For th e first tim e in history , Amusem ent Operators Expo w ill open its
door to the industry . What began as a pro posal in our March issue two
years ago has em erge d as a reality. And ever since the initial overwhelming
response fro m o u r op erator reader s, we have been work ing hard to
produce an even t th at will not be easily forgotten .
B e!=Jinning on Thursdav. M arch 20, op erator s will have th e opp ortunity
to try all th e new eq uipment slated for release in the upcom ing arcade
season. Th e lates t in music and games will be on d isplay by th e world's
leading manufact urers. And , to further w het appetites, a hard-hitting ,
down-to -eart h se minar series will be conducted in conjunction with the
th ree day event . This optional seminar program w ill o ffer a selection o f
eight different sem inars each day. chosen from a total of 24 - each , o f
course, dealing with a specific ar ea of an oper ator's business.
Th ose of you who encour aged us from th e beginning to sponsor a
spring trade show emphatically indicated the need for a seminar program.
M ost of the topics for th e seminar program were suggested by our readers.
So in essence, th is is yo ur sh ow-you owe it to yourself to make the most
of if by par ticipatin g in the sem inars. Our speakers and panel m embers
have worked exhaustively to prepare presentatio ns th at will be both
informative and interestin g.
What has been the initial reaction to the show? Well , people all
through out this industry have ech oed the same comment- that th e
Amusem ent Operators Expo is something this industry has n eeded fo r a
long tim e. It's scheduled at the right tim e of year , th ey say; and it's
designed with the op erator in mind (24 m eaningful seminar/ workshops
are slated).
But, in our attem p t to mak e this show a success, we have felt obliged to
make a few changes in th e area of the registration fees.
So we have instituted the following price change: $10 will allow you
unlimited access to the exhibit floor. Admission to seminar s is $10 each.
A lso, wives and children of at tendees will be admitted to the exhibit floor
free of charge. For those who have registered already, there will be
refunds, of course.
Th e reason for this change is that we don 't want the p rice of admission
to the Amusemen t Oper ators Expo to be any h indr ance for yo u and your
key person nel att ending the show. W e at P LAY M ETER are not looking to
get rich o ff this sh ow - in fact , as long as we break even financiall y, we 'll be
happy. W e just wan t this show to be ever ything you want it to be.
Neverth eless. th e Amu sem ent Operators Expo '80 is sh aping up to be
one of th e biggest events of th e year. Th ere's a lot to see and do while
you're here in N ew Orleans. T ake in th e exhibits, find ou t m ore about th e
equipm ent yo u operate, expose yourself to new , more profitable methods
of doing business, and enjoy America's most unusual city .
If you mean business in the '80 s, be here on th e 20th . Y ou can't affo rd
to m iss it. ...
Ralph C . L ally ll
Editor and Publisher
4
PLAY METER, M arch , 1980