G2E Asia saw record numbers gather at the Venetian Macao last month as Macau’s biggest gaming trade show again attracted the eyes of the industry.
By Raquel Dias
As has become customary over the past decade, May saw the latest edition of Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia fire up at the Venetian Macao. And just like previous editions, 2017 saw G2E Asia set record attendance numbers to cement its standing as the region’s most prominent annual gaming industry trade show.
This year, G2E Asia welcomed a total of 13,953 visitors from 84 countries and regions. Visitor attendance was up 28% over 2016. Among the attendees were 1,652 serious buyers and decision makers with purchasing power. This significant representation of VIPs represented a 74% increase from 2016.
The event boasted many of the biggest names in the industry from Scientific Games, Aristocrat, IGT, Aruze and Konami to iGaming leaders BBIN, SA Gaming, IDNPLAY, eBet and Qtech amongst the 180 exhibitors displaying the newest trends.
Just as significant was the G2E Asia Conference, covering a wide range of relevant topics from the Asian Markets Forum to the iGaming Summit and various issues surrounding Integrated Resort Operations and Marketing.
This year’s keynote speakers were Galaxy Entertainment Group Vice Chairman Francis Lui and Director of Macau’s Gaming and Inspection Coordination Bureau (DICJ), Paulo Martins Chan, who both provided their insights into the state of Asia’s gaming industry.
Among the many topics discussed by Mr Lui was the undersupply of hotel rooms in Macau, with the prominent local figure stating, “Macau needs more hotel rooms to support its tourism industry. North America averages 100,000 to 115,000 hotel rooms in its major tourism centers. Macau has 36,000.”
Mr Lui added that limited supply – which contributed to Galaxy boasting 97% occupancy across its five hotels in 1Q17 – threatened the long-term health of the city’s tourism industry.
“China is not only Macau’s number one tourism source, it is the number one tourism source for the world,” he said. “The US$261 billion spent by Chinese tourists in 2016 represented a 161% increase in just five years. Macau must be protective of its Chinese tourism market – particularly with China so under-penetrated.”
Meanwhile, Mr Chan said that the DICJ would, “continue to monitor closely the ongoing operations of the different gaming operators and any changes to the external gaming environment.”
He added that Macau had come a long way over the past 12 months, overcoming 26 consecutive months of decline to find itself riding a wave of nine straight months of growth. And he credited the DICJ’s persistence in pushing for diversification for helping turn the industry’s fortunes around.
G2E Asia 2017 also saw the launch of G2E Asia Daily – a brand new daily newspaper printed and distributed on each of the three show days. A partnership between Reed Exhibitions, organizer of G2E Asia, and O MEDIA, publisher of Inside Asian Gaming, G2E Asia Daily proved a huge success on debut with 7,000 copies widely distributed throughout the show providing the latest news from the conference and exhibition floor, showcasing exhibitor products and providing all the must-know information on everything from G2E Asia’s array of press conferences and media launches to its many networking events.
G2E Asia and G2E Asia Daily will both return to the Venetian Macao from 15 to 17 May 2018.
