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Company Identifies “Casual Majority” During 6th Operator Summit
Arlington Heights, IL - Incredible Technologies, the amusement industry’s largest manufacturer of coin-operated video games, has announced a new game development strategy designed to keep its products at the forefront of the industry for years to come. In her State of the Industry address that kicked off the 6th annual IT Operator Summit at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg, IL, president Elaine Hodgson told those in attendance that recent trends have had serious effects on the amusement industry, and that our job is not to fight trends – but to spot them and use them to determine the most effective ways to entertain people. With this philosophy in mind, Hodgson said IT will make a new push toward trying to connect with this “casual majority” with simpler, cheaper and quicker games. “We are in the entertainment industry,” she said. “And we must do everything we can to understand these people and what makes them spend money on our products. They don’t need what we have to offer – they have to want it.” She went on to say that IT has taken notice that this audience finds the simplicity of games like Silver Strike Bowling very attractive. “These games require less commitment of time and strategy,” she said. “They are simple and approachable. This trend was also responsible for the development of Target Toss Pro: Bags.” IT’s vice president of product development Larry Hodgson echoed the message by saying that the company would try to “get back to the basics” that made it so successful in the first place. While Golden Tee LIVE will still be the flagship, games such as Target Toss Pro: Bags and a possible ‘unplugged’ version of Golden Tee will become an increasingly important focus in the near future. "We have always tried to reach out to the casual majority of players,” Hodgson commented. “The real trick is to get players from the bar stool to the game. Ultimately the goal is to get them to progress to Golden Tee LIVE where the true experience lies." Elaine Hodgson ended her remarks with the news that effective immediately the price of Golden Tee LIVE full kits would be reduced $400.00. “We know there are thousands of GT Fore’s still in the field that are capable of being converted to LIVE,” she said. “We want to make this great game more attractive to you and increase your return on investment.” The IT Summit affords operators the chance to get information directly from the source, but more importantly it’s a valuable opportunity for IT to get immediate feedback on their products, plans and policies. Operators heard from a variety of speakers on the following topics.
Attendees were introduced to the IT executive management team of Elaine Hodgson, Richard Ditton and Jim Dorè where they had the opportunity to ask them any questions regarding the company. Finally operators were treated to a short segment on “Meet the Developers” where IT’s award-winning development teams answered questions on how they created Golden Tee Golf, Silver Strike Bowling and Target Toss Pro: Bags. “Operators are businessmen, but they love our games too,” said Pesceone. “We got great feedback from everyone on this session.” The most interactive segment was the “Breakout Session” where operators gathered in groups to discuss what they liked/disliked about the company, to proffer new game ideas and to promote new moneymaking features. “We always get valuable feedback each year during the Breakout Session,” said Pesceone. “We learn more from this hour than anything else we do at the Summit.” Immediately following lunch, IT presented A.H. Entertainers of “A.H. Entertainers exemplifies all the qualities that an amusement operator must have to be successful in today’s marketplace,” said Pesceone. “We’re very thankful not only for their business, but their willingness to try new things and go above and beyond promoting our products. This award is long overdue.” Operators can view the complete Summit Power Point presentation in Operator Services at www.itsgames.com after June 15th. For information on attending next year’s Summit, operators should call their sales representative.
June 11, 2007 |
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Rolling Meadows, IL with their Operator of the Year award. Accepting the award were Don Hesch, Chris Hesch and Chris McSwain.