Ireland's Coin-Op Expo - AmEx 2006 - The 27th Irish Amusement & Gaming Trade Exhibition
Visitors from all over Ireland and further afield converged on Dublin for the two most important days in the Irish Amusement & Gaming Trade Calendar, combining business activity and social events, making it an occasion not to be missed. AmEx 2006 saw the return of international technical guru, Randy Fromm, who conducted a series of seminars under the banner "TechFest Ireland 2006". These were aimed at both technicians and others involved in the repair and maintenance of coin-op equipment.
Money Controls, Paul Harris made presentations relating to coin and note acceptors - both including general troubleshooting tips and emergency procedures to keep coin-op equipment operational!
There was a full house of exhibitors with a lot of interest in gaming and many new gaming products were shown, making this an important show from both a gaming and amusement perspective. There was a large variety of equipment shown with something to attract the attention of all visitors.
Amusement, novelty and redemption games play an important role in the expanding Irish market and jukeboxes, pool tables, touchscreen games, pushers, cranes, spares and accessories were all presented by exhibitors.
In the period since AmEx 2005 many exhibitors have reported an increase in activity in the Irish market, for both amusement and gaming equipment. A growth in demand for pool and jukeboxes has been matched by a higher level of investment in gaming equipment.
The opening of new up-market locations, the refurbishment of others and an increase in demand for equipment from associated sectors, including leisure centres, vending, casinos and betting, has all contributed to the expansion of the market.
The Mary Openshaw Memorial Award For Excellence was inaugurated at AmEx 2004 in memory of the late Mary Openshaw, the renowned journalist who served the international amusement industry for over 35 years. The first recipient was Eduardo Antoja, President of Euromat - The European Gaming & Amusement Federation. The second recipient was
Mike Nevin, Managing Director of Namco Europe. The third recipient, announced at AmEx 2006, is Hans Rosensweig, former head of Nova Games, Hamburg and a former President of Euromat.
On the charity front, Joyce Todd organised another successful raffle for Barnardos and show organiser MD Associates made its annual donation to Bru Youth Club. On the social side, the Happy Hour exhibitor party, sponsored by Kimble & Coin-Op News, was its usual sucess.
AmEx is organised by MD Associates and supported by IAEA - The Irish Amusement Equipment Association (Member Of Euromat).
SOME VIEWS
Ray Hazelton, Hazel Electronics: "Excellent show set in a hotel that is transformed and greatly improved. Great atmosphere. Friendly show. A late decision to join the show with my new company. So pleased I exhibited. Wouldn't have wanted to miss the opportunity to meet up again with old friends. Good sales and great fun! Looking forward to next year!"
Stan McKenna, Excel Leisure: "The show was once again successful for us and a good opportunity for us to meet customers and friends. The venue was much improved. The exhibition is a good meeting place and certainly enhances our position in the Irish market. The organisation was very smooth and effective, making it a pleasant experience."
Ron Vinson, Amusement Machine Services: "A well organised Amex 2006. This year was the most successful show I have had in the last four years. The Project Coin, Coin Handling and Signage all received unprecedented interest form all sections of the industry in Ireland."
Marian Murphy, Tobyco: "It is our third year to exhibit at the show and we were really delighted with the whole experience. It was professionally run and it was a pleasure to participate. We had great success with all our products, especially The Led Badge, Tattoo Vending Machines and The Maxx Grab Crane. Sales exceeded all expectations."
Derek Lynch, Carnaby Gaming: "We had a marked increase in sales of the Phoenix range and I was delighted with the response to the new Harvest Time game. We had a good response at ICE in London but an even better response at AmEx in Dublin with sales exceeding expectations. We also had discussions with some operators about
producing some bespoke games."
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