A record turnout for the first day of the ACOS show, reported organiser Swan Events, heralded what should be the best autumn event for the UK industry in some years.
Many seaside arcade operators and AGC companies crossed the threshold of the ILEC exhibition centre in London for what many regard as a primarily networking event.
This was accentuated by trade association Bacta using it to celebrate its 50th anniversary with president John Bollom doing the honours with large knife and a huge decorated cake.
Then the networking atmosphere continued away from the show aisles with the traditional party at a pub across the road.
Most of the big names in the British amusement and low-stakes gaming industry had booths - Novomatic UK, Merkur UK, Crown Leisure, Sega, UDC, Electrocoin, Reflex and many other suppliers, many of them showing something new, rather than holding on for EAG in January.
For the coastal operators, said Mark Horwood of UDC, it had been "as good a year as last year." Despite the weather? “It’s swings and roundabouts - if you have booked on a holiday park for a week and it’s raining, then the arcade is where you head for.”
Others with a stake in the AGCs business privately expressed concerns that Chancellor Rachel Reeves might do something uncomfortable for the low-stakes gambling industry in her upcoming Budget.
