Having been elected president of the American Amusement Machine Association no more than two weeks ago, Holly Hampton has already begun to effect change within the trade organisation.
The first woman to lead the AAMA in its 36-year history was elected president during its annual meeting, held on October 2-6, in Chicago, in the US state of Illinois.
"Let's not forget that what we do is special," Hampton said during the event’s gala dinner. "We're not the dental association or the colonoscopy club; we're the American Amusement Machine Association. We create games. We create millions of smiles around the world.”
Also the director of innovation at manufacturer Bay Tek Games, the new president’s chief duties will be to manage the enforcement of the association's Fair Play Pledge, a condition of membership that was drafted under the previous president's term. The Fair Play Pledge requires that all US AAMA members manufacture, distribute or operate games that give each player a fair shot at winning based on individual skill level.
Other newly elected officers are George Smith of the Family Entertainment Group, who becomes vice-president; Allen Weisberg of Apple Industries, as treasurer; Rich Babich of the Game Exchange of Colorado, as assistant treasurer; Frank Cosentino of BANDAI NAMCO, as secretary; and Bryan Aune of AMI Entertainment, as assistant secretary.
AAMA elects new officers at the annual event every two years, which also includes committee meetings, manufacturer presentations, a government luncheon and the gala with a small trade show.
During the meeting, the AAMA also announced major changes to next year's Amusement Expo International, including going paperless with a comprehensive mobile app, an overhaul of the education day seminars and a general push to get more family entertainment centre professionals involved with the association.
The inclusion of FEC professionals over the past year helped AAMA membership numbers rise from 152 to today's 165.
