Amusement Expo gives many operators their exclusive chance to see the company’s new ‘Photo Studio Deluxe’ and Apple’s groundbreaking Product Fulfillment Program in person
The trophy showcase at Apple Industries is being expanded to spotlight the two latest awards given to the company. At this year’s Amusement Expo (Las Vegas Convention Center, March 16-17), Apple received two highly prestigious awards:
- The AMOA Innovator Award for Apple’s new Face Place Smile 2.0 Product Fulfillment Program.
- Play Metermagazine’s “Operators’ Choice” Award for Best Photo Booth, accorded to the entire Apple Face Place line of products.
“On behalf of our entire team at Apple, we are honored and grateful to receive this outstanding recognition from AMOA and from Play Meter,” said CEO Allen Weisberg. “Our people work nonstop to ensure that Face Place Photo Booths are not only the best on the market but are continually improving. We work just as hard to make sure that our marketing, technology and logistical support keeps getting better and better so that operator revenues follow a steady up-curve.”
“Getting this twin tribute at one trade show both from AMOA and from the operators, as certified by Play Meter, is tremendously exciting and encouraging,” said Apple COO Scott Avery. “It’s great to know that our friends, colleagues and customers feel that we’re doing something right in a big way!”
AMOA Innovator Award
For the past 16 years, the AMOA Innovator Award has been given to recognize the introduction of fresh and original features, products and technologies that fundamentally advance the industry. This year a team of AMOA judges evaluated dozens of nominated products or features. Only four were chosen as winners.
“Innovation creates excitement and attracts more customers to our taverns, FECs, clubs and other locations,” said Russ Minter of Tip Top Amusements, who headed the judging committee. “The purpose of the AMOA Innovator Award is to honor those manufacturers who create outstanding innovative products that strengthen the operator and the industry.”
Apple’s new Face Place Smile 2.0 Product Fulfillment Program received the 2016 AMOA Innovator Award. This system practically turns every networked Face Place Photo Booth into a “retail store” for online orders of physical products such as t-shirts, coffee mugs or keychains that are emblazoned with customer photos taken right there in the booth. Products are then delivered to the customer’s address via same-day shipping. Previewed at the fall 2015 IAAPA show, the merchandising system rolled out this year.
“Our Product Fulfillment Program is designed to turn an amusement device into a kiosk that connects the operator to the patron on a long-term, year-round basis,” explained Allen Weisberg. “Operators get a healthy slice of the profits from every sale of every piece of merchandise. And, with our advanced email marketing capabilities, we can go beyond a one-time vending sale to continually reach out to customers at their homes, offices, and on their mobile phones in order to make follow-up sales with fresh merchandise – and to remind those customers to come back to the Face Place Photo Booth for new fun!”
“This level of custom product retail merchandising has never been done before in our industry,” noted Scott Avery. “We are very proud that AMOA recognized the revolutionary thinking and high-quality execution that make our Product Fulfillment Program a giant leap forward for photo booths and for amusement machines across the board. We intend to continue developing and enhancing the system to make it even more profitable for Face Place operators going forward.”
Play Meter “Operators’ Choice” Award
Also at Amusement Expo 2016, Apple Industries received the coveted “Operators’ Choice” Award from Play Meter magazine for its entire line of Face Place Photo Booths. Each year the publication surveys its readership, asking operators to vote for the best product in each major category.
Last year Apple’s Sapphire photo booth, designed especially for bar and tavern locations, won the “Operators’ Choice” Award in the photo booth category. This year Apple again got by far the highest number of votes from operators, although various models and products were written in – a reflection of the wide range of products the company offers for every type of location and customer.
Accordingly, the 2016 “Operators’ Choice” Award was presented to Apple for its products as a whole and represents the broadly held belief by operators that Face Place Photo Booths are the industry leader.