Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming FEBRUARY 2016 18 Trade events happening. Everywhere you look people are making connections and doing deals. I like to think of it as a cross between a hypermarket and a souk, with the zest and energy that only gaming has.” Floorspace this year was a vast 39,000 square meters, or about the same as six World Cup football pitches. A total of 527 companies came to exhibit, with the largest display alone (belonging to Austrian slot maker Novomatic) occupying 5,000 square meters. While audited visitor numbers have not yet been released, organizers Clarion expected 25,000 professionals to attend. Last year they came from 133 different countries. A favorite story of Jones’ relates to Cabo Verde; a tropical island nation in the eastern Atlantic that, like Macau, is a former Portuguese colony. “As a tourism destination it’s a bit like a poor man’s Caribbean. Last April I took my family there on holiday. I remember remarking to friends that in terms of its economy and overall development, the place would benefit hugely from a really good casino resort,” Jones says. It came as no surprise to Jones, then, when three months later casino operator L ondon’s ICE Totally Gaming, which IAG has just attended, is now clearly the largest trade fair in the global gaming industry. But for ICE’s Chris Jones its impressive numbers alone are not enough. “Being the biggest show isn’t necessarily the same as being the best. You have to look at quality; not just measured in terms of how many hours each visitor spends here and whether or not they come back, but in terms of what they’re actually doing,” he says. “When you’re here you can feel the energy; a palpable sense that things are