"The Show Was Tenific!"
-Estimate of 2000 Visitors 9
LOS ANGELES- Well, we put out the cat and the milk bottle, locked the door,
and set the calenda r- "We," in this case, being everyone concerned with th e staging of
the Western States Coin Machine Convention at the Biltmore Hotel, here, last month.
The 1940 ga thering is officially ended, but that talk about the calendar is the real goods.
Without exception everyone, from exhibitor to delegate, left the display halls for the
last time singing th e pra ises of the mutual · cooperation , and asking one question :
"Wh en's the next one?"
Visitors, too, beli ed th e regional idea.
Accordingly, pl ans have al ready been
completed for a 1941 W es tern States Coin
While it is true that the bulk of the crowd
ca me from th e western sta tes, one checked
Machine Convention to be held at the
Biltmore sometime durin g the fall of next
in from P aris, France; one from Singapore,
Straits Settl ements, four from Australia,
year. Actual dates fo r the exhibition have
two from Mexico, one from Canada. U. S.
not yet been established, nor has a decision
possessions as far away as Alaska and
been r eported as to wh eth er the next great
Hawaii were represented with on e and two
gatherin g on th e Coast will run for a
reg istra tions, respectively.
longer period of time. One fact has been
A partial breakdown of registrations by
established, however: In place of two sepa-
states--outside California- tells an interest-
rate hall s, displays will be grouped in the
ing story. Not counting exhibitors and fa c-
Grand Ballroom whi ch ca n house 60 or
tory executives, Illinois sent the largest
70 exhibitors on the single floor. The Grand
single delegation- 16. New York was sec-
Ballroom also provides a comfortable foyer
ond with 15, Washin gton third with 13,
which will be set up as a lounge so that
Missouri and Arizona ti ed for fourth with
there will be no need for "running around."
10 each. Other areas which were repre-
It is probable, too, that the 1941 Conven-
tion Ball and Banquet will be h eld in the
sented, included:
Biltmore Bowl, under th e same roof with
Utah, 8 ; Oregon, 7; New Mexico, 6 ;
the show.
Texas, 5; Neva da, 5; Iowa, 4; Minnesota,
4; Idaho, 4 ; Ohio, 4; Colorado, 3; Wis-
Lavish praises were accorded the event
by many prominent men in the tra de, and
consin, Oklahoma, Michigan and Wash-
several contemporaries in the publishin g
ington, D. C., each 2; and one representa-
field asserted that this was " the most out-
ti ve from each of the following states-
standing regional show ever held within
Montana, Maryland, New J ersey, New
.
this industry."
Hampshire, Florida.
More th an 1900 registered operators a nd
To Manny Gutterman , 1107 North Shore
visitors who were deemed likely prospects
Ave., Chicago, goes the distinction of bein g
for admission to th e busin ess, thought so,
the fi rst coinman to register at th e conven-
too. Main fl aw in the assertion was that
tion. Gutterman checked in Sunday after-
this was not, in the strictest sense, a re-
noo n, peered hopefull y through the bars
gional gath ering. Manufac turers who dis-
which kept visitors out until displays had
played equi pment were represented fro m as
been completed, and shortly found friends
far distant as New York an d Massachusetts,
in subsequent r egistrants.
and factory exec utives ca me, many by
The local press began with not overly
plane, fro m all points where coin machine
favorab le reports on th e gathering, expect-
producti on is carried on.
ing a field day in se nsations had landed at
their doorstep. Publicity r eleases f ro m the
Convention committee cut short that idea,
and evidently impressed city editors, for on
the day of openin g r eporters and camera-
men gathered en masse to cover the exhibit
in an enti rely different spirit. R esult was a
just appraisal of this young industry in
big time, and a number of pi ctorial spreads
which acco mplished a good public rela-
tions job for th e busin ess, and previewing
new equipm ent - particularly the motion
picture devices-for th e soon-to-be-playing-
them public.
Representatives of the New York Times
and of the Anglo-Ameri can Press, a syndi -
cate fo r some 200 newspapers throughout
the English-s peaking world, likewise re-
corded their impressions. The motion pic-
ture industry was intensely interested in the
ga th erin g, and delega tes from most of the
major studios checked in and were admit-
ted on passes, together with a numb er of
ind ependent producers who are eyeing the
short-short fi eld not a littl e eagerly.
Several of the daily publications in the
motion pictu re fi eld saw fit to run lengthy
comments, and Daily Variety, in particular,
issued a timely warning to producers and
would-be producers of th e short movies to
stay on the "clean side."
Th e trade press, too, was well repre-
sented, with Harvey Carr, editor of the
Coin Ma chine Journal of Chicago, a nd Ray
Becker , edi'tor of Ops present in person.
Advance publicity by th e in dustry's pub-
lications, suppl ementin g th e major pro mo-
tion of th e C.oin Machine R eview, the logi-
ca l leader since it was on the ground floor,
were credited by th e Convention committee
with pl aying an outstanding role in th e
success of the gathering. Th e Co mmittee
fo rmally ex pressed its sincere appreciation
of this cooperation to all who aided.
Special mention is due the Associate,d
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
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