The Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure trade show – set this year for April 23-25 – is now the world’s number two exhibition for the amusement industry, according to one of the industry’s long-term specialists.
Frank Ballouz, the London-based American who represents major companies like Adrenaline and Benchmark in Europe and the Middle East, said this week that the Dubai event was now second only behind the giant IAAPA trade show in Orlando in November.
“The Middle East has become a very, very important market,” he said, “and events elsewhere have helped to elevate its importance. The EAG in London is more of a UK and European event, while American manufacturers have suffered with the loss of their AMOA show.”
The American market decided to drop AMOA from its autumn dates in favour of the IAAPA show and merge AMOA with the ASI spring show. That, said Ballouz, messed up a prime selling period in the US calendar.
“When AMOA was in September-October the manufacturers would get their new games ready for the Thanksgiving period and still have a couple of selling weeks before Christmas. Now with the AMOA gone and IAAPA fitting into a November date, that little sales boost between Thanksgiving and Christmas is missing. All of that combines to make DEAL the next big international event after IAAPA.”
