By Triana O'Keefe, editor Australian Hotelier
The Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) on 11-13 August at Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island is one of just four major global gaming industry trade shows annually.
At 15,600 square metres, it’s also one of the largest trade events in Australia and easily the largest gaming event. A finalist in last year’s EEAA Awards for Excellence, the event attracts exhibitors and visitors from all over the world.
Owned and operated by the Gaming Technologies Association (GTA), the Gaming Expo is the ultimate showplace for new gaming technologies for casinos, clubs and hotels. The biggest attraction is the new machines and games from poker machine suppliers, who look forward to August each year to unveil their best products.
The Association’s primary members Ainsworth, Aristocrat, Aruze, Bally, Ebet, IGT and Konami are world’s-best at their trade, and the Gaming Expo presents a great opportunity for their customers to experience the latest, cutting-edge gaming design and technologies. With 17 new casinos scheduled to open in the Asia-Pacific region by 2020 – including two in Australia – now is the time for suppliers to engage their customers.
Ninety-seven per cent of visitors surveyed last year saw the expo as an opportunity to see new products and technology, while 99 per cent said the exhibition stand quality was good or excellent and the event itself was satisfactory or excellent. One attendee described it as “the best trade show I have been to”.
Visitors who attend the Australasian Gaming Expo are eligible to win a trip for two to the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas – including airfares from Sydney and five nights at the luxurious Palazzo Venetian Resort and Casino. One trip for two will be drawn on each day of the Gaming Expo.
The AGE15 app is available for download at the Apple Store, on Google Play or via the event website. The app features information including how to get to the venue, transport timetables, an interactive floor plan and a detailed exhibitor list. Visitors that have installed the app and allowed access will receive a welcome message as they pass through the entry gate. Once they’re inside the exhibition and pass various points they will get updates about the daily Las Vegas trip draw, entertainment and other activities.
The event website includes the interactive floor plan which is updated in real time, along with a list of exhibitors which can be sorted by company name, stand number or category – and provides contact details for each exhibitor and their website address for further information.
Exhibition entry is complimentary to gaming industry executives, courtesy of the Gaming Technologies Association. The exhibition is open from 10am on Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 August and closes at 5pm on the Tuesday and Wednesday (closes at 3pm on the Thursday). Trade suppliers are not eligible to attend the event unless exhibiting and nobody under 18 years of age (including infants) may enter the Exhibition.
GTA CEO Ross Ferrar expects this year to best yet. "The great thing about the Australasian Gaming Expo is that it delivers. Year after year, visitors say they want to see new technologies and year after year, that’s exactly what they see."