We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when,
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day.
– Dame Vera Lynn
These famous words from the iconic wartime song “We’ll Meet Again” were just as apt in Asia’s “COVID years” – 2020, 2021 and 2022 – as they were during WWII in the first half of the 1940s. Those first three years of the 2020s saw our industry in a dark place, with so many of our people depressed, locked down, isolated and – yes – afraid. If there’s one thing the human condition holds dear, it is connection: the simple act of meeting a friend, talking to a colleague, or even chatting with a stranger at a party.
It was this lack of connection that was so devastating during that horrible time. Yes, we had Zoom. Yes, we had social media. And – from an industry point of view – yes, we had virtual and hybrid trade shows. But the moment the opportunity came to press the flesh, the virtual world was abandoned with glee, and we all rushed out to simply have a beer or a coffee. A chat. A business meeting actually in person – wearing our trousers!
Given the nature of our industry, centered around fun, entertainment, going for a night out and having a good time in the company of others, is it any wonder that our inclination, our preference, is to connect in person? Of course not.
And so it is that we come to the first real G2E Asia post-pandemic. Ok sure, there was a kind of pseudo-G2E Asia in Singapore in 2022 and 2023 and an even more pseudo version in Macau last year, but those were small, even tiny, and – frankly – mere shadows of what G2E Asia used to be and should be. They were not at all what the industry craved. To be honest, they were missteps.
But credit where credit is due: G2E Asia organizer Reed Exhibitions realized their missteps, and they finally got their act together this year. After these “poor cousin” versions of G2E Asia in 2022 and 2023, Reed announced way back in September last year that there would be one (and only one) G2E Asia in 2024, and that it would be in Macau, and that it would take place from June 4 to 6. That’s exactly what the industry wanted to hear.
So, we look forward to shaking your hand at this year’s G2E Asia, in person! We’ll see you at the main exhibition floor. We’ll see you at the G2E Asia conference, which – as in previous years – is being managed by Inside Asian Gaming. And thirdly and most importantly, we’ll see you at the networking events, headlined by IAG’s very own “The Industry Party” on the night of Wednesday June 5.
And there won’t be a Zoom meeting or virtual trade show floor in sight! From all of us at IAG – have a fantastic, productive and successful G2E Asia.
