www.euroslot-online.comSHOW REVIEWOpen DaySound LeisureSound Leisure enjoyed another fruitful Park AvenueOpen Day. The Leeds-based jukebox manufacturershowed the V-Hub and the latest RPS 20,000Sound Wave models with their music supply partnerSoundnet, as well as the Summer of Sportpromotion, w<strong>here</strong> jukebox cus<strong>to</strong>mers can win an iPadevery month.“We were really pleased at the quality of visi<strong>to</strong>r atthe Open Day,” said Sound Leisure ManagingDirec<strong>to</strong>r Chris Black (looking typically fresh despitehis gruelling recent “underwater” bicycle marathon).“We saw a wide range of cus<strong>to</strong>mers includingbrewery representatives and opera<strong>to</strong>rs. I would like <strong>to</strong>thank the team at Electrocoin for hosting anothergreat event, which is firmly embedded in the showcalendar.”As Clay says “Not only does it enable the opera<strong>to</strong>ra faster and more accurate way of counting mixednotes, but can also be output <strong>to</strong> a printer or PC(using Cummins Allison’s Jetwedge software), <strong>to</strong>provide a <strong>to</strong>tal cash-breakdown of coin and notes foreach machine.”2 containers due within the next 2 weeks – it’s onlyat this point have we had any surplus s<strong>to</strong>ck available<strong>to</strong> offer! Make no mistake - without this Kiddie Subride, 2012 would have been a much more difficultyear for us than it’s turned out <strong>to</strong> be.”E-serviceMike Clokie (pictured) and Paul Smith were busilyflying the E-service flag. According <strong>to</strong> Clokie: “TheOpen Day is a great event for us. We get <strong>to</strong> see ourcus<strong>to</strong>mers, catch up on the latest news and gossip,and make a few new business contacts along theway. And given we’ve just moved in<strong>to</strong> our largerpurpose-built premises, we’re ready for the extrabusiness!”Cummins AllisonPaul Clay from Cummins Allison was exhibiting their‘mid-range’ Model 4200 Jetsort, which can sort up<strong>to</strong> 4,000 coins per minute, has an easy <strong>to</strong> operate<strong>to</strong>uch-screen, and boasts the same reliability that theJetsort has become renowned for. Connected <strong>to</strong> theJetsort was their Jetscan Model 4161 ‘single-pocket’note scanner with the capability of counting bundlesof mixed denominations of notes, using the latest innote-scanning technology.ElectrocoinThe last word, of course, goes <strong>to</strong> Kevin Weir fromorganisers Electrocoin, who yet again produced afantastic day, even arranging for the sun <strong>to</strong> shine! Ashe says: ‘We were delighted with the attendance, no<strong>to</strong>nly the quantity of visi<strong>to</strong>rs but also the quality. Youcould say the industry came <strong>to</strong> Park Avenue!One noticeable trend was the increase inattendance from the single site opera<strong>to</strong>rs andrepresentatives of the pubco’s. We believe that this isdue <strong>to</strong> the commitment that we have shown <strong>to</strong> thissec<strong>to</strong>r and is it is pleasing <strong>to</strong> see the response thatwe got on the day.Everybody who participated appeared <strong>to</strong> have agood day and my thanks go <strong>to</strong> all those who workedso hard <strong>to</strong> make it a successful day for business aswell as for charity. Rays of Sunshine supported theday with great energy and I know that their effortswill be rewarded.’THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY JULY/AUGUST 2012 33
THE EUROSLOT PROFILEwww.euroslot-online.comQ&A: Warren FrissApple Industries’ president regards the amusements sec<strong>to</strong>r as part of the entertainmentindustry – and the Internet as the big game-changerHow did you first get involved with theamusements industry?I’ve been in the entertainment business for over 20years – through my work as an at<strong>to</strong>rney in theentertainment industry and then as head of ToppsSports & Entertainment – and I see theamusements industry as another form ofentertainment. It’s all about creating fun for theconsumer and that’s what I love <strong>to</strong> do.Why? What attracted you <strong>to</strong> this sec<strong>to</strong>r?It’s a much, much bigger industry than most peoplerealise, with lots of opportunity. Everyw<strong>here</strong> you goyou see amusement equipment, whether it’s amovie theatre, bowling centre, theme park, shoppingmall...the ability <strong>to</strong> create products that can beeveryw<strong>here</strong> is very exciting <strong>to</strong> me.Do you think it has changed much since then?Not since I started a year ago! But the industry isdefinitely changing. Products that offer the benefitsof Internet connectivity have become a must inorder <strong>to</strong> attract people of all ages – not just kids.What are the biggest positive fac<strong>to</strong>rs for thesec<strong>to</strong>r right now – the drivers of growth anddevelopment?It’s definitely the ability <strong>to</strong> use the Internet. Our newpho<strong>to</strong> booths allow you <strong>to</strong> email your pho<strong>to</strong>s, andpost them <strong>to</strong> Facebook and Twitter. And, for theopera<strong>to</strong>r, the pho<strong>to</strong> booth provides daily emailreports showing usage, whether the booth isworking properly and whether it needs paper. Thiswill make pho<strong>to</strong> booths much more profitable andefficient <strong>to</strong> operate.It’s all about creatingfun for the consumerLooking at your whole career, what do youreckon was your smartest move (large orsmall)?Negotiating an exclusive licence with Major LeagueBaseball was definitely the highlight of my career.It was very difficult <strong>to</strong> accomplish and requiredthat some difficult decisions needed <strong>to</strong> bemade – but it was an extremely important dealfor Topps.And your dumbest one?In 1998, when we were launching E<strong>to</strong>pps, an onlinetrading card platform, we were looking for a partner<strong>to</strong> host the trading floor for the E<strong>to</strong>pps cards. It wasbetween Amazon Auctions and eBay. I choseAmazon Auctions...oops! Luckily, Amazon Auctions<strong>to</strong>ld us they were shutting down before we signedthe deal and I was still able <strong>to</strong> convince eBay <strong>to</strong>partner with us.W<strong>here</strong> do you hope you’ll be, professionally, inten years’ time?Still running Apple Industries/Face Place!And finally – if you’d never embarked on thiscareer, what other line(s) of work would youhave liked <strong>to</strong> pursue?A professional baseball player. Is it <strong>to</strong>o late?And what are the negative ones – the obstacles<strong>to</strong> growth?With all of the mobile devices that provide gamesand other forms of entertainment, we need <strong>to</strong> makesure our products provide value and a uniqueexperience. It used <strong>to</strong> be that the games in alocation were the only form of entertainment, butnow people carry their entertainment with them.We, as an industry, need <strong>to</strong> be aware of thatcompetition.Curriculum vitaeWarren Friss, president of Apple Industries/Face Place, earned a law degree from the University ofPennsylvania and began his career as a corporate at<strong>to</strong>rney at the New York law firm of Shea & Gould. In 1995he joined The Topps Company, w<strong>here</strong> he served as general counsel, and in 2000 Warren invented andsuccessfully launched E<strong>to</strong>pps, an Internet trading card platform now in its 11th year.Following this, Warren headed Topps’ sports and entertainment division, with more than 125 employees,from 2006 <strong>to</strong> 2011. Warren led that division <strong>to</strong> dramatic growth and, ultimately, <strong>to</strong> a sale of the firm <strong>to</strong>Michael Eisner’s Tornante Company in 2007.34 JULY/AUGUST 2012 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY