The DEAL show in Dubai came to a close Thursday and was widely praised by exhibitors from the amusement and attractions sectors.
The show, ranked by some as now the most important after the mammoth IAAPA Attractions Expo in the US, is, as one exhibitor put it, all about “quality not quantity.” The majority of those InterGame spoke with suggested that foot traffic was down on previous years. All were keen to stress, however, that the show attracts serious, motivated buyers and very few “tyre kickers.”
Here is a market that embraces new games and technologies like few others. Although clearly Dubai’s family entertainment centre market is maturing, the Middle East region nonetheless represents one of the most buoyant territories for the amusement industry.
There has been market consolidation, with the big FEC operators Al Hokair, Al Othaim, Landmark Leisure and Majid Al Futtaim having grown considerably in recent years, but the sector continues to attract new entrants. Such is the demand for indoor leisure activities that new retail malls – each housing at least one FEC – are being developed throughout the Gulf and northern Africa.
The recent economic downturn did impact the region, perhaps to a lesser extent than say, Europe, but new projects it seems are now under way and due to open in the near future. There was also much talk about the positive impact on tourism the Dubai Expo 2020 and the Qatar World Cup in 2022 are expected to deliver and how the attractions industry can benefit.
For an industry that has suffered elsewhere in the world, the Middle East is a region full of potential.
A full report from the DEAL Show in Dubai will feature in the May issue of InterGame.
