We’ve been asked to pass this along as a follow-up to a previous post:
“Following some unusual comments regarding attendance to this month’s Amusement Trade Exhibition International (ATEI) in London, we would like to draw the attention of the moderator and members that there will be procedures put in place to deal with non-trade attendance.
We need to make it clear that as this is a Trade exhibition, non-trade attendance is prohibited, with no exceptions. If you have registered online and you do not have a legitimate reason to attend, you may not be granted access to the show. This has always been the policy of the show and is being strictly enforced this year.
ATEI is keen to support reputable online media and audience portals with their coverage of the event, so all non-trade media should contact the official ATEI representative for this non-trade, KWP Limited, to arrange valid entry into the event.”
Hopefully all will be resolved for those attending before the show begins.
So does that mean that “legit” people are screwed basically? Or do they still have a last chance to turn things round? E.g. Bob Carlson registers as “legit” for ATEI but then realises that the rules have changed and has to register via KWP Limited. Would he still get banned even if he (re)registers legit via KWP?
First off, lets get this straight, the ‘rules have not changed’ – this is a trade show, and if you are not in the amusement trade, then you had to register as such and not hope by putting down ‘media’ could get you in. What you are saying that ‘Bob’ created a fake registration and is now looking at being turned away from the show for breaking the registration law!
If your ‘Bob’ dose have a reason to attend (trade, member of the media, moderator of a specific forum, or another reason), then have him contact me and we can discuss it and if agreed, place him on the green list. I know that its hard not to try and shoot the messenger when you find out you have been caught. But look the law has not changed and to be honest you should be thankful you found out now rather than being turned away and black-listed from the show!
I guess we’ve had it too easy for too long. I agree not everyone should be allowed to go just out of curiosity, and a sensible approach to online media and enthusiast forums should be adopted. Looks like the organisers are just trying to enforce what should have been in place from day 1, but because it’s been an easy-ride previously, the natives are restless. I would hope that if the visitor criteria is enforced successfully then the photography/filming rules could be relaxed in the future.
I will ensure that a good selection of images from the booths is available through the ATEI team – and not hoarded by a select few.
All the best Nick.
Nick: True, that would explain why people have slipped through the net previously. While I agree that letting everyone in out of curiosity is detrimental to the purpose of the show, at the same time I could understand why some people would do it anyway. Not everyone can make it to other shows like Penny Arcade Expo for instance, and going to ATEI would be the more convenient option.
Now the question is, should ATEI still tell these people “tough, this is trade only” or should it now tell them “OK, SOME of you can come as guests.”? Should the latter be the case then I’d suggest at first letting certain enthusiast forums/press/trade members only bring up to, let’s say 3 guests. (Not free of charge of course, since that would be silly) Now I know this is about the TRADE and not the PUBLIC but there are reasons why this might work out nicely: a) ATEI gets even more coverage, b) the guests could like product X so much they could end up persuading the arcade owner to buy it and c) assuming one of them is an avid player, he/she can give feedback that a novice of product X could not give. It’s just a suggestion, not a typical begging post like “pls do this” *puppy eyes*. As a guy who will probably go into games devleopment himself after his degree, I just want the best for the industry and the players themselves, nothing more.
Thank you for your answers so far
Ali
how about this (no puppy eyes):
– 2010 we remove all consumer and public
– 2010 we create a public show adjacent tot ATEI
– 2010 I do not have to deal with all these consumer guys!
look forward to options!
Ali: I think if the organisers are good enough to let in a selection of the ‘enthusiast’ element, then having guests of these people is a bit of a micky take. Considering the number of sites/blogs/forums, one from each would be plenty (some might argue too many). The exhibitors are there to do business. I think it’s right that *some* are allowed in, but then who decides which site is more credible than the next?
I thought perhaps about a “public hour” (or 2) at the end of the show, but the final decision would surely lie with the exhibitors as it’s not what they’re there for. I also imagine a number of the products on display are prototypes (often the case with pinball machines) and having enthusiasts report back on possibly unfinished items might be harsh on the developers.
My initial comment on the ATEI rules (previous topic) wasn’t aimed at the trade/public argument (as I completely agree it’s a trade show), it was more on the restrictions on photography and filming, but I suppose the two go hand in hand.
Hope it’s a great event for traders and visitors alike.
“2010 we create a public show adjacent to ATEI” Could work out nicely and prevent anything like this happening again. Unless you were being sarcastic.
“then having guests of these people is a bit of a micky take.” I see. Just throwing in my two cents on how they could deal with this. In theory I thought it’d work out nicely but you do have a point about too many outside of the trade industry turning up.
“I thought perhaps about a “public hour” (or 2) at the end of the show” I rather like that idea. All the trade/media would’ve done their part and left, giving others a chance to try it out. The only downside would be potentially trying a prototype as you said and not a beta version would dissapoint some and people could judge it before even trying out a beta/demo.
“My initial comment on the ATEI rules” The one with the Stalin comment right? (sorry but that’s how I remember it!) Yeah, I read ahead before making my own comments to make sure I wasn’t flagging up something that’s already been answered. Didn’t think there’d be a correlation between the points I’m raising and your initial post.
At the end of the day it’s up to the organisers to set the rules, all I’m doing is sharing my thoughts on the matter. That’s what comments are for. That aside, I wish you all the best in your careers and hope that those who turn up this year enjoy what ATEI has to offer.
“2010 I do not have to deal with all these consumer guys!”
I’m sure you were being sarcastic there, but let it not be forgotten that without any consumers, there is no trade.
I was not entirely being sarcastic – but in the whole, I am one of a few champions in the amusement trade to support the consumers. Remember no one has written more on amusement for the consumer industry.
The idea of the 2 hour public entry dose not work, because the exhibitors would have to mann their booths against vandalism and miss use. If you have the public in it has to be a totally (armoured) show. I have seen plans for such an event and think that more news will be released soon.