EMBED, a leading provider of Debit Card and Point of Sale Systems for the amusement and family entertainment industry, is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the Majid Al Futtaim Group (MAF) to supply and support Debit Card and Management Systems for MAF’s chain of Magic Planet Family Entertainment Centres. Magic Planet is one of the premier operators of Family Entertainment Centres in shopping malls throughout the Middle East with existing locations in the UAE, Oman and Egypt. Magic Planet is set for rapid growth with new locations to open in the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait in coming months.

Magic Planet locations are large scale entertainment facilities and typically include a large selection of amusement and redemption games together with large indoor rides and attractions.

The first Magic Planet locations to start using the Embed Card System will commence operations in late September with roll out to 10 locations over the next 6 months.

Namco Europe is set to launch its first wholly in-house developed Kiddie Ride since acquiring the Amutec brand name. ‘Finley the Fire Engine’ is a 2-seat rocking ride based on the television cartoon character which is hugely popular amongst 2 to 6-year-olds. The ride, which has been licensed from Entertainment Rights, features authentic sounds and interactive controls.

Following its small screen debut in July 2007, Finley the Fire Engine has a production schedule of 78 15-minute episodes and currently ranks as the second-most popular programme for 2 to 6 year olds on the BBC Cbeebies television channel.

Chris Bell, Head of Namco Europe’s Kiddie Rides Division, commented: “Amutec has a distinguished track record in the development of successful, high profile rides which connect with a family market. Finley the Fire Engine continues in this tradition and represents a significant addition to a portfolio which already includes top quality kiddie rides from respected international names such as Merkur Gaming.”

Making the journey from Friendlyville, Finley the Fire Engine will make its worldwide show debut in prototype format, on stand CH13 in the Champagne Suite of London’s Preview Exhibition, 1-2 October.

EMBED, a leading provider of Debit Card and Point of Sale Systems for the amusement and family entertainment industry, is pleased to announce that it will open an office near Dubai in the Emirate of Sharjah in the UAE. The office is to be established to better service Embed’s growing list of clients in the Middle East region and will be the third international office for Embed adding to existing facilities in Perth, Australia and Dallas USA.
The new Embed office is expected to be operational from October 2008 and will be staffed by experienced Embed personnel from Australia together with new local staff. Mr Luke McKimmie has been appointed to the position of General Manager Middle East and will be relocating with his family to Dubai. Luke has extensive experience with the Embed system and business and also has many years of experience in family entertainment centre operations.
Joining Luke will be Embed Systems Manager, Bala Cherukooru who will also relocate from Embed’s Australian office to Dubai. Mr Cherukooru has a number of years of systems and entertainment centre operations experience.
New to Embed for the new Middle East Office will be Installation Engineer Peter Arazo who has recently joined Embed and has extensive technical experience in the region including working with a variety of debit card systems.
Embed Managing Director and CEO, Adam Steinberg stated that “the opening of this office demonstrates our commitment to customers in the Middle East. We are sending some our best and most experienced people to make sure that customers will experience the professional Embed service from day one”. Embed Middle East General Manager, Luke McKimmie also commented that “Our new Middle East office will enable us to deliver a vastly superior level of service to our customers in this region. It also strengthens our ability to deliver true 24/7 global support to our customers worldwide by leveraging the geographical and time zone spread of our offices”.

Prior to local telephone and fax services being established customers can contact Luke McKimmie directly at the following contact details:
Tel: +61-8-9340 0100
Fax: +61-8-9340 0199
e-mail: lukem@embed.com.au

KioskCom Self Service Expo Europe and The Digital Signage Show Europe opens its doors at London’s Olympia on 1 October and visitor registration levels are higher than ever, with a 27% increase year on year.  Plus, the increasing importance of digital signage to these companies is reflected in their top reasons for visiting the show.

Alongside the increase in registered visitors, the pre-registration statistics show there is an increasing overlap between digital signage and self service technology, Event Director Phil Hunter explains:

“As part of our registration process our visitors are asked about the components and applications they are investing in and there’s certainly a call to see both self service and digital signage technologies.  In fact, there’s an even split between those visiting the show to source information on display software and hardware and either POS or information kiosks.”

“It stands to reason”, Phil adds, “Be it in a railway station, bank or shopping mall, the two technologies combine to ensure a smooth and effective operation.  Self Service Expo Europe has always included a digital signage element and it made sense, with the technological advancements on the horizon, to offer the comprehensive package to our visitors – two events under one roof.”

Those technological advancements have made self service applications an ever more viable and attractive option for a range of companies and, flying in the face of the current economic gloom, the future is bright for self service and digital signage technology.  As pressure on profit margins increases across the board, the combination of self service technology and effective digital display marketing helps retailers and service providers maximise revenue streams and cut costs, at the same time as improving customer service levels.

The rising interest in the sector is reflected in the corporate visitor list for the show which includes the UK’s leading supermarkets and department stores, as well as representatives from the banking, leisure and public transport industries.  

Exhibitors at the event include 3M, Next Window, allpay.net, Netkey, MediaTile, Box Technologies, Dicoll, Ingenico, Camax, Microsoft, Protouch, Rittal, Samsung, Star Micronics, Roku and many more.

Some of the biggest names in the amusement industry as well as the gaming sector are going to exhibit at this year’s Preview. The organizers are thrilled to confirm that Sega Amusements Europe is coming back to the show in style. Preview will be the first opportunity for the industry to see the latest gun title Rambo – following the success of the latest film in cinemas this summer. Operators and players alike will also be flocking to see the long-awaited and much-anticipated Sega Rally 3 twin, which also makes its debut at Preview 2009. “Sega is going to be a destination stand as always. The sales team for all territories will be on hand to speak to the shows guests and discuss 2009 with them,” says Sega’s Justin Burke.

Another classic industry name; Crompton’s is also back this year. Gordon Crompton’s Game Concepts will be showing Deep Sea Treasure – a new theme for Galaxy 21. In addition, the company will be launching Crompton’s Genuine Spares, which offers a comprehensive range of Crompton’s spares for its entire range of products. Gemini Games plans to unveil an exciting low-cost digital AWP terminal at the show, featuring a number of new Category C & D games. “Times are very tough in the UK, but the timing of the Preview 2009 in tandem with our line up of games means we are enthusiastic and optimistic,” says Gemini’s Barrie Knighton. For those who haven’t yet reserved their tickets to this year’s Preview – Do it now on www.preview-uk.com.