Despite being under some pressure, both UDC and Electrocoin were able to take time this week to tell us of early plans for the Open Day in north London which this year will be held on Tuesday, June 4.
UDC’s Matt Bland said that with half the front-line staff off to Saudi for the big show there (May 20-22) and most of the rest at the East Coast Amusement Show in Skegness (May 20-21) the company would be stretched.
“But we will still be preparing for the Open Day which will follow on quickly from those shows,” he said. “We will be previewing some new products at the Open Day, but we will not reveal them in advance - operators will have to visit to discover them!”
He added: “The East Coast event will be at the Southview Park Hotel in Skegness, running from 10am to 6pm and to 4pm on the second day.” Bland said that the UDC team would be joined by GeWeTe, E-Service and 7’s Above with their latest products.
“It’s a small, informal event, with people popping in whenever they can get away from the hustle and bustle of arcade life to grab a cuppa and a chat while checking out the latest developments in coin-op amusements.”
At the Open Day, he said, both UDC and Electrocoin will open their doors for visitors and ply them with food and drink and a great deal of networking.
“It is one of the most enjoyable dates on the coin-op industry calendar and marks the start of the summer season. In years gone by the Park Avenue Open Day has more often than not been blessed with good weather, which makes the Greek BBQ taste even better!”
Electrocoin has had a busy week too, similarly preparing for overseas trips. John Stergides said just before the weekend that he was off on a business trip to China.
But he confirmed many co-exhibitors for their premises, including GeWeTe, Prestige Seating, RBW Systems, Reflex, 7’s Above, Sega, Stern, TouchTunes, Vogos, Fair Games, Genesis, Intercard, JNC, Konami, Newman, Novomatic UK, E-Service, Elmac, Cummins Allison, Cosmic, Blueprint, Bandai Namco, Astro Systems, Ask Global and Ace Gaming.
Stergides told us this week: "Open Day is probably now the longest-established annual coin-op event in the UK. It has found its niche - informal, networking, relaxed but at the same time all the new products are there if you want to look at them.
"It even brings in folk from abroad - and the BBQ goes from strength to strength."
