Three shows for the coin op market - surely not?

Following ATEI earlier this year we highlighted an interesting market situation regarding trade shows for the coin op and amusement markets. Scroll down to 30th January to see chapter one!

Last week this story took another twist at a meeting organised by BACTA, held in Birmingham and attended by BACTA members/ATEI exhibitors. The outcome of this meeting was for BACTA to seek a tenancy at ExCeL exhibition centre in east London on the same dates as ATEI in January 2010.

This will certainly be a challenge for Clarion Gaming, organisers of ATEI, to overcome but what will happen to the IGX event run by Intergame? On hearing the news Intergame’s David Snook said: "We have had some talks with BACTA's sub-committee set up to advise National Council on the new show project. We feel that there is a great deal of synergy between us. In the final analysis we must keep our promise to our exhibitors to listen to their views." This would seem to suggest that they are happy to compete with Clarion Gaming but would step aside if BACTA wish to proceed independently.

There will be twist and turns in this saga to come with all parties having the potential to take the moral high ground but who REALLY wins? Trade shows are designed to bring a marketplace together in a dynamic environment yet when there are competing events (potentially three of them in this case) those that really suffer are the visitors and exhibitors who are forced to make difficult choices while the market decides which event to support.

Long term of course the market will choose and status quo will be restored with one strong event that best serves the industry but in the meantime this situation will just add to all the other challenges this sector faces.

Coin Op Market Faces Show Choices

This week saw ATEI at Earls Court. This event was previously owned and run by the association BACTA before it was sold to Clarion 3 years ago. As part of that transaction BACTA pledged their support to Clarion for 3 years. This agreement has now come to an end and BACTA are carefully considering their next move as BACTA’s Neil Chinn says: “We are in talks with Earls Court at the moment about availability to hold a new show, which we would work on with a partner.’ (source: http://www.expoabc.com/news_detail.asp?StoryID=818 )

Running at exactly the same time as ATEI in the Hotel Ibis Earls Court was the newly launched IGX (InterGame Expo). The 30 or so exhibitors attending represented a break away faction led by Harry Levy Amusements. These exhibitors felt that recent developments on the ATEI show, and in particular the move upstairs at Earls Court to allow the co located casino events to grow further, has meant their returns from the investment in the show were suffering.

As you will see from the footage below the show is by no means comparable in size and production of ATEI. But that is exactly how the exhibitors wanted it according to organiser David Snook who said ‘They also bitterly resented the escalating costs to exhibit at the show, so came to us and we decided to launch a 'no frills' exhibition, responding to exhibitor demands for a modestly-priced event.’

If BACTA are to re enter the show organising world logic would dictate that BACTA and IGX team up rather than have a third event enter the market. As show organisers ourselves it is an interesting situation to observe and to see how it unfolds. Over 21 years LIW has had to constantly adapt to market change and market demands and 2009 is no different with a new two agreement with the Play Providers Association testament to that.