By Annette Shailer
The two-day Hospitality and Gaming Australasia (HGA) expo and conference drew a crowd of more than 4500 on Monday (Mar 30) at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Attendees perused the latest products and services of around 200 exhibitors, while a conference component addressed a range of issues.
HGA general manager Adam Wilson said feedback was very good with attendees up by 15 per cent on last year.
“It was probably the best trade show I’ve ever been involved in and I’ve done around 25 different shows,” he said.
“The exhibitors are working smarter, with many pre-marketing before the show and making the most of every person that walks past their stand, and they are seeing results because of this.
“The full rewards of the show are yet to be seen as a lot of people will make decisions after the show, particularly clubs,” he said.
One of the conference’s speakers was Diageo’s shopper and channel insights manager, Sherree Halliwell, who provided delegates with some tips on understanding and appealing to customers.
“Consumers are in a paradoxical reality at the moment because many have the money to spend but the inclination to save because of the current climate,” she said.
“One of the trends we have seen is that consumers might be going out less frequently but are spending more when they do go out.”
The exhibitors included a wide snapshot of the industry with gaming giants Aruze, Ainsworth and Aristocrat, alongside others including CCA, ILG and AON.