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Play Meter

Issue: 1979 January 15 - Vol 5 Num 1

Play Meter Show set
for New Orleans' Rivergate
PLAY METER Magazine will
definitely hold its own trade show
and seminar program for the coin -
operated amusement industry at the
Rivergate in New Orleans , Louisiana
in the spring of 1980, announced the
magazine's editor and publisher,
Ralph C . Lally [I.
The PLAY METER Conference
and Trade Show , will feature a series
of seminars to be held each day over
the three -day period . The seminar
series reportedly will include a wide
range of operator-oriented topics
covering all phases of the business ,
with panel discussions , workshops ,
lectures and question -and -answer
sessions on a multitude of topics of
interest to operators .
"The show ," said Lally , " will be
designed to give the operator a host
of information to bring back with
him , rather than just a handful of
brochures .
[n last year's March issue (page
15) , PLAY METER announced that
it was investigating the possibility of
holding such an operator-oriented
show . And Lally said the final
decision to go ahead with the
exposition and conference was based
upon very strong positive responses
on two samplings ·of the industry .
The first sampling , which was
conducted in conjunction with PLAY
METER's annual operator survey,
queried operators about what topics
they would like to see covered , and
whether they would attend such a
show . Operator response was over
seventy percent in favor of attending
the show . Notably , PLAY METER
was inundated with suggestions as to
seminar topics . Additionally , opera-
tors were asked , if a technical
seminar program were provided ,
would they also take their technicians
with them to the show . More than
half of those responding said they
would also take their technicians .
Then , in its second sampling ,
PLAY METER queried prospective
exhibitors in its annual directory
questionnaire and received a 64
percent favorable response from
them , and another 22 percent said
they were undecided as to whether
or not thev would exhibit.
Said Lally , "We are extremely
pleased at the response we have
received from all segments of the
industry about our plans to run an
operator-oriented show . Obviously
many other people in the industry
feel as we do that there is a strong
need for such a show and program .
''Toward that goal, " he continued,
"We would like to encourage
manufacturers , distributors , and ope-
rators , and everyone else associated
with the industry to make any
suggestions as to what they feel
would help make this exposition and
conference even more meaningful.
"For our part ," he said , "We are
already beginning to organize the
best show we know how . We want to
make this the best program the
industry has to offer. There's a lot of
untapped knowledge out there , and
we hope to tap it and bring it out in
the open ."
The Rivergate , the future site for
the PLAY METER Show, was also
the site for the 1977 I.A .A.P .A. ·
Show and for the upcoming Parks
Show as well. PLAY METER plans
to hold the show in a different city
each year to cover as wide a
geographical spread as possible.
thereby exposing it to as many
operators as possible .
Basketball-
video game link?
Most people would argue that
basketball is a skill game , right? Well ,
what about pinball and video games?
An article which appeared recently
in the New Orleans States Item
quoted NBA all-star forward Leon -
ard "Truck" Robinson as saying that
coin -operated amusement games
have helped him develop his basket-
ball talents .
Robinson , who last year led the
National Basketball Association's re -
bounds and minutes played , told the
States Item reporter that he would
rather spend his layovers at airports
in the arcades than at the snack bar
hecause it sharpens his reflexes .
" Believe me, " he was quoted as
saying , "the eye -hand coordination [
develop from playing the machines
helps to improve my game . [n high
school it helped me with my
shooting . It's an instinctive thing ."
"The eye contact in picking up
missles that come across the screen
may be compared to shooting a
sixteen-footer instinctively ," said
Robinson.
PLAY METER , January, 1979
Playboy bunnies test their pinball skill on Bally 's new Playboy machine at
the A. M. O. A. Show in Chicago . Playboy bunnies will again be on hand at
the A. T.E . Show at the Alexandra Palace in London , England later this
month .
9
Metering bill
filed in Florida
Th e Pick Co ngress Hote l was the site of the $100,000 Ch icago Classic .
Th e big mo ney to urnam en t was held in conjun ction with the A.M.O .A.
S how Nouem ber 10· 12 and drew a la rge turno ut of foosball players .
Tourname nt S occer. which sponsored the eue nt , also hoste d a cocktail
