Incredible Technologies and Operators Hold Summit Conference
Citing a rising level of concern within the industry over Internet privacy and security policies, Elaine Hodgson, CEO of Incredible Technologies, invited members of the operating community to meet with her and other executives from IT to "cut through the rhetoric and get to the heart of the matter."
"There has been much misinformation and confusion within the industry as to what exactly our policies are," said Hodgson. " We have instituted and will continue to maintain the strictest standards of privacy and security in the industry. This summit is the first step toward strengthening the lines of communication and spelling out clearly where IT stands on this important matter."
According to Jack Kelleher, executive vice president of the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA), who also attended the meeting, this was an excellent initial meeting. "The exchange yielded a much better understanding of the views held by IT and the street operators in attendance. It was quite a productive session."
Doug Diltz, of Diltz & Sons Amusements in Mishawaka, Indiana, went on to add, "It was refreshing to have a manufacturer seek operator input on their policies and procedures and while there remains a few issues where we have yet to reach a consensus, the spirit of cooperation was present throughout the meeting."
On the Privacy issue, IT submitted some suggested changes to the AMOA Information Privacy and Security Policy. The operators pledged to review these changes, with the goal that by mid-January 2002, to have a document that IT will endorse for use in its agreements with operators.
Besides privacy and security, the conference attendees discussed other important issues. "We didn't want to miss the opportunity to pick the brains of these successful businessmen," Hodgson said. "In general we talked about emerging trends within the industry. Specifically, we discussed Golden Tee contests and leagues, discounts available to operators for merchandise on our new online Golden Tee Pro Shop, and how best to release the Golden Tee 2003 course updates. It was a very intense, day-long conference, and these guys really came through for us. I can't thank them enough."
As expected, there was spirited discussion about IT co-founder Richard Ditton's purchase of a route in the Chicago area, and a review of the procedures in place regarding Silent Partner—an operator data collection management system owned by IT—to ensure proprietary operator information is safeguarded.
Long-time industry columnist and operator, Gary Spencer of California Coin, remarked that he was impressed with IT's frank and open manner in which they conducted the meeting. "The tone was candid, but cordial. Everyone voiced their views; a lot of important issues were aired."
Russell Mawdsley, of Russell-Hall in Holyoke, Massachusetts added, "In addition to the seven hours of discussions, we toured the entire IT operation—from game development to data collection to production. It was very informative to see how the golf games and other products at IT get to market. I applaud IT for having the foresight to open the lines of communication between operator and manufacturer which, in our industry, have otherwise all too often been closed."
Jim Stansfield, a LaCrosse, Wisconsin-based operator, commented: "I'm encouraged that IT took the initiative in holding this meeting. There was plenty of praise and constructive criticism exchanged. Identifying and discussing the issues is the best way to resolve them. It improves everybody's business."
Operators in attendance represented an excellent cross-section of the operating community: large companies and small; some with over 100 online Golden Tee games and others with less than 10; and veterans in business for many years along with a few relative newcomers. "It was important that we didn't just focus on large, online operators," Hodgson said. "The majority of our operators have less than 10 games on line. We need to get feedback from them as well as the big guys."
Hodgson went on to comment, "I want to thank these men for taking valuable time away from their businesses to meet with us and exchange information. We plan to make this an annual event and encourage operators to let their IT salesman know if they would be interested in attending next year."
Conference attendees were: Dave Knupp, Amuse-O-Matic, Fort Dodge, Iowa; Russell Mawdsley, Russell-Hall, Holyoke, Massachusetts; Richard Hawkins, D & R Star, Rochester, New York; Doug Diltz, Diltz & Sons, Mishawaka, Indiana; Steve Bodenstein, Game Exchange, Marietta, Georgia; Bill Westerhaus, Pioneer Vending, Cincinnati, Ohio; Ed Velasquez, Velasquez Automatic Music, Chicago, Illinois; Jim Stansfield, Stansfield Vending, LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Gary Spencer, California Coin, Paso Robles, California; and Jack Kelleher of AMOA.
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