Inside Asian Gaming

IAG MAR 2022年3月 亞博匯 56 I t is now 27 months since the last gaming industry trade show was hosted in Asia and almost three years since G2E Asia was held in Macau. Since then there have been countless false starts by established organizers and rapid departures from those looking to get in on the Asian trade show scene. But as the global COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of easing and many nations start relaxing long-held border restrictions, plans are already underway to bring back some of the region’s most established events, such as the Australasian Gaming Expo scheduled to return to Sydney in August. The road forward is less clear in Macau, which continues to follow Beijing’s lead with its zero-COVID policy. At this stage G2E Asia is booked into The Venetian Macao from 30 August to 1 September 2022, but it remains to be seen whether those dates are realistic. Industry rumors suggest an alternative location is already being considered, possibly Singapore. Yet there is no doubt industry suppliers are keen to resume the face-to-face interactions with customers that COVID-19 has rendered largely impossible for the past few years. “We believe trade shows hold the same level of importance, and this is especially so in Asia, where there have been heavy restrictions on travel in the region,” said Aristocrat’s Director, Product Marketing and Strategy for ANZ and APAC, John Stevanja. “Meeting our customers face-to-face at events and being able to interact physically with our products remains a key part of the sales and relationship building process. At an event, our customers can more easily see FEATURES The Australasian Gaming Expo held in Sydney in August 2019. The Australasian Gaming Expo於2019年8月在悉尼 舉行。