This website maintained by

CoinopTODAY.com.
Material Copyright © 1995-2005 CoinopTODAY.com

CoinopTODAY.com

AAMA American Amusement Machine Association ASI 2006 Pre-Show Review

Thursday, March 16 - Saturday, March 18, 2006

Chicago, Illinois, known as the Windy City, welcomes trade visitors from around the world this Spring when the Amusement Showcase International 2006 returns to Chicago for its annual trade show at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on Thursday, March 16 - Saturday, March 18, 2006.

ASI continues to be the largest show in the spring of its kind that delivers fresh, new products. This show attracts buyers from around the globe. There will be aisles upon aisles of new and familiar product lines to experience - in excess of 50,000 square feet of exhibit space! You will see products ranging from:

The American Amusement Machine Charitable Foundation (AAMCF) sponsors fund raising events during Amusement Showcase International (ASI), with a portion of the proceeds going to worthwhile charities. In the past, donations have been made to Give Kids the World, Tomorrow's Children Fund, Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America, U.S. Special Olympics, Always Kids and various other nationally recognized organizations.  This year AAMCF will be working with the Children's Miracle Network and  Kids Enjoy Exercise Now.

The American Amusement Machine Association is pleased to announce the establishment of the AAMA Coin-Op Rehabilitation Fund!  This interest-free loan program seeks to give monetary assistance to members of the coin-op amusement industry whose businesses were hurt or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, so that they may begin to rebuild their companies, and in turn, their lives.

AAMA has set aside an initial amount of $50,000.00 to start the fund and will be working closely with its membership in the near future to help raise additional funds to support this effort.

AAMA would like to give special recognition to David Cohen of Firestone Financial Corporation, who immediately came forward with a generous donation from Firestone of $10,000.00.  They have gone a step further and also donated their services in assisting with the creation and overall administration of the loan program.  Our admiration and thanks go out to David Cohen and Firestone Financial Corporation for their kindness and generosity.

HOW TO DONATE TO THE AAMA COIN-OP REHABILITATION FUND

Donations will only be accepted in the form of a check.

Please make checks payable to: AAMA Coin-Op Rehab Fund

Mail to: AAMA

450 E. Higgins Road, Suite 201

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Additional features of this year's show you won't want to miss are:

• Seminar Program given by professionals in the coin-op field.

• Operator's Cocktail Party located in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency.

• AAMCF Blarney Silent Auction celebrating 12 years of successful fundraising for youth related organizations.

• AAMCF's Pot O' Gold Raffle - You will have a chance to win one of four outstanding prizes this year, including a set of Golf Clubs, an iPod, a Treo 650 Palm Phone, A digital Camera with Printer and a Notebook.

• AAMCF'S Texas Hold'em Shamrock Shimmy. Winners will receive American Express Gift Certificates and all proceeds will benefit the Children's Miracle Network, and K.E.E.N.

• AAMA's ASI Show and Industry Promotion Committees will be holding the first-ever Free Arcade Drawing. New and existing operators who have registered for either the ASI Show or the AAMA/IALEI seminar program will have one chance per company to win one of three different levels of prizes in the drawing. Each prize will be composed of various amusement products that will be supplied by AAMA member companies. All items included in the promotion will be listed in a catalogue that will be distributed to all operators throughout the duration of the show until the drawing takes place, which will be at 12:00PM on Saturday, March 18 in the AAMA/AAMCF Silent Auction Booth.

• IALEI Educational Program for 2006 - ASI Chicago, March 15 & 16 - With two solid years of success in presenting educational programs to the industry, IALEI continues with the announcement of workshops in 2006.  The first will be in conjunction with the Amusement Showcase International (ASI) meeting at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel in downtown Chicago. 

Here is a list of program topics and speakers.

• Marketing - “Not Always Fun & Games” by Dorothy Lewis
• Merchandising/Redemption - “Increasing Attendance & Revenue” by Frank Seninsky
• Games - “Making the Right Choices” by George Smith
• Finance - “Show Me the Money” by David Cohen, Firestone Financial
• Feasibility - “ Should You Invest?” by Jerry Merola
• Human Resources - “Hiring and Training...the Key to Success” by Alan Ramsay
• Birthday Parties - “Essential to Making the Bottom Line” by Dorothy Lewis

All Attendees to this workshop will receive admission to Amusement Showcase International on Thursday, March 16, Friday, March 17 & Saturday, March 18. The workshop includes: continental breakfast, lunch and breaks both days.  For more details and to register on line, click on the ASI website at www.asi-show.com, or call 708-226-1300.

