“As a longtime member of our industry, I want to say that the show in Dallas was one of the best I have ever attended,” declared Al Kress in an email to RePlay. “The enthusiasm and energy was contagious, and the number of new faces in attendance was heartwarming. The educational seminars were great — even an industry veteran had to pick up great ideas.
“It was a great value to hear from speakers that were third and fourth generation members of our industry who had seen many things, and spoke from experience as to how their companies handled the various situations,” Kress continued. “I liked the idea of the show at a different city instead of Las Vegas. The choice of Dallas was a prudent one, as the destination itself was not a distraction from show business and educational seminars. Visitors were not out late at night gambling or drinking, they were there to do amusement machine business.
“Unfortunately, inclement weather in Chicago and the Northeast had closed airports and impacted attendance from those areas, but Mother Nature, not the show location, was to blame for that. Another bright spot was that Dallas offered us the choice of two airports to fly into the city,” the Florida-based game maker observed.
“The sign I enjoyed most was on a hat from Apple Industries’ Allen Weisberg — ‘Make the Street Great Again’ — and that is why many established operators were there and packed the rooms at free seminars. A great show and time was had by all, and I believe that most everyone went home with fresh ideas,”