Play Meter

LAST W ORD
Operator/Manufacturer Allianice
What would you do differently if you owned Bally or approach a target company with a proposa of forming an
Atari or Williams or another major game manufacturing alliance, I think operators could help redire ct this indus-
company?
try and get it back on its feet again."
Do you have some definite ideas about what manu-
Peters continued, "The problem rece tly has been a
facturers are doing wrong and what they can do that lack of leadership in this industry, a lack of direction . I'm
would encourage players to come back?
hoping this session will turn all that around. " He said his
A special evening session at this year's Amusement initial reaction from manufacturers has bE!en "sur-
Operators Expo (AOE) Saturday, March 30 in New prisingly receptive , extremely surprisingly receptive! "
Orleans is designed for operators who are willing to back
He said the after-hours session, which is scheduled
up their words with money.
to start at 6:30 p.m. and run as long as necessary, would
Joe Peters of Wildcat Chemical Company in Fort be a free-wheeling period. "We'll have manufacturers ,
Worth , Texas, will lead a panel consisting of at least one distributors, and serious-minded operators, " he said.
major manufacturer, a distributor, and an operator in a "We'll also probably have a couple of attor11eys to advise
free AOE session called "Operator/ Manufacturer us on the feasibility of proposed plans for the alliance and
Alliance." The main objective of the session, Peters told the SEC implications of various plans.
Play Meter, is to investigate the possibility of operators
"We're not going into this meeting with any pre-
investing into a major manufacturer and forming a conceived notions . We 're not going to have things
committee to work closely with a specific manufacturer. finished by a predetermined hour. What ve 're going to
Such a committee, Peters said , would be geared to elicit do is bring together people from all seg ents of this
input from operators as far as what kinds of modifi - industry. We're going to get in this room, and we 're going
catio ns should be made on present games and what sort to hash this thing out until we come to some sort of
of designs to incorporate into future games. This com- resolution," he said.
mittee would be the direct liaison between the operators
"It may come in any form ," he conti ued. "It may
and manufacturers.
even come in the form of operator purchases of games
The result of such a liaison, Peters said, would be a that will translate into company shares. I do n't know
more profitable business for all concerned-the manu- what form it will take. I suspect there 11 ~ill be people
facturer , distributor, and operator.
entering that room who will have some defi ite ideas how
Peters, who initiated the proposal and asked for the best to accomplish our goal , which is to br mg t he opera -
AOE to supply the meeting space, said an operator tor into direct communication as far as what is made into
initiative where operators "invest to purchase shares of a a game .
target company could generate a significant amount ;
There will be no admittance fee for the session , and
and , operators would have input into what kinds of all interested persons are invited.
games they want to see."
The "Operator/ Manufacturer Alliance " session will
The Wildcat Chemical president told Play Meter, run Saturday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton New
" Manufacturers are suffering just as much as distributors Orleans Hotel. That is one hour after the AOE's after-
and operators. If the operators were to join together and noon seminar period .
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PLAY METER. Morch 1. 1985