Play Meter

AAJ11.A. Play Meter
agree on spring show
After two years of competing spring
shows. Play Meter magazine. sponsor
of the Amusement Operators Expo
(AOE). and the American Amusement
Machine Association. sponsor of the
Ainusement Showcase International
(AS!). have joined forces to bring the
industry one spring show. The new
show. the American Coin Machine
Expo (ACME). will be in Chicago
March 7 through 9 at the Expo Center.
The 1987 show will be in New Orleans
on dates to be decided.
The late Ralph C. Lally. Play
Meter's founder. started the AOE in
1980 with an emphasis on educational
seminars. Because he felt operators
always were looking for information to
help them run their businesses more
profitably and professionally. the AOE
concentrated on timely subjects and
knowledgeable speakers.
Lally also felt a spring show was
needed to fill the void between AMOA
shows. Manufacturers. he felt. would
welcome the opportunity to exhibit in
the spring new product to operators.
The Amusement Games Manufac-
turers Association ( AGMA ) was
formed in 1982 to address problems
facing manufacturers. especially that
of bootleg games. The name was
changed to American Amusement
Machine Association ( AAMA) in 1984.
and the organization included dis-
tributors.
In 1983 the association announced
its show. the first to be in March 1984 in
Chicago. Soon it was apparent that
two spring shows were one too many.
Lally met with AAMA representatives
to reach an agreement on the shows.
but negotiations broke down. Lally
then was killed in an automobile acci-
dent soon after the 1984 AMOA show.
Both shows were held in 1985 with
manufacturers and distributors at the
AS! and operators and some manu-
facturers at the AOE . After the shows.
efforts again were made to brtng the
6
shows together when Lally's widow.
Play Meter publisher Carol Lally. met
with AAMA representatives. Time ran
out before they were able to reach
an agreement. however. Play Meter
had tentatively committed to secure
exhibit space in New Orleans for AOE
'86. which was to be during Mardi
Gras. and was forced to decide
whether to confirm the commitment or
give up the space. When negotiations
bogged down because key members
of the AAMA board were on vacation.
Play Meter confirmed the commit-
ment.
Nevertheless. at the AMOA show in
late October the two sides were able
to agree tentatively to combine the
shows. Because of previous commit-
ments in Chicago and the unavail-
ability of more space in New Orleans.
it was agreed to hold ACME in Chicago
in 1986 and in New Orleans in 1987.
The AAMA and Play Meter are
optimistic that not only will the new
show be successful. but it will represent
the industry's recovery and coopera-
tion among all its parts.
"This agreement was something
my husband. Ralph. would have been
happy about." Carol Lally said. "He
felt that combining the shows would
have created one giant industry show.
Though I am disappointed the show
will not be in New Orleans in 1986. it
just was not possible to obtain enough
exhibit space and hotel rooms at this
late date . But next year-New
Orleans. here we come!"
Glenn BraswelL AAMA executive
director. agreed. "Coming off the
momentum of AMOA" he said. "this
new spring show should put the indus-
try back on its feet. The timing is right. "
Inquiries about ACME '86 may be
directed to W.T. Glasgow. the man-
Rock-Ola Manufacturing's Bette Lockhart executive vtce president and T1m
Worcester. senior vtce president of marketing and sales (at right). join Shillito-
Rikes executives (from left) Lou Caporale and Joe Horn around a Rock-Ola 490
jukebox in a Cincinnati Shillito-Rikes department store during a recent promotion.
PLAY METER. Novemb•r 15, 1965