Play Meter

FROM THE EDITOR Know the industry before jumping in s Valerie Cognevich Editor PLAY METER hakespeare once said, "I call for pe n and ink and write my mind. " Hey, good idea, but I'll n eed a monitor and keyboard, please! How times have changed. Andy Rooney of"60 Minutes" fame agrees that times have changed, but doesn't n ecessarily think all changes have been for the better. On one of his segments h e made it clear that he was just as good a writer when he used his trusty antique manual typewriter before the advent of the laptop computer. He was used to it; he was comfortable with it. I'd like to see him rely solely on a manual typewriter today! While we m ay feel comfortable and secure with what we are using right now, something's waiting to pounce on us forcing a change. As human beings, we just don't like that ultimatum. Which brings m e back to writing my mind. Many of you may be reading this while at the Fun Expo in Las Vegas. This show is becoming a must-see show after just four year s. The seminars are really good and are on timely topics . While the Expo revolves around all aspects of famil y entertainment, the seminars cover the gamut on a variety of subjects. You'll notice som e familiar names in the amusement industry-Frank Seninsky, Michael Getlan, to n a me a few-and som e not-so-familiar names. There are sessions on go-karts, miniature golf, outdoor amusements, etc. Many companies that traditionally exhibite d only at ACME or AMOA are now finding new customers and new markets at Fun Expo. The American Amusem ent Manufacturers Association, through its location trade show program, has seen value in the show since its inception. The association has extended invitations to its members to share booth space, which many have done over the years. Some of those companies are now breaking away from the fold and opting to man their own booths at the show. Last year, I moderated a seminar and spent three days passing out magazines, m eeting people, and answering questions from our own booth. It was an eye-op en er. 8 There were so many p eople looking to get into the industry that we ran out of magazines the first day! When I returned to the office I had a stack of business cards from people who wanted more information on Play Meter. It will be interesting to see if some of those n ewcom er s ar e now up and running or if there 's still a steady stream of th ose wanting to start. (Steve, I'm holding a magazine for you!l I'm always impressed when pe ople do their homework before they take that giant leap into a family en tertainment center. An all-too-often scenario is someone invests his life savings, looses that life savings, and then wonders wh at went wrong. We'll th en get a call, a call that we should have gotten long b efore the money was spent. Michael Getlan, who is a dynamic speaker on the amusem ent industry, said the number one reason family amusement centers fail is undercapitalization. We 're in a volatile industry that takes strong, firm commitments of time and money. There is nothing easy Cor cheapl about being an operator today. Distributors see disturbing buying patterns when there's an influx of newcomers. Too many times buying equipment is viewed as a one-time proposition; only knowledge about the industry makes it clear it's an ongoing endeavor. Opening th e grandest of all family entertainment centers is not what's difficult; keeping it grand and profitable is the trick. What your customers want today is probably light-years away from wh at th ey'll want tomorrow. Take a serious look at successful family entertainment centers that have been in oper ation for many years. You'd be hard pressed to r e cognize these places as they were yesterday when looking at th em today. It's the constant r evitalization and updating that separates the su ccessful from the statistics. But to do it there must be a financial buffer to fall back on, whether you are going it alone or as part of an investment group. You want to be in business five, 10, even 20 years from now. And you can believe that if you are lucky enough to still be around, your place will be very differe nt from what it is today. You certainly don't want to be sitting in a warehouse among obsole te games wondering where you went wrong. OCTOBER 1994