One new aspect of this year’s ASI convention was that they opened the show up on the last day of the event to the public. While I wasn’t there on the Saturday when this happened, this press release I received from the AAMA says that it was a success overall with a few hundred people coming along to check out the games and items that the 140 exhibitors had to offer. It also goes on to discuss how the Coin-Op Olympics went, which I was curious to find out more about. One thing that I kick myself for missing out on was forgetting to buy a ticket for the prize raffle that they had going on – they had a NASCAR Deluxe up for grabs that would have been cool to win. Anyways, hit the post break for the full press release
BIGGEST ARCADE EVENT HITS VEGAS AND OPENS DOORS TO PUBLIC, HUNDREDS ATTEND INDUSTRY-FIRST INVITATION
Amusement Showcase International Invites Families, Friends and Gamers-at-Heart to Interact with New and Nostalgic Favorites, and Enjoy Competitive Public and Celebrity Tournaments
Elk Grove, Ill. – This year, for the first time in its more than 25-year history, Amusement Showcase International (ASI) invited the public to attend the last day of its three-day, coin-operated trade show, Saturday, March 29 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Public attendees were able to preview and experience some of the newest amusement, music and video games before they appear in local entertainment centers. In addition to the nearly 140 exhibitors on hand, including Namco, SEGA, Valley Dynamo and Stern Pinball, almost 300 people attended Saturday’s event.
“We were thrilled to give the public this first-time opportunity to interact and experience the hundreds of coin-operated games that were being exhibited,” said Mike Rudowicz, president of American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA), the organization that owns and sponsors ASI. “It provided an affordable and fun way for families, friends and game enthusiasts to connect, compete and interact with each other and the games. Plus, the consumers’ opinions are integral to the game manufacturers and buyers who attend the show.”
Coin-Op Celebrity and Public Competitions
The day’s activities also included two tournaments, one for the public, the Coin-Op Olympics, which included plush prizes for winners, and one for celebrities. The celebrity tournament positioned three local Las Vegas stars against each other to compete for their favorite charities for first ($5,000), second ($2,500) and third ($1,000) place. The competitors for the highest score played on several games, such as Global VR’s EA Sports™ NASCAR® and Skee-Ball Classic Alley, and winners included:
· First place, Ronn Lucas ventriloquist at the Luxor Hotel, playing for The Variety Club Children’s Charities
· Second place, Frank Marino, star of An Evening at La Cage, playing for The Q Foundation
· Charly Kayle, co-host of the TKO Morning Show on Classic Hits 96.3 KKLZ, playing for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Industry Professionals Enjoy Evening Big Bar & Happy Hours, and Saturday Raffle
The show brought together 134 exhibitors, occupying 431 booths, and 2,694 industry attendees, including 992 buyers. In the evenings, industry professionals were able to mix a little business with pleasure at the Big Bar & Happy Hour, sponsored by:
· AAMA
· Betson Imperial Parts and Service
· Firestone Financial Corp.
· JVL Corp.
· Medalist Marketing
· Namco America Inc.
· Pace-O-Matic
· Team ECast
· TouchTunes Music Corp.
In addition, a raffle, benefiting the American Amusement Machine Charitable Foundation (AAMCF), was held Saturday afternoon, awarding unbelievable prizes, including the iPhone, a Panasonic Wireless Home Theater System and Global VR’s EA Sports™ NASCAR® Racing game, to six lucky winners.
Next Year’s Show
In 2009, the show will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 11-13, and for the first time, will be held in conjunction with Fun Expo, which normally occurs in the fall.
About Amusement Showcase International
The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) sponsors Amusement Showcase International (ASI), an annual spring trade-show event that attracts more than 4,000 distributors, operators, manufacturers and suppliers of coin-operated amusements, music and video games.
About AAMA
The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) is an international non-profit trade organization representing the manufacturers, distributors and part suppliers of the coin-operated amusement industry. AAMA was founded in 1981 by a small group of amusement coin-operated machine manufacturers concerned with the future of their industry. A Board of Directors, selected by its members, governs the AAMA. Committees work with the Association staff to develop programs to promote and protect the industry. Members donate their time, effort and expertise on a voluntary basis.
For more than 20 years, the AAMA has served its membership through legislative efforts, promotional arenas, foreign business development and much more. It serves as the voice for these segments of the coin-operated interactive amusement machine industry. For more information, please visit www.coin-op.org
