The annual Amusement Expo ended yesterday (03/16) after several days dedicated to bettering business. A change in venue and rough weather on the east coast led to lower than usual attendance — 1,010 buyers attended this year versus 1,234 last year — but the fewer buyers were treated to more exhibitors.
On the amusement side, 157 exhibitors came, setting up 471 booths. The National Bulk Vendors Assoc. (NBVA) brought 15 companies with 30 booths, while the laser tag participants brought 16 companies and 18 booths. (By the way, NBVA reported a small increase in attendance from their sector.)
Sentiment from the show floor was positive in general, with optimistic reports of new buyers and new faces.
The Expo Education Day (March 14) was the most successful so far, with over 220 attending the most popular seminar, Kevin Bachus’ “Dave & Busted: How to Beat the Chains at Their Own Game.” After the seminars, over 500 attended the All-Industry Gala Dinner.
Looking forward, next year’s Amusement Expo returns to Las Vegas and will run Feb. 27-March 1, coinciding with the Nightclub and Bar show. Look for RePlay’s initial coverage of 2017’s Expo in our April issue, with more coming — booth photos, product info, seminar information — in May.
LAI took home two AMOA Innovator Awards, one for their HYPERshoot (the “reinvented” basketball game with eye-catching lighting effects, which started shipping in March) and the other for Let’s Bounce (shipping this month). With HYPERshoot, the company’s Allison Timberlake and Mirry Glavan.
Team Play won an AMOA Innovator Award for its Launch Code video redemption game. With it at their booth, Alan Pinto, Frank Pellegrini, Ken Fedesna and Ed Pellegrini. They also showed two new, single-monitor versions of their Fun Stop Photos (a regular unit plus one that has the extremely popular Grumpy Cat license), which they say have been specifically designed to sell at a reduced cost for street operators.
