Play Meter

They came, the saw, and they conquered. They came from all over the
United States- from as far away as Hawaii, Japan, Canada, Mexico ,
South America , and England.
They came to be part of the first annual Amusement Operators Expo.
They saw a host of new equipment unveiled for the first time . And they
conquered mutual problems and learned the benefits of open
communication and the exchange of ideas.
They are the free thinkers of our industry and are indeed the new and
upcoming leaders. We thank them because they made the first ever
Amusement Operators Expo a resounding success.
(Because of the closeness of the event to our press date , we were unable
to provide complete coverage of the event in time for this issue. Complete
and exclusive coverage of the show will be in our next issue.)
While the actual attendance figures were still being computed at
presstime , the end figure was approaching the 1 ,500 mark. For a first time
effort in this industry , that would have to be a record figure by anyone's
standards. We feel the turnout of operators served to prove the real need
for an operator-oriented trade show-one that emphasizes education as
well as exhibits.
As for the exhibits , there were a total of 140 booths taken up by 55 of
the industry's leading manufacturers and suppliers. They too saw spring as
an ideal time for such a show . To the delight of many of these exhibitors ,
the Amusement Operators Expo turned out to be a selling show. Several
exhibitors , in fact , did so much business at the show they expressed their
intentions to enlarge their exhibit space next year - some even talking
about doubling spac.
From the operators' viewpoint, the event had much more to offer than
just an outstanding lineup of exhibitors. A total of 22 hard-hitting
information -packed seminars were held during the three-day show with
topics zeroing in on a wide range of operator-oriented problems. There
was even a seminar session dedicated exclusively to distributor personnel
that was well-received.
Probably the most significant aspect of the event was the extreme
interest shown by everyone in the seminar program. Four hundred
operators registered for well over 1,000 seminar seats during the course of
the show. And many of the seminars which were originally scheduled to
hold classes of 30, 40, or 50 operators, ended up instead with registrations
of 70 or more - even reaching 100.
The overwhelming success of the seminar program left no doubt that the
major reason for the show was well-founded-operators are keenly
interested in improving themselves and their operations. And they see the
seminar program as a vital avenue to accomplishing that goal.
Plans for next year's show are already underway . The city of New
Orleans proved to be such an ideal site for the show that every effort is
being made to schedule a return visit for at least one more year. A number
of improvements are being implemented to make the show even better
and more responsive to the needs of exhibitors and attendees alike.
Among them, badge changes and prices will be effected , and seminar
sessions will be rescheduled so as not to be in conflict with the exhibit
hours.
But we have made a start. Every effort is being made to make this show
the most meaningful and important event for the entire industry.
l
1
Ralph C. Lally II
Editor and Publisher
4
01
1\ V
1\ACTr::O
......... . .
1f\On