Global table games developer TCSJOHNHUXLEY has called for the gaming industry to collectively push for the further postponement or cancellation of G2E Asia 2020, describing the decision to push ahead with the current dates of 28 to 30 July as “sheer folly and corporate profiteering.”
In a powerfully worded “Open letter to the gaming industry” distributed overnight (Asian time), the UK-based company outlined its belief that attending a trade show such as G2E Asia as soon as July is not feasible given the global coronavirus pandemic that continues to close international borders and strain business operations.
“As countries work to contain the spread of the virus, many governments have banned large events, mass gatherings and in many cases, enforced full lock downs until the situation is brought under control,” TCSJOHNHUXLEY said.
“The organiser of G2E Asia, Reed Exhibitions, has decided to postpone the show until the end of July, however even these new dates are far too close for any exhibitors to be able to think about taking part.
“To exhibit at a trade show takes months of painstaking meticulous preparation. With so many businesses in lock down for indefinite periods along with global travel restrictions, it will take some time to re-establish normal working levels and the appetite to travel will be limited for many.
“Having consulted with our customers, it is our firm belief that very few operators outside of Macau will want to, or be able to attend a show in July, even if it could go ahead at that time. We face challenging trading times and if customer volumes are significantly reduced along with the difficulty of moving products around the world, we have to ask ourselves if this trade show is commercially viable.”
G2E Asia has already been rescheduled once, with organizer Reed Exhibitions announcing in early March that the show would be moved from its original dates of 19 to 21 May to the end of July.
TCSJOHNHUXLEY said it has since approached Reed Exhibitions to either defer the dates again or cancel this year’s show altogether but that “these requests have fallen on deaf ears.”
“To go ahead with the show under these circumstances is a ludicrous combination of sheer folly and corporate profiteering,” said TCSJOHNHUXLEY Executive Chairman, Tristan Sjöberg.
The company has instead encouraged other exhibitors to join together to advocate for the show to be moved to late 2020 at the earliest.
“This is the time for us all to work together in highlighting to Reed the need for a sensible approach that is workable, yet beneficial for everyone,” it said.
