BCA EXPO PLANS CO-LOCATION WITH AEI

By Keith Loria

Things will be a little different at this year’s BCA Billiard & Home Leisure Expo, but all the changes are designed to make things bigger and better.

First off, the event will be held in the spring, March 27-30, to give companies a jump start on its orders.

But the even bigger news is that for the first time ever, the BCA Expo will be uniting with Amusement Expo International (AEI) to host two shows under one roof at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“We can expect a lot more excitement at the Expo and around the Expo,” says Shane Bouchard, BCA Chairman. “The majority of the items that people are going to see with AEI – the arcade games on the coin-operator side – will be things our retailers can really latch onto and offer as additional products and services.”

And Bouchard is speaking from experience. He notes that he went to the AEI Expo a few years ago and it completely transformed his business.

“Now, instead of showing up at someone’s home with a pool table and see- ing a golf game in the corner or pinball that they bought online from someone else, that person is now buying all of that stuff from me,” Bouchard said. “It’s because I went to the show and made those connections and learned about those products from the vendors.”

So, BCA members will have that same opportunity to interact with AEI vendors and learn how both industries can help each other.

“I think our dealers are really going to see an influx of customers, too,” Bouchard says. “I think it’s going to be an incredible opportunity for everyone.”

The BCA Expo is an invaluable source for anyone in the billiard business, whether you’re a decades-long veteran or have just entered the industry recently. For more than three decades, the Expo’s mix of speakers, exhibitors, tournaments and events has helped people stay up to date on products and trends so that their businesses can thrive and prosper, and better compete.

The co-location idea came about after the two associations met and realized that it could do a lot for both industries. Bouchard brought it to the BCA board knowing the possibilities.

“It’s a good idea for a lot of reasons,” Bouchard says. “As an industry, it’s important to grow and expand our horizons, and AEI offered that opportunity. This by far is great for our membership.”

The co-location means BCA will still be running its own Expo separately, but it just happens to be in the same space as the AEI Expo – one that is closely aligned to the billiard and home leisure industry.

“AEI just made sense to us all,” Bouchard says. “We could have still done a summer show on our own, and we did move it to the spring, but that’s going to help because of supply chain issues.”

In the past, someone could order something at the summer show and have it in the stores in time for Christmas, but that’s not really the case anymore. Manufacturers are backed up, so this gives members a better opportunity to get early orders in.

Originally created as an event for buyers and sellers of amusement, music and games – the coin-op business – AEI has broadened its reach in recent years via co-locations and alliances with related industry segments including Family Entertainment Centers (FEC); Bulk Vending; Laser Tag; Virtual Reality, Foundations Entertainment University, and now the BCA Billiard and Home Leisure Expo.

AEI is co-owned by a pair of industry trade associations: the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) coin-op.org and the Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA).

For the past 40 years, the BCA Expo has served as the premier show for everything from billiards to barstools, cues to casual furniture, ping-pong to shuffleboard, and much more.

“AEI attendees are entrepreneurial, always on the lookout for new opportunities and ways to diversify their business portfolio,” said Tim Zahn, president of the AMOA. “We’re excited to add BCA Expo to the AEI co-location family. With the addition of BCA, attendees already operating retail locations will have the opportunity to get even more business done while in Vegas. The expanded exhibit hall provides new opportunities for everyone.”

The co-location also allows the BCA Expo to return to Las Vegas, which arguably has produced the best shows in the past in the minds of many.

“It’s been the best for vendors, the best for retailer attendees, and AEI feels the same way, which is why they are in Vegas every chance they can get at the Convention Center,” Bouchard says. “The hotel rates are cheaper, the airfare is better and Las Vegas is just the place you need to be for a show. There’s so much more to do when you’re there.”

Registration for the BCA Expo will launch in early 2023. Check out bcaexpo.com for more details.