Putting a brave face on the cold hard facts of the economic recession, the Spanish industry gathered in Madrid today for the opening of the FER trade show.
The event was around 30 per cent smaller than last year and the crowds much thinner than normal, a reflection of the severe effects the economic recession is having on the country.
Many of the big companies were there, Cirsa, R Franco, Aristocrat, Novomatic, Gauselmann, but there were some missing faces, WMS, MGA and Sleic to name but three which had major booths in 2012.
The truth of the matter, said one industry observer, is that the typical Spanish family now has 40 per cent less ‘spend’ on non-essentials such as leisure and entertainment, a factor which is impacting the cash box of Spain’s 200,000 AWPs.
But although another observer commented that “it’s a miracle this show is happening at all,” the bigger companies put on the usual Spanish style which they always do for trade shows: plenty of new machines, a great deal of razzamatazz and lots of pretty girls.
Whether they will actually sell any machines is debatable, but they certainly cannot be accused of not trying.
A full report on the Spanish show will appear in our April issue.
