The amusement, FEC and allied out-of-home entertainment segments will take a 1,727 mile detour next spring, when the AAMA-AMOA Amusement Expo International (AEI) takes a one-year break from Las Vegas and heads south to New Orleans for its annual gathering of equipment, ideas and industry executives.
"Jazz Up Your Business in the Big Easy!" will serve as the theme for next year's March 9-11, 2020 AEI, with Expo Education Day to kick things off on Monday, March 9, followed by the two-day of exhibits on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11. In addition to changing the location for next year, the schedule for AEI will also shift by a day, to a Monday-Wednesday pattern (from the previous Tuesday-Thursday time frame).
The Hilton New Orleans Riverside-the headquarters hotel-will host the 2020 AEI Expo Education Day, while the nearby Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will be the site of the AEI trade show.
AEI is the annual spring gathering for buyers and sellers in the expanding out-of-home entertainment space: the traditional amusement, music and games sector; along with the family entertainment center area; bulk vending; laser tag; virtual reality segments.
With the Las Vegas Strip serving as the backdrop for AEI during all but one of its shows, veteran exhibitors and attendees have long been accustomed to blending business and pleasure at this event. Next March, showgoers will take a page out of the same playbook, when the industry invades the famed, festive French Quarter for the 2020 version of AEI.
And yet, there are stark contrasts that await AEI 2020 participants in New Orleans: a long, rich history celebrating its French, Spanish and African cultural roots; amazing architecture; fabulous food (as in creole and Cajun and beignets); magnificent music (the birthplace of jazz); a fertile delta at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River; and a multitude of museums, tours and festivals (Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, to name just a couple).
Leaders from the co-sponsoring organizations, the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) and the Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA) along with colocation/alliance partners and the show management firm, W.T. Glasgow, Inc., are actively mapping out details for next year's March 9-11, 2020 AEI.
The text/image source: official exhibition website Amusement Expo International 2020
