The annual American Amusement Machine Assoc. (AAMA) Meeting and Gala started Monday, Oct. 2, in Chicago, with the first two days of the event packed with association meetings, committee gatherings and more. Today (Wednesday, Oct. 4) AAMA’s Board of Directors and members met to decide the direction of the association for the coming year, voting on new board members and officers.

Holly Hampton takes over as the association’s president, following a successful two-year term led by Chris Felix. She becomes the first woman to hold the role in AAMA history. Other new officers are: George Smith, vice president; Allen Weisberg, treasurer; Rich Babich, assistant treasurer; Frank Cosentino, secretary; and Bryan Aune, assistant secretary.

The event continues throughout the rest of the week, with tonight marking the annual welcome dinner after a day’s worth of sponsor presentations. These sessions are given by a gamut of industry mainstays, offering relevant information to attendees and the industry as a whole.

Thursday (Oct. 5) will bring a full day of sponsor presentations, broken up by a keynote lunch. Thursday afternoon will bring Mahesh Sadarangani, SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment, to the stage for the event’s keynote speech. Thursday night will end with the annual Gala Dinner and product preview, which gives attendees a sneak peek at some of the hottest games recently released.