The political engagement campaign to raise awareness of the issues and challenges facing bacta members saw the trade association host Dame Caroline Dinenage the Conservative MP for Gosport, Stubbington, Lee on the Solent and Hill Head at the Olympia Amusements FEC owned by long-standing arcadian Alfie Valler.
 Ms Dinenage who chairs the DCMS Select Committee has extensive knowledge of small and medium sized enterprises, both as a business owner of two decades standing and also courtesy of her role as a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee. In 2013, she was appointed Small Business Ambassador for the South by the then Prime Minister, David Cameron.
The bacta delegation comprising National President John Bollom, Chief Executive John White and Membership Support Officer, David Miller provided insight on the macro issues impacting the industry with Alfie Valler explaining the challenges of running an amusements business in the face of rising costs, labour shortages and the squeeze on household income.
John White cited the huge benefits of engaging with MPs in their constituencies. The bacta chief executive said: “There’s no doubt that MPs are tuned into the experiences of their constituents. Caroline was well aware of Olympia Amusements and had spent time at the venue with her family.  
“It helped that she was acutely aware of the difficulties of running SMEs and we were able to raise a number of business-critical issues with her including the importance of moving to the 50/50 ratio, the absolute necessity for an increase in stakes and prizes and the need to offer consumers a range of modern payments methods.”
He continued: “Caroline spent over an hour with us listening to what we had to say and speaking with Alfie and manager Nikki Thompson who has run the arcade for some 50-years.”