More than 6,000 people were in attendance as G2E Asia returned to The Venetian Macao as a full-sized show for the first time in over five years.
Asia’s largest annual land-based gaming industry exhibition, G2E Asia, returned to The Venetian Macao in early June for the first full-sized show since 2019.
Showcasing the latest and greatest industry trends and innovative products across 22,000 square meters of floor space, this year’s expo and conference attracted a total of 6,319 visitors including 458 Privilege Members, according to organizer Reed Exhibitions (RX), highlighting the industry’s desire to come together in Asia’s gaming hub.
In his opening Keynote Address, Bill Miller, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association, said all signs pointed to a healthy future for the Asian gaming industry, especially in Macau.
“Macau is making headlines for all the right reasons, with a strong start for 2023 and each month topping the previous,” Miller said of the SAR’s gaming revenue growth trajectory. “It really points to a robust global recovery.
“I absolutely believe that there will be, and already is, tremendous momentum here [in Asia] and I believe that will be sustained.”
Miller also said the pandemic years had caused people to adopt a renewed outlook on leisure activities such as gaming.
“There was a tragedy that happened in terms of the loss of life during the pandemic but there was also a loss of life experience – a loss of those things that you took for granted,” he said.
“I think that people have a slightly different outlook on life now in terms of realizing that things aren’t as important, experiences are more important. That’s one of the things that I see has happened in the US – people really value the experiences that we bring, whether it’s the casino floor or the entertainment element or restaurants or shows. All of those types of things really help contribute to what I believe to be a completely different viewpoint for most humans who experienced this level of shut down, and then this pent-up demand upon opening.”
Proving particularly popular was the G2E Asia conference, co-organized by Inside Asian Gaming, which saw a large audience in attendance across three days of insightful content. A Keynote Address from PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco was the most attended session of the week, closely followed by a panel discussion on smart table technology and another on diversifying casino floors by improving the slot machine experience.
Among the many talking points raised was the popularity of themed slot machine areas, with Light & Wonder’s Ken Jolly commenting, “This has been a debate in the industry for a long time: how do we get that younger generation in and how do we make them feel happy about gaming? And I think it will be getting more immersive, making sure the rooms provide a much better environment to play in.
“Over time you’re going to see areas develop within the casino that go beyond just machine layouts. There are a few people in the industry talking about this – about how we go about moving to that sort of stage and theming areas.
“Imagine a room where you’ve got digital walls and activity going on and stuff happening around the room – lots of lighting, thunderbolts and stuff when you win a jackpot – that’s probably where we’re going to head.”
This year represented the 15th edition of G2E Asia, which made its debut at Macau Tower in June 2007 before moving to its long-term home at The Venetian Macao the following year. The expo wasn’t held in 2020 or 2021 but made a temporary move to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands in Singapore in 2022 and 2023.
