The GAMA Trade Show managed increases in a number of major metrics this year, despite a down year for many of its participants.  And the mood on the floor was generally upbeat, although 'I'm still here' passed for upbeat in some circles. 

While we were unable to get official totals from GAMA by press time, we were told by a board member that the number of retail organizations represented was up substantially, to over 500, although the number of retailer badges declined due to a lower number of badges per company.  The lower number of attendees per retail organization probably reflects the challenging business environment for many of the retailers that attend, while the increased number of attending retail organizations is a nice endorsement of the value of the show for owners. 

The Riviera Convention Center was a big improvement over the Orleans, where the show was held for the past several years.  The exhibit floor was in one large hall; it was on multiple floors last year.  And the exhibit floor was near the meeting rooms and registration, instead of a long walk as it was last year.  Exhibit space was also at a record, up 40 10' x 10' booths compared to a year ago.    But to expand the exhibit floor next year (the second year of a two-year contract), exhibit space will have to be added in non-contiguous areas of the Center. 

The hotel was another matter.  It was so old that we didn't have to walk through the casino to get from check-in to our elevators, but the rooms were better than the lobby would lead one to expect.

There were no obvious hits of the show, although Clout, from Peter Adkison's new company (see 'Peter Adkison Back in the Games Business') was getting a lot of discussion. 

Business at the booths was good, with steady traffic all three days, according to most exhibitors.  We saw more international attendees than we've seen in the past, indicating that there was export and rights business being done.