At the recent Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego, there was a palpable energy at the Gary Platt booth. The Reno, Nevada-based manufacturer was introducing a new line of chairs designed for Tribal operators, and business was steady throughout three days on the convention floor.
“Tribal properties have always been a really big portion of our business,” said Gary Platt CEO Joe Esposito, noting that part of the company’s sales team includes Tribal members. “Gary Platt is proud of our Tribal partner relationships. In fact, our IGA booth is shared with our close partners, Gitchi Gaming. We also have fantastic distribution partner relationships with Foo Shee Designs and Native Gaming Services.”
But while most of the company’s past Tribal business has been focused on chairs for slots and table games, a new line will feature chairs for hospitality use. Now, Tribal convention centers, concert venues, and dining areas of a resort can benefit from the same quality and care that goes into Gary Platt’s gaming chairs.
“Historically, people do try to make relatively comfortable gaming chairs,” Esposito said, “because they know people are gambling and they want people to be comfortable.”
But the same attention to comfort and detail hasn’t always been used for hospitality venues “because they’re just trying to churn traffic,” Esposito says. “We’ve tried to take the same concept (used in gaming). Why shouldn’t you have the same comfort that you have in a gaming chair in a restaurant or other venue?”
Whether for the casino or for hospitality areas, Gary Platt chairs can be customized with designs that reflect various Tribal heritages. Thus, the backs of some of the new chairs have elaborate patterns that reflect Tribal traditions and cultures. But at the end of the day, Esposito said, the most important aspects remain comfort and durability.
So far, it’s been a relatively easy sell for the company because of Gary Platt’s reputation for quality.
“Gaming operators, both Tribal and commercial, are an audience that wants to listen, wants to see and hear what we have to offer,” Esposito says. “We have the context, we have the history with them because of our work with (chairs for) slots and table games.”
Esposito notes that Gary Platt has relationships with many Tribal operators across the country that rely on the Reno-based company for quality chairs. The new line of chairs for Tribal operators further enhances those business relationships.
“We deliver what our customers need,” Esposito said. “We have earned their trust , and they trust our name. And that’s because we create and deliver unsurpassed chairs.”