The ASI 2006 Seminar Program one again promises to be outstanding with such speakers as, Randy Fromm, Randy Fromm's Arcade School, Michael Getlan of Amusement Consultants Ltd., Ben Jones of REC, Dorothy Lewis of Fun Station Associates, and Beth Standlee, of Trainertainment.

An optional tour for companions of ASI trade visitors on show days is Pompeii: Stories From an Eruption on Thursday, March 16. While trade visitors are busy on the show floor, their traveling companions can take advantage of specially planned tours that take them on a trip back in time, a top shopping destination, or visits to some of Chicago's top tourist attractions.

Pompeii: Stories from An Eruption uncovers the thriving society of the valley of Vesuvius and reconstructs the lives of those who lived and died there. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, its dark cloud engulfed them all. Buried as they fled with their most prized possessions, their stories remained untold for centuries. Visitors will see casts of the volcano's victims, view gorgeous room-size frescoes and mosaics, gold coins, precious jewelry, sculptures, and a variety of household objects, walk through opulent villas in a vivid virtual-reality tour, and learn what happens when nature unleashes its volcanic power.

The cost of this two-tour package is $22.00 per person and transportation is included. Buses depart from the Hyatt Regency Chicago at 9:00 a.m. and will return by 3:00 p.m. Lunch is not included, but food service is available at the Field Museum.

We are bringing back Factory Tours again! This year, exhibitors, attendees, and their companions will have an opportunity to arrive a day early, Wednesday, March 15, 2006 and attend the unique factory tours of Stern Pinball located in Melrose Park, Illinois and Grand Products located in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Stern Pinball is a 40,000 square foot facility, and the only place in the world where pinball machines are made today! Some of the fascinating things you will learn on the Stern Pinball tour are:

• There is over one half mile of wire and over 3,500 parts in a pinball machine.
• The games are assembled by hand on an old-fashioned production line.
• It takes as long to manufacture a pinball machine as it does to build a Ford Taurus!

Grand Products, located in Des Plaines, Illinois, is a 94,000 square foot full-service contract assembly and manufacturing plant. The Nevada Gaming Commission approved Grand Products Inc. as a licensed, full-service Gaming manufacturer that allows them to manufacture complete gaming devices in the State of Nevada. On the Grand Products Tour, you will see:

• The assembly of some of the components that go into a finished video game, namely the manufacture of cable harnesses and sheet metal parts.
• The manufacturing of sub-assemblies.
• The combination of these sub-assemblies into the final assembly of a complete video game.

Transportation and lunch are included in the factory tour registration fee that includes tours of both facilities. Buses depart the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel at 9:00 a.m. and will return by 3:00 p.m. Space is limited and reservations are required. Cost of the tour, transportation and lunch is $29.00 per person.

For the more adventurous who want to tour Chicago at their own pace, a Chicago CityPass is available at specially reduced rates to visit some of Chicago's most popular attractions. Tickets are combined in an easy booklet with no waiting in most ticket lines! The CityPass admits you to The Art Institute of Chicago, The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, The Hancock Observatory, Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum and The Museum of Science & Industry. Transportation is not included. Adults-$49.50 per person (a savings of $43); Children $38 (a savings of $30)!

Advance registration is required and space is limited on the factory and companion tours. To register for any or all of these programs, go to http://www.asi-show.com/spousal.shtml.

AAMA President, Mike Rudowicz states, “Once again we will be in the home of coin-op where it all began. This year should be very beneficial because there are a lot more products to be shown with several new companies entering the arena. We are anticipating a higher attendance especially from the locals, due to the unique experience one will receive celebrating St. Patrick's Day in the city that knows it best, Chicago!”

To find out more about ASI 2006, sign up for a booth or register to attend, visit the official ASI website at http://www.asi-show.com. The Amusement Showcase International is owned and sponsored by the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) and managed by William T. Glasgow, Inc. Contact W. T. Glasgow, Inc. by phone at 708.226.1300, fax at 708.226.1310 or via e-mail at info@asi-show.com.