party for ope rators and distribu tors.
Coonrod, Spears win
$100,000 Chicago Classic
Professional
foosball
players
Shawn Coonrod and Tom Spear
swept through the winners' bracket at
Tournament Soccer's $100 ,000 Chi-
cago Classic to capture first place and
$5 ,000 . The to urnam ent was held
Nove mber 10-12 at the Pick Co n-
gress Ho te l just blocks from the
A.M.O .A. conve ntio n which was
taking place concurren tly at the
Conrad Hilto n .
Empire Distributing's Chicago of-
fice played host to the record
turnout , which saw many of the
categories filled to capacity . Repre-
senting Empire Distributing was Ben
Rochetti , Chicago sales manager ,
and John Lee . Both were present to
welcome the hundreds of domestic
and international operators and
distributors who attended a gala
cocktail party hosted by Tournament
Soccer , which took place in the
Great Hall on the balcony above the
tournament room . In addition to
food and drink , the cocktail party
gave these o perators, distributors ,
and manufacturers a first hand view
of foosball and Tournament Soccer's
operation .
Cal Rogers , executive vice presi-
dent for Tournament Soccer, took
the opportunity to introduce to each
other the two factions which make
the sport of foosba ll happen : o ne ,
the operators and distributors , and
two , the players.
AMOA-Notre Dame
business seminar dates announced
The A .M.O .A. -Notre Dame semi-
nar will be held at the O 'Hare Hilton
Hotel , O'Hare International Airport
in Chicago , March 9-10.
The conference coordinator will
again be Dr . Gerry Sequin , and Dr.
John Malone is scheduled to be on
hand as one of the speakers (Ed .
Note : Dr . Malone was the speaker
upon whom PLAY METER based its
three-part series on business profit-
ability , June through August issues) .
The 1979 seminar is designed for
top-level managers who are respon -
sible for decisions on costs , capital
expenditures , and other factors
which affect profit. The topics will
10
include (1) cost behavior: implica-
tions for decision making for a typical
operator, (2) profitability through
expense control and volume strate-
gies, (3) panel discussions on the
economy (past , present , and future)
with emphasis on implications for
operators .
The brochure and registration
forms plus hotel room reservation
cards were mailed to all A.M.O .A .
members earlier this month . The
registration fee is $100 . Registration
is limited to seventy people , and the
A .M.O .A. reports that it expects a
maximum attendance for this year's
program .
A legislative proposal wh ich would
require Florida operators to install
meters on their cigarette machines
has been filed in the Florida state
legislature .
House Bill 36 , which encompas-
ses both identification stickers and
metering for cigarette machines , has
met with considerable resistance
from Florida vendors who claim that
the measure would cost them about
$2 million to buy the meters , install
the m , and keep them in working
condition .
The new bill would require
operators to affix identification stick-
ers to cigarette vending machines .
The stickers would cost $5 each and
would be obtainable from the
Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
Division . Every sticker would show
the vending machine serial number
and the name and address of the
cigarette wholesale or retail dealer .
These stickers would have to be
renewed each year .
As for the requirement for meter-
ing the machines , the proposed
legislation reads this way : "To verify
the accuracy of the tax imposed and
assessed by this chapter, each
vending machine dispensing ciga-
rettes shall have a tamperproof
metering device permanently affixed
to the ve nding machine . Such
tamperproof metering device shall be
of a type approved and authorized by
the Division of Alcoholic Beverages
and Tobacco . The division shall
prescribe and promulgate appropri-
ate rules governing the use and
possession of such metering devices .
No such vending machine shall be
operated in this state without an
approved metering device affixed to
it . The division is authorized and
empowered to seize , confiscate , and
forfeit for the use and benefit of the
state any vending machine dis-
pensing dgarettes and the contents
of said vending machine which does
not have a n approved metering
device ."
If enacted , the proposed law
would take effect July 1 , 1979.
The Florida Amusement Mer-
chandiSing Association (F.A .M.A.)
has vowed to fight the proposed
legislation , saying that the metering
law could at a later date be extended
to encompass amusement machines
too . To help fight the bill , F.A.M.A.
has asked its members and non-
members alike to donate to a special
legislative fund .
PLAY METER , January, 1979

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