OPPORTUNITIES
II
by
HAROLD S. KAHM
Herewith we presen t additional coin-
operated opportunities by Harold S .
Kahm, author of "New Business Op-
portunities for Today." Brought up in
the amusement industry Mr. Kahm is
well qualified to discuss opportunities
in our great industry. His first article,
in our May issue, accounted for con-
siderable discussion and brought forth
requests from our readers for addi-
tional articlelil b y this eminen t author-
ity.-THE EDITORS.
•
I. Every large hotel has a severe prob-
lem on its hands which it would like solved,
for its solution would mean better service
for its guests. This problem concerns the
stranger who comes to town for a couple of
days, is sick of seeing movies, and is lone-
some and bored. You can wander into any
hotel lobby in the country and see these
people sitting around, doing nothing, or
thumbing through a magazine or newspaper,
killing time after dinner.
This problem could be partially relieved
by the establishment of an "amusement
room" in every large hotel, equipped with
coin-controlled amusement devices. To be
sure, some hotels do have one or two auto-
matic devices or other somewhere in the
lobby or mezzanine floor, but the amuse-
ment room idea is an entirely different
matter.
This amusement room could consist of
any l>rdinary fairly large hotel room, prefer-
ably located off the lobby or mezzanine. Its
equipment might include the following de-
vices: Three or four automatic games for
two, such as Hockey, Baseball, Basketball,
etc., two or three strength-testers, some pin-
ball games, Skee-ball, or Skee-roll alleys,
automatic billiards, and other devices.
There would also be a coin-controlled
phonograph, and perhaps a small bar, or re-
freshment counter installed by the hotel.
Prizes, not cash, should be offered to the
high-scorers of the various games, the prizes
cons1stmg of items which would be most
appreciated by travellers - handkerchief
kits, leather folders, baggage tags, local
souvenirs, travelling kits, books, etc.
The room should be well furnished, with
comfortable chairs, to encourage lounging.
The decorations should be colorful and gay.
The chief purpose of the room, aside
from offering a means of killing a little time
pleasantly, would be make people sociable,
so that strangers could become acquainted
easier, thus relieving the problem of lone-
liness .
The amusement room could be advertised
simply by cards in the elevators.
A great many hotel managers would be
glad to cooperate with coin machine oper-
ators in the planning and equipment of such
a room. It goes without saying that in a
first class hotel all of the devices installed
should be of the newest and best type, in
suitable cabinets stained or decorated to
conform with the general color scheme of
the room.
A chain of amusement rooms of this type
could be established across the country,
taking in hundreds of the larger hotels.
One important factor to consider is that
the patrons of good hotels generally have
plenty of money to spend.
.
2 . The railroads today are using every
means in their power to increase the com-
fort and pleasure of their passengers, in an
effort to meet the growing competition of
automobiles and busses.
One of the problems which they would
like to solve concerns the entertainment of
passengers on long trips. It is an ordeal for
the average person to sit quietly doing
nothing for two or three days of a transcon'.
tinental journey. The smallest offer of
amusement is seized upon with a good deal
of eagerness.
It might not be difficult to induce a rail-
road io provide a small space in each of
several cars for the installation of some
small-sized coin-controlled games, Three or
four new games in the First Class lounge
car of a transcontinental train should do a
capacity business. If the train carries a
cocktail lounge car, other games could . be
installed there profitably. The First Class
passengers in . any train are invariably the
monied people.
However, the coaches are not to be over-
looked either, and a great deal of business
could be obtained from this class of pas-
senger.
The important point ·is that there are
many games which take up a very small
space, and in allotting this space to them,
any railroad would be helping to ovucome
one of the major passenger problems, which
is lack of entertainment.
It is not only the transcontinental runs
which should be considered for this, but
the shorter runs as well. Even a nine or ten
hour trip, by day, represents hours of bore-
dom for hundreds of passengers.
3 . Amusement facilities in a vast major-
ity of American small towns are extremely
limited. The least novelty attracts people
not only from the town itself, but from the
surrounding country. The carnival industry
is founded upon this fact, and every sum-
mer hundreds of carnival companies set up
shop in these small towns and do a great
deal of business. Even towns of as little as
three hundred pof)ulation have proven satis-
factory for carnival companies because of
the drawing power of the countryside.
However, carnivals are outdoor enter-
prises, and cannot do business during the
rest of the year. During a good six months
of every year the average small town's
amusements are extremely limited.
It is during this season that the auto-
matic world has its best opportunity to cash
in heavily. It can be done very simply by
means of a travelling unit, located in tem-
porary stores in each town for a period of
0;1e to three weeks. This unit may consist
simply of a large number of attractive coin-
controlled amusement devices.
It should be a sort of miniature indoor
carnival, with the true midway spirit main-
tained through the use of plenty of music,
lights and color. All the young people of
the town would be among the first patrons,
and they would spread the word rapidly.
The cooperation of local merchants could
be secured in advance to insure smooth sail-
ing in every respect. For instance, a local
restaurant man could be permitted to install
a refreshment counter; another could have
the candy concession. Other merchants
could be permitted, either free of charge, or
for a small fee, to put up signs advertising
their merchandise. A local Church could
be invited to set up a counter to sell cakes,
or other goods. In this way the townspeople
would feel they wefe benefiting directly
from the enterprise. Thi's procedure is not
necessary, but it is advisable as a means of
securing universal goodwill.
The equipment should include all types
of new games. Skill games such as Skee-
ball should operate with easily-won small
prizes, such as a good quality candy.
The exterior of the store should be illum-
inated with . a floodlight, or stringers of col-
ored lights,"!md a loudspeaker should carry
the music to the street. An ·excellent way to
advertise other than this would be an ad-
vance ad in the local paper, and free adver-
tising balloons passed out to the town
kiddies.
Eventual1y it would be possible to build
up a travelling indoor arriusement arcade
that would include every known automatic,
coin-controlled amusement device.
In the summer time, this enterprise could
operate under canvas with a carnival com-
pany, or else locate in an amusement park.
The money-making possibilities are un-
♦
limited.
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COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
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