GAMA has released its schedule for the 2005 GAMA Trade Show, and programming for retailers has been expanded substantially from its already ambitious levels last year.  There will now be three tracks of retailer programming, for owners, managers, and staff.  And for the second year, seminars will be repeated throughout the week to make it easy for attendees to attend all of the presentations that fit their needs.

Among the seminars planned for retailers are:

Manager Boot Camp

Location, Location, Negotiation

In-Store Gaming:  How Necessary?

The Bottom Line with Dave Wallace

Hiring Staff You'll Want to Keep

Demos that Rock, Demos that Sell

Inventory Management

Singles for Fun & Profit

Financing for Growth

Merchandising and Display

And many more!

A model store will be set up near the seminar areas, which will be used to help illustrate principles from the applicable seminars.  The contents and fixtures will be given away to five lucky GAMA member retailers on Thursday.

The 2005 show will be the first held at the Riviera Hotel, an improvement over the Orleans, where it's been held the last few years, or the Tropicana, the venue prior to the Orleans.  The convention room rate will be an economical $89, and breakfasts and dinners will be free to buyers, with presentations by sponsoring manufacturers.  WizKids has announced that it will be giving away a huge, limited Mage Knight figure to every WizKids venue that RSVPs and attends its breakfast presentation (see 'WizKids Announces GTS Giveaway').

The exhibit floor, all in one room (an improvement over last year's Orleans set-up) will host around 175 exhibiting companies, many with unique samples, new games to play-test, reps to explain upcoming products, and all the news on the coming year's releases.