A meeting between Clarion, owner of the ICE Totally Gaming show, and the organisers of the EAG Expo, took place yesterday to discuss areas of common interest in their respective trade shows in 2013.
EAG, owned by the trade association, BACTA, will run its event at ExCel from January 28-31, 2013 as projected. The ICE Totally Gaming, with its accent on land-based casinos and e-gaming, has since Friday secured a place at ExCel for the period from February 5-7, a week after EAG.
The issues discussed would surely have included ‘overlap’ products as well as the talk of EAG possibly moving dates to coincide with ICE.
Martin Burlin, show director of EAG, told us last night that the meeting with Clarion had been ‘constructive’ and as far as the overlap products were concerned ‘we have an understanding’. Asked if that meant that the subject was no longer contentious, Burlin confirmed that it was the case.
He also confirmed that there had been no further request from either Clarion or from ExCel for EAG to move its dates to co-incide with ICE. “We started EAG two years ago as a show for the trade by the trade. We will listen to our customers, the exhibitors. At this moment they are not asking us to move dates. If they do ask us, then of course we will listen. Until then the question of moving dates is not an option.”
Speculation will now circle what moves the Americans may make. Last year the American Gaming Association, and its G2E show manager Reed International, had indicated that it was prepared to run a European show and even suggested that it would stage it at ExCel in London. Industry rumours will now centre on the possibility that the AGA will open up the issue again, perhaps with a rival trade show elsewhere in Europe - Amsterdam having been suggested at various times.
