero card. “This integration will open up…
Effective Oct. 3, Scott Blume will be the new Group Managing Director for Timezone, which operates over 200 FECs across Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Philippines and India. In conjunction with his appointment, Sonaal Chopra will continue as chief operating executive, overseeing all Timezone business operations as CEO. Executive Director Adam Steinberg will become Chairman; current Chairman Malcolm Steinberg will step down from his post, remaining on the board as Founder and Non-Executive Director. Scott Blume has extensive experience in the travel and leisure industry including a previous role as Managing Director and CEO for WOTIF.com Holdings. During his tenure…