Welcome to the 2008 International Pizza Expo!

AAMA Booth

AAMA and Firestone Financial

Allstar Vending

Bay Tek Games

Glow Machine

LAI Games

Namco America

From Left: Proud parents, Rosemary and Bob Schwartz, of AAMA Business Manager Tina Schwartz. It's a family affair.

From Left: Firestone's Sal Cifala stops by AAMA's coin-op pavilion.

From Left: Myrna Dorfman and Elda Ruffolo

Mark Lenske

From Left: Chad Perkins, Michelle and Paul Rosenbaum.

From Left: Debbie Gonzalez & Chad Hughes

From Left: Tom Siemieniec and Emilio Cabrera

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Welcome to the 2008 International Pizza Expo!

Press Release

AAMA HEATS UP PIZZA EXPO 2008

Elk Grove Village, IL – April 15, 2008 – International Pizza Expo 2008 reported another record-breaking success and AAMA was there.  With nearly 6,000 pizzeria operators from around the world in attendance, this show was the second best attended in the show’s history as reported by show management.  Held in Las Vegas, NV, the sold out trade show floor consisted of 1,000 booths containing everything and anything you might see in a pizzeria, from equipment to food to coin-operated games.  

The AAMA pavilion made its presence known at this ever-popular trade show on behalf of its members and the overall coin-op industry.  As in past years, the Pizza Expo directly followed the Amusement Showcase International, both events being held in the Las Vegas Convention Center.   Those members who braved the move, from the downstairs ASI show floor, upstairs to the pizza pavilion. AAMA pavilion on the Pizza Expo show floor were, Allstar Vending, Bay-Tek Games, LAI Games, Mammoth Glow Machine, and Namco America.  Some additional AAMA members that were present at the show included Benchmark Games, Betson Enterprises, Marshall Productions, Peek-A-Boo Toys, and Smart Industries.

Tom Siemieniec of Namco America boasted, “Great show as always. I can’t wait until next year.  Great buying crowd.” 

“I think we offered enough coin-op options for pizza restaurant owners to start thinking about incorporating amusement games into their locations if they don’t already.  I was impressed with the traffic this show produced the first 2 days.  We received some good leads to follow up with.“, remarked Mark Lenske of BayTek Games.

The Pizza Expo also played host to several exciting events, such as Pizza Festiva, a gourmet pizza recipe competition that crowns one pizza maker every year with the coveted Gourmet Pizza of the Year award, and the 2^nd annual International Pizza Challenge,  allowing entrants to create traditional pizzas, fighting for the title of 2008 World’s Best Traditional Pizza.  The most notable event of the week would have to be the Beer & Bull Idea Exchange, which offered the perfect opportunity for industry peers to converse over a cold one.  The World Pizza Games Finals and Rockin’ Party finished off the week in style.

The International Pizza Expo is owned, produced and managed by Macfadden Protech, LLC. The company publishes Pizza Today and in addition the company serves as the management arm of the National Association of Pizzeria Operators (NAPO). For more information visit them on-line at www.pizzaexpo.com.

The IPE will return to Las Vegas next year in the north hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will be held March 10-12, 2009.

On behalf of the AAMA, we would like to thank all our member companies for their continuing support of the LTS program and for making the AAMA coin-op pavilion a success throughout the year!