AGE sees 19 % rise in visits in its 2017 edition

"It’s a key statistic that everybody looks at,” Ross Ferrar, chief executive of the event organiser, the Gaming Technologies Association, told GGRAsia. "The relocation to ICC Sydney had a positive impact on visitor numbers… People like exhibition centres to be near the central business district of a city,” added Ferrar.

This year there were 246 exhibitors, a 32 % higher than the approximately 186 featured in the 2016 edition, said the organiser. Gross floor space was just over 19,000 square metres this year, up 12 % compared to 17,000 sq metres last year. Four years ago the exhibition covered 15,000 sq metres.

As well as the novelty of a brand new venue, AGE 2017 also saw some upgrades in supporting technology, including paperless marketing communications between exhibitors and visitors. "We had an attendee badge reader on every exhibition stand,” explained Ferrar.

"If a visitor tapped their badge on reader, they were sent an email that day with information from each of the exhibitors they had tapped. That was hugely successful. In other words, exhibitors didn’t have to print pallets-worth of paper and visitors didn’t have to carry around bags full of brochures,” he added.

Visitors at AGE 2017 were able to broaden their knowledge about hospitality and gaming via seven complimentary seminars – with an aggregate of 1,400 places – covering the latest developments in venues, technology, research and cash management.

"We wanted to pick and choose the topics we felt were important for the industry; so we made the seminars complimentary for people who were registering to attend the exhibition,” concluded Ferrar.

Next year’s AGE will be held from the August 14 to 16, at the ICC Sydney.

Source: GMB / GGR Asia