The AMOA Expo has come and gone, relegated now to the annals of industry history. How will it be remembered in the years to come? As proof that reality is often less scary than what we can conjure up in our imaginations? Or will we look back on it as one of the last shows in our industry's Fall-Spring, two-expo era? Well, if we had that gift, the ability to see into the future, we'd probably be in a different businessmaybe even real estate.
What I find most interesting is the difference between my impression of the show, opinions of those we spoke with at expo and some of the emails I have received since its conclusion. Curiously, I got three emails from people criticizing the convention, although none of them actually attended. Furthermore, several companies that opted not to take booth space sent sales staff anyway, and from what we hear, at least one of them did pretty good business. So much for shows not being a good opportunity to promote and sell new product.
AMOA Expo 2008 was a good show. Admittedly, business was off from years past. Fewer operators attended, and less new product was introduced. That's a sign of the times for both the amusement game industry, which is contracting in the face of a changing entertainment landscape, and for the U.S. economy as a whole. Even exhibitors that came with larger booths advocate the one show solution in the face of these challenges. They would save money, thus lowering their cost of sales and hopefully bolstering their bottom line a bit. And we do need healthy manufacturers because new product is the lifeline for every tier of the industry.
But, with business off, how do we account for the relatively robust operator attendance and an overall spirit of optimism at the AMOA Expo? My guess, for what it's worth, is that most tradesters have finally come to accept the ongoing challenge they face in this business. They are no longer waiting for the next big, low-priced hit game to appear and save them. It's a powerful realization and better late than never.
Confidence was still running high when I got in this business in the early 1990s. The really good years of the videogame boom had come and gone, but the Golden Tee era that we celebrate in this current issue was still in its infancy. Today, the course we must chart as an industry is unclear. Many of yesterday's winners are gone, and the pecking orders of the past have been overturned.
This fall's AMOA was a good show, I believe, because the industry has
reached a point of collective humility. We are all looking for answers,
and out of this industry-wide pain, openness to new ideas is now crucial
to survival. As counterintuitive as it may seem, that usually means progress
is just around the corner.
Direct email to RePlay Magazine Editor Steve White.
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