The traditional pre-summer get-together of the UK and Europe’s coin-op family, the Park Avenue Open Day in London, never fails to disappoint and this year was no different.
If you ignore the operational difficulties of Avanti West Coast and National Rail, which always seem to strike the InterGame team on any trip to London, it was once again a day filled with both fun and business.
The showrooms of both Electrocoin and UDC were thrown open to welcome the best the industry has to offer, with a number of companies showcasing new games and prototypes to garner feedback from operators ahead of a busy summer season.
Perhaps most anticipated was the Greek BBQ, which, as always, was incredibly well received, as well as the complimentary ice cream truck which never seemed to be without a queue.
In terms of product, Electrocoin showed off two new games. Capsule World is a vend-every-time game which includes the chance for a bonus vend and was well received by visitors.
The company also showcased Big Wheel, a skill game featuring a Ferris wheel design with players having to correctly time their press to win the prize.
John A Stergides, sales and marketing at Electrocoin, was pleased to host the industry once again at his company’s premises. “It’s a great opportunity to see everyone and network just before the summer,” he said.
“We got lucky with the weather again. I think we Greeks sacrifice enough lambs at Easter to request the good weather!”
Just down the road at UDC the atmosphere was similarly positive, with the company showcasing three new games ahead of the 2026 season.
It displayed Demon Tower, Galaxy Hunter and Dragon Blade, all of which come from Playmore, the company behind Pearl Fishery and Tornado, which have both been strong performers for UDC.
The company’s Matt Bland said that the open day was a chance to gauge the reaction of customers ahead of a full launch. He said: “We benefit from the feedback of the customers and anyone in the industry - it’s a two-way street.
“We’ve got Demon Tower, Galaxy Hunter and Dragon Blade. They’ve all got their own unique features and other things that will draw players and today we’ve shown them as an early preview to get feedback.”
He was also full of praise for the day and backed its importance to the industry. “We’re keen to continue it. It’s a firm thing in the calendar and everyone looks forward to it.”
Novomatic Gaming UK was the headline sponsor of the event and showed up in force, armed with two Black Edition XL Cabinets, a Black Edition Cat C Cabinet and the NovoCash X4 cash management kiosk.
Paisley Jones, marketing and media manager at the company, said: “It’s such a fantastic forum to connect with industry professionals in quite an informal way.
“Electrocoin and UDC are great organisers and they don’t have to do this - they do this for the good of the industry and it provides a wonderful environment to talk about things like the white paper in quite an informal setting.”
