GUEST COMMENTARY
AMOA
Losing
Its
Is Is AM
OA Los
ing Its
Overseas
Support?
Ov
erseas Su
pport?
BY DAVID
SNOO K
BY
DAVID SNOOK
T
T
here was
was a a time
time in in the
the heady
heady video
video days
days when
when we
we at
at ·
here
Coin
Slot
(the
British
coin
machine
journal)
used
to
Coin Slot (the British coin machine journal) used to
bring
120
operators
to
the
AMOA
show
in
Chicago.
bring 120 operators to the AMOA show in Chicago.
In 1986
we brought
brought just
just 20.
sign of
of the
the times?
times? I I doubt
doubt
In
1986 we
20. A A sign
it,
judging
from
the
general
ebullience
at
the
Hyatt
it, judging from the general ebullience at the Hyatt
Regency, and
the general
general upswing
upswing in
in Europe.
Europe. It's
not a a lack
lack of
of
Regency,
and the
It's not
currency
at
fault.
currency at fault.
Then we
we noticed
noticed that
that the
the AMOA
AMOA official
official attendance
attendance figures,
figures ,
Then
with
comparisons
with
1985,
were
as
follows:
with comparisons with 1985, were as follows:
1986
1985
1985
1986
TOTAL ATTENDANCE
A1TENDANCE
TOTAL
7, 100
7,100
6,802
6,802
OPERATORS
3,147
3,147
3,996
3,996
EXHIBITORS & & PERSONNEL
PERSONNEL
EXHIBITORS
3,697
3,697
2,619
2,619
OVERSEAS
OVERSEAS
226
226
62
62
The obvious
obvious reaction
reaction is is that
that the
the operator
operator increase
increase is is very
very
The
healthy and
and is is what
what might
might have
have been
been expected,
expected, bearing
bearing in
in mind
mind
healthy
the improvement
improvement in
in operating
operating conditions.
conditions. In
In short,
short, they've
they've paid
paid
the
the bills
bills from
from the
the video
video lunacy
lunacy of
of 1981
1981 and
and 1982,
1982, and
and can
can
the
afford to
to invest
invest once
once more.
more. That
That is
is further
further backed
backed by
afford
by the
the
pronounced increase
increase in
in the
the number
number of
of dedicated
dedicated cabinet
cabinet games
games
pronounced
at the
the show.
show.
at
The statistics
statistics on
on exhibitors
exhibitors and
and their
their personnel
personnel is is not
not
The
surprising either.
either. Exhibitors,
Exhibitors, after
after a a couple
couple of
of very
very lean
lean years,
years,
surprising
have decided
that each
each additional
member at
at the
the
have
decided that
additional staff
staff member
exhibition adds
adds to
to overheads,
overheads, transportation,
transportation, hotels,
hotels, wining
wining
exhibition
and dining.
dining. If If they
they can
can manage
manage with
with 1,000
1,000 less
less among
among them,
them,
and
then it it makes
makes sense
sense for
for them
them to
to do
do so.
so. And
And I I certainly
certainly never
never
then
considered any
any short
short comings
comings in
in exhibitor
exhibitor service
service at at the
the
considered
exhibition which
which would
would be
be the
the natural
natural result
result of of inadequate
inadequate
exhibition
staffing.
staffing.
And that
that brings
brings us
us to
the foreign
foreign participation,
participation , which
which
And
to the
represents
a
substantial
73
percent
drop
from
last
year's total.
total.
year's
last
from
drop
represents a substantial 73 percent
AMOA
sends
out
press
releases
to
the
international
trade
trade
international
the
to
AMOA sends out press releases
110 PLAY
PIAY METER/January
METER/ January 1987
1987
110
press but
but never,
never, to
to my
my knowledge,
knowledge, advertises
advertises in
in any
any of
of the
the dozen
dozen
press
or
so
coin
machine
specialist
publications
in
the
UK,
France,
or so coin machine specialist publications in the UK, France,
Spain, West
West Germany,
Germany, Italy,
Italy, Belgium,
Belgium, and
and Japan.
