Volume 1, No. 19. October 19, 2001
Eric’s
Turn
Word-slinger
As we gear up for that really big show next month, the IAAPA Trade Show in Orlando
November 10-17, we've called on Allen F. Weitzel to give us some guidelines
on the tricky business of merchandising. Allen's article, Managing
the Merchandise Monster, appears in the Reading Room.
Allen has been a frequent contributor to the Reading Room since the inception
of THE LOOP in its internet form back in February. He's also been a long-time
contributor to this industry. That's him above back in 1967 as a dashing sheriff
at Frontier Village Amusement Park in San Jose, California. The park is long
gone, but Allen has continued a successful and varied career in the amusement
industry, working at parks and other amusement venues around the San Francisco
Bay area and Northern California.
That experience
is evident in his stories for THE LOOP. For us he has written about working
with inspectors, about writing manuals, about developing a safety program, about
training. One of the stated missions of THE LOOP is to provide information and
insights to help park operators run their venues more efficiently, safely and
profitably. That has been Allen's mission over the years, too, and we're fortunate
to have him on board here at THE LOOP.
Another of our stated missions is to provide a connection for people throughout
the amusement industry. Personally, I always have been most impressed with the
collegial spirit that pervades the trade shows, as competing exhibitors share
laughs in the hotel lounges and competing park operators share successful tactics
and lingering problems while sitting side-by- side in seminars. And everybody
mingles business and camaraderie on the trade show floor.
Here at THE LOOP we are trying to supplement that spirit with our global reach
and our ability to, literally, link suppliers with buyers. Though our special
IAAPA Show issue won't post until November 2, we have started running links,
at the top of this column, to suppliers' web sites, allowing you to check out
their products and services in advance of hitting the trade show floor. You
can also use these links to establish contacts and set up meetings during the
convention. Just click on their logos to go straight to their pages. We have
also posted two exhibitors' lists for the IAAPA show: to see the vendors listed
in alphabetical order click here,
and to see the vendors listed numerically by booth number click here.
The linking logos above are paid advertisements, and you suppliers still have
time to get yours in the special IAAPA Show issue by contacting our advertising
manager, Lynne Mosman, via e-mail (lynne@gettheloop.com),
or toll-free 866-902-LOOP (outside North America, call 1 937-294-3406).