Richard Gottlieb

The GAMA Show

GAMA, The Game Manufacturers Association, had its annual trade show last week in Las Vegas.  The GAMA show was literally not the only show in town as NHRSA, the National Hobby Retail Store Association and the NSSEA, National School Supply And Equipment Association shows were taking place at the same time. 

Those I spoke to said they thought attendance seemed to be off at all three shows. Show attendance is an important sign for the economy so those who want to know more about attendance at the GAMA show may want to read some interesting coverage of the event that can be found in ICv2.com, which bills itself as “The number 1 source for pop culture business!” 

In an April 25, 2008 piece entitled “Mixed Signals at GTS,” ICv2 opens its report by stating:  "It was hard to get a solid read on either the hobby game industry or the future of the show at the GAMA Trade Show this week at Bally’s in Las Vegas, with mixed signals on both fronts. While show organizers told ICv2 that registration was up, a GAMA spokesperson acknowledged that attendance by established retailers was down, and the observations of most exhibitors seemed to confirm that trend." 

The article agrees that the economy and the psychological impact on retailers may be a major culprit but also points to the just finished New York Comic Con as siphoning off some retailers. None the less, the article ended on an upbeat note:  "…[T]the over-all show vibe was positive. GAMA Trade Show remains the most important gathering of the hobby game industry at the trade level, and as in years past, there was a great deal of positive inter-retailer communication, along with a chance for manufacturers to show new products and get feedback. It will take some time for both the economic impacts on the game business and the changes to the show to play out; in the meantime, the show (and the business) goes on."

I am glad to see the article end on that positive note. Those of us who have been around long enough to remember past dips in the economy know that things will get better and that the toy and game industries will, over the long term, continue to be robust. 

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on April 27, 2008 | Comments (0)