Play Meter

FROM THE EDITOR You want a WHAT? One of the handful of distributors at the recent Fun Expo said , "So this is where the weird stuff my customers have been asking for is." Weird stuff? Well, not really weird as in eerie or mysterious, just weird as in not-a-video-or-pinball. It was clear from the first aisle that Fun Expo was going to be all it was touted to be . It was also evident that many people were there doing their homework on getting into the business. Play Meter's booth was busy, so busy in fact , that we ran out of our sample issues on the first day! By the third day we had collected cards from dozens of people anxious to have us send them a copy, which we will do! I remarked to one attendee that it was refreshing to see so many gathering information ahead of time . Often we don't hear from potential operators until they have sent their life savings to some unscrupulous bizop they found through an ad in the paper. By that time they are frantic and are slowly facing the reality of their lost fortune . The new buzzwords we quickly picked up on were "pocket park ," Valerie cognevich "family entertainment," and "soft play." Editor You could hardly go from one booth to the next without hearing one or all of these terms. Pocket parks refer to a location that has everything , and I mean everything , under one roof. There 's go-karts, bumper boats , bumper cars , miniature golf, games , food , batting cages, and probably other things I can 't remember . And all of those things were in abundance .at the show. Family entertainment center or family amusement center means a place where families can play games and maybe one or two things like miniature golf or go-karts. In other words, a place PLAY METER 12 to take the family. One thing we found out quickly from many already in that business is how selective they must be about video games . "Sure we hear about the violence in games and one or two are predominantly mentioned, but there are others we didn't even realize were questionable until a parent pointed it out. And by that time they aren't happy campers," explained one operator. Let's see , where was I? Soft play is absolutely a must-have item. It 's that giant hamster rigging made exclusively for kids. And boy, do they love it. Let them loose in the maze of colors and tubes and they are just like hamstersimpossible to capture and having the time of their lives outmaneuvering you! As more family centers open, there 's a demand for games and equipment for all age groups. As I talked with distributors at Fun Expo, I realized that they are in a little bit of a spot sometimes when their customers ask about certain products they wouldn 't normally handle . "I can get them redemption, videos, pins, music, etc. but where on earth am I going to get a go-kart? " one distributor wondered. Another pointed out that part of a distributor's service to his customers is knowing how to point them in the right direction. OK, so you don't represent a go-kart company (or instant pizza or 30-second hamburger companymaybe those companies don't have distributors) but you can know the company names and which ones have th e good reputations. Wouldn 't it be much b etter to say, "Yes, I happen to have a brochure right here on a go-kart company that has a fine reputation, " rather than look at your customer and stammer, "You want a what?" Our industry is changing. It may not be as drastic as some changes we 've seen in the past, but believe me , it 's changing. We can't fight change so the next best thing is to be prepared-just like the Boy Scouts. See you next year at Fun Expo. D NOVEM BE R 1993