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As reps go around the country trying to sell piecemeal products, in the Americas the major business in the amusements and recreation sector is done at the expos. The major expo is the Amusement Showcase International, 10-12 April in Las Vegas, which is sponsored and produced by the American Amusement Machine Association, the international trade association for manufacturers, distributors and parts suppliers of coin-operated amusement products, which was the recipient of the 1996 US Department of Commerce “E“ Award.
Formerly known as the American Coin Machine Exposition (ACME), the Amusement Showcase International Show is an annual spring show that features exhibits and seminars for the coin-operated amusement industry. Nearly 150 manufacturers and suppliers to the coin-operated amusement industry will showcase products such as video games, pinball machines, jukeboxes, redemption equipment, pool tables, cranes and rotaries, electronic dart games, kiddie rides, electronic/power supplies, monitors, cabinets, plush, novelties, coin counting equipment, basketball games, golf games, foosball, soccer games, ticket dispensers, debit cards/devices, vending equipment, virtual reality, laser games, simulators and inflatable products.
More than 3,000 distributors, operators, technicians, trade press, investors, developers, manufacturers and suppliers in the coin-operated amusement industry and over 500 international visitors from around 40 countries attend this annual spring show, with Latin American visitors leading the pack. It would be churlish to attempt to name any one product or company, but suffice it to say that operators can find items from coin-op to inflatable, and from software to laser products.
Other major industry expos in the region include SAGSE Buenos Aires Gaming & Amusement 2009 on September 20 to October 2, the Latin American Entertainment Trade Show, FEEL 2010 during 21-22 April in Corferias, Bogota, Colombia, GAMMEX 2010 on June 24-25 at the World Trade Center, Mexico City and SALEX 2010 in Sao Paolo, Brazil during July 28-30.
MEXICO
As the only region with real economic growth, Mexico is the outstanding economy, and in fact as the fifth largest country in the Americas covers almost two million square kilometers, and is the fourteenth largest independent nation in the world with a population of around 109 million.
One of the leading local companies in Mexico is Arion Group, which was born from the strategic alliance between local companies Advanced Technology Research, dedicated amongst other things to the design and development of digital jukeboxes, and Consorcio Global, a jukebox operator that sells products that range from digital jukeboxes, conversion kits - including updating kits, to musical products and spare parts.
The quality of Arion jukeboxes has been recognized by several prestigious publications such as Replay Magazine, Mundo Ejecutivo, Revista Telesoluciones, Revista Entrepreneur as well as several newspapers. Arion also has been awarded the prize for Best Product in the Multimedia category by PC Magazine, where every year the best 15 products of the computer industry are chosen for their performance. This recognition has also been granted to international level enterprises such as IBM, HP, Adobe, and Apple, and has distributors in Latin American countries like Belize, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Chile.
With over 20 years of expertise, Clarck Entertainment SRL distributes and operates coin-op machines and vending products in the country, supplying the amusement trade, hotels and promotional products for non-gaming companies. Offering a large stock of machines and technical support and maintenance contracts, the company also offers finance plans and lease deals.
Toys 4 Kids has been 15 years in the industry developing and manufacturing inflatable, mechanical kids games, bungee jumping gear, non-rail train rides and interactive toys. The company is jealous of its safety standards which comply with the most demanding international requirements, especially on the payload and tension that undergo rigorous testing and quality control.
PERU
One of the oldest local companies in the recreation trade in Lima is Santa Beatriz, which started making table football games and a traditional game called Sapo (Toad). This is a game set in a traditional leather covered box and lid on a 3 ft high stand, with a small open-mouthed bronze toad in the centre and additional holes in a board over the sectioned base area with various points value. Players throw brass pucks during the course of the game to score points, the difficult toad shot carrying the highest value. Like in a game of darts, individuals or teams play to a get the highest score.
As one can imagine, oceans of the liquid stuff has been imbibed playing Sapo in Peru and wherever the game has been exported. Santa Beatriz also makes billiard tables, chess games and other products, but it is with the sale for fun and excitement of their famous Sapo in different models that the company has thrived in good times and survived in uncertain periods.
Grap Kids, East of Lima in Vitarte, has been manufacturing wooden, metal and plastic games and recreational products since 1979, including swings, inflatable goods, table tennis and billiards. Further down the road, Industrias Flores, with more than 10 years in the industry, also competes with similar products, which are sold to the local and Andean regional countries.
BOLIVIA, VENEZUELA
As with the rest of developing countries, the amusement and recreation products on offer in Bolivia are within the mechanical textile and printing industry scope. Some like Boliviamar are dedicated to learning games to support education reform from pre-school right up to adult education.
In Venezuela, G y D Eventos y Espectáculos has been making promotional gigantic soft toys for events and business marketing since 1999, as well as recreational inflatable, latex and plastic goods for promotions or amusement, selling to major companies in the country.
COIN-OP AND AMUSEMENT MACHINES
Most of the major international brands are represented in the region and some of them have manufacturing plants which vie for their share of a market that has increasingly more daring local manufacturers who mainly source components in the Asian and European markets. As malls keep opening almost on a monthly basis up and down the region, kiddy rides and vending goods are in much demand. With themes and amusement parks still to develop further, there is ample opportunity for investors and entrepreneurs to seek opportunities in this sector.
What is certain is that the region has plenty of room for amusement products, serial products of electric motor and mechanical entertainment equipment, indoor integrated playgrounds, outdoor integrated slides, inflatable bouncing ball castles, outdoor playground equipment, kiddy rides, outdoor fitness equipment, municipal gardens devices, kindergarten equipment, musical and pub products such as juke boxes and light and laser systems, etc, etc.
Innovative designs with creativity to increase enjoyment together with safe and reliable quality assurance, competitive sales prices and good after-sales service are essential to gain a share of the market place, and maintain and increase presence in this vast region. There is a need for constant replacement and upgrading of decades-old products like basic swings and inflatable goods and high-class items for affluent residential areas with major shopping malls. There is also the challenge of theme parks, as well as schools and other projects for children and adults alike, so that they can enjoy quality entertainment in the realm of amusement and recreation.
Greata Publishing for Euroslot Latin American Report 2009
