It was suggested by one or two companies exhibiting at the EAG Expo, held January 22-24 at ExCeL in London’s Docklands, that the show might be moved to the Olympia halls, close to Earls Court and where the old ATEI was held in the early 1980s for a couple of years.
This has surprised some because EAG this year floated free of the same week as ICE Totally Gaming and did so very successfully at ExCeL.
No confirmation has come from the organisers that Olympia is being considered, but we understand that the only dates available to the BACTA-sponsored show would be very early January, even possibly the first week of the new year.
There would be problems with this. Notably, the show might be contained on the ground floor, if cramped a little, but no-one would want to be situated on the upper floor - yet the show would be charged by the Olympia authorities for use of the upstairs area, whether it is utilised or not.
In addition to the “dead space” issue, the first week in January is a major festival for many European countries, more so than Christmas itself, and that period also includes the important Three Kings festival, which would hamper travel. And one key surprise for many at the 2013 EAG was the number of non-British visitors.
The odds are therefore stacked against the possibility of moving back to Olympia, it would seem.
