By Clyde Mooney – editor Australian Hotelier
The 2014 edition of the Australasian Gaming Expo is approaching, with even more attractions beyond a showcase of the world’s best gaming equipment and services.
The Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) has struck silver, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary and the move to a new location on Glebe Island.
Over 160 exhibitors will occupy over 15,000 square metres of the new Sydney Exhibition Centre, and more than 5000 visitors are expected to flock to the site, which enjoys harbour frontage on three sides and views of both the Anzac and Sydney Harbour Bridges.
Scheduled to take place August 12, 13 and 14, the AGE will see more than 750 poker machines and several hundred truckloads of equipment and signage move in then out over the few days.
For the first time this year, there will be a range of contemporary pop-up eating spaces and an alfresco area. Visitors will also be invited to attend the ‘Best Stand’ award presentation on the Tuesday, and a Silver Anniversary celebration on the Wednesday.
Also, both the AGE website and the new AGE14 app feature an interactive floor plan updated in real time, allowing users to search exhibitors by name, stand or category, and providing contact and website details. The app also features information on the venue, transport including timetables, and booking facilities.
Entry is complimentary for gaming executives courtesy of the Gaming Technologies Association (GTA), which owns and operates the AGE.
The GTA is again giving away three trips for two to the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, including airfares from Sydney and five nights at the Palazzo Venetian Resort & Casino.
The GTA’s primary members Ainsworth, Aristocrat, Aruze, Bally, IGT, Konami and WMS Gaming will be showcasing their latest offerings for customers from around the region, but all aspects of hospitality beyond gaming will be on show with exhibitors bringing the latest in: audio visual equipment; ATM, POS and cash handling equipment; building, interior design and decorating services; consultancy and financial services; entertainment; food and beverage; marketing; membership management; paging & communication; security; signage & displays and uniforms.