Japan. The
The AMOA
AMOA
Spain,
offers
excellent
facilities
for
the
staff
of
those
p4blications
when
offers excellent facilities for the staff of those publications when
at
the
show,
but
does
not
actively
sell
itself
to
the
international
at the show, but does not actively sell itself to the international
market.
·Every
year I I hear
hear criticisms
criticisms from
from overseas
overseas visitors
visitors who
who have
have
Every year
to
pay
an
astounding
$100
to
get
into
the
exhibition.
That
to pay an astounding $100 to get into the exhibition. That
compares unfavorably
unfavorably with
with the
the $7
$7 that
that American
American visitors
visitors pay
pay to
to
compares
see
three
days
of
the
world's
leading
coin
machine
show,
the
see three days of the world's leading coin machine show, the
Amusement Trades
Trades Exhibition
Exhibition International,
International, in
in London
London in
in
Amusement
January.
January.
seems that
that the
the original
original thinking
thinking behind
behind AMOA's
AMOA' s high
high
It It seems
entrance
fee
was
that
non-members
should
be
penalized.
So
entrance fee was that non-members should be penalized. So
they
said,
"why
not
penalize
them
to
the
extent
that
the
they said, "why not penalize them to the extent that the
entrance fee
fee is
is as
as close
close to
to the
the AMOA
AMOA membership
membership fee
fee as
as possible
possible
entrance
to
prompt
operators
to
join?''
But
should
AMOA
be
asking
an
to prompt operators to join?" But should AMOA be asking an
operator
from
Colombia,
India
or
Botswana
to
pay
an
entrance
operator from Colombia, India or Botswana to pay an entrance
fee equivalent
equivalent to
to an
an AMOA
AMOA membership?
membership? What
What can
can be
be possibly
possibly
fee
gained
by
those
operators
joining
AMOA?
gained by those operators joining AMOA?
In short,
the foreign
foreign operators
operators are
are being
being penalized
penalized unfairly.
unfairly.
In
short, the
AMOA
might
well
argue
that
if
someone
is
prepared
to
spend
AMOA might well argue that if someone is prepared to spend
hundreds of
of dollars
dollars flying
flying overseas
overseas for
for the
the show,
show, they
they are
are not
not
hundreds
going
to
object
to
a$
I
00
entrance
fee
to
the
point
where
they'll
going to object to a $100 entrance fee to the point where they'll
stay away.
away. It
It doesn't
doesn't sound
sound logical,
logical, but
but when
when added
added to
to the
the
stay
AMOA's
strangely
lackadaisical
attitudes
towards
overseas
AMOA's strangely lackadaisical attitudes towards overseas
business, one
one is is tempted
tempted to
to believe
believe it it must
must have
have some
some effect
effect as
as
business,
evidenced
by
the
drop
in
overseas
attendance.
The
same
people
evidenced by the drop in overseas attendance. The same people
can get
get into
into other
other leading
leading international
international shows
shows for
for a a fraction
fraction of
of
can
the
price.
No
one,
after
all,
likes
being
ripped
off,
no
matter
the price. No one, after all, likes being ripped off, no matter
what the
the sum
sum involved.
involved.
what
Perhaps
AMOA
doesn't want
want its
its show
to be
be international.
international.
show to
Perhaps AMOA doesn't
Perhaps
it
is
a
deliberate
isolationist
policy.
If
that's the
the case
case
Perhaps it is a deliberate isolationist policy. If that's
then
the
organization
is
doing
a
distinct
disservice
to
its
then the organization is doing a distinct disservice to its
exhibitors. They
They need
need--and
the U.S.
U.S. Treasury
Treasury needs
needs--as
many
exhibitors.
-- and the
-- as many
pounds,
deutschmarks,
francs
and
yen
as
it
can
get.
pounds, deutschmarks, francs and yen as it can get.
Perhaps they
they should
should think
think again.
again.
Perhaps