The 29th IMA in Düsseldorf was opened side by side by Ernst Burgbacher, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, and Paul Gauselmann, Chairman of the VDAI.

Düsseldorf/Espelkamp. Together with the Chairman of the German Industry Association for coin-operated Amusement and Vending Machines (VDAI), Paul Gauselmann – Ernst Burgbacher (FDP), Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, opened the 29th International Trade Fair for Amusement and Vending Machines in the capital city of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf.

In line with tradition, the news presenter Jan Hofer moderated the opening ceremony and made use of the by now more than twenty years of experience as an external observer for a short review. Whereas the IMA was seen as an industry event with mainly festive character in the 1970’s and 1980’s, a business platform has grown out of this that is now of extremely large economic importance.

This thus accompanies the altered image of the typical operating company. According to Hofer, particularly the German gaming and amusement machine industry has constantly proven itself as a responsible and reliable economic sector in the midst of difficult times and often under very adverse circumstances.

Ernst Burgbacher, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology since 2009, underlined in his speech the importance of particularly focusing on small and medium-sized businesses – to which the majority of the operating companies belong. In this regard he strongly and clearly appealed to the industry to show unreserved unity in implementing the new Technical Directive. In fact the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology places its trust in the competent foresight and creative innovative strength of family-managed medium-sized companies being able to deal with such challenges.
“We will not allow that an industrial sector is pilloried”, stated Burgbacher. “You can rely upon that!”
Paul Gauselmann then expanded upon the remarks of the Parliamentary State Secretary by refuting the repeatedly falsely presented facts made by the casinos.

Furthermore, he underlined that the true strong point of the German amusement and gaming machine industry – alongside its inexhaustible innovative strength – lies in its ability to always have been able to pull together.

Paul Gauselmann was more than confident that renouncing upon total wins over 1,000 Euros in line with the new Technical Directive (TR 4.1) – that comes to affect on 01.01.2011 – will not stop the positive trend in the amusement and gaming machine industry.

“The IMA is an important indicator for the economic development of our company”, accentuated Paul Gauselmann. “Every order that we take back from Düsseldorf secures and creates employment in the region!”