The Spring ENADA trade show in Rimini, Italy, ends today following a quiet start that built in momentum on day two.
Some companies’ stands seemed constantly packed, but more exhibited wide open spaces. The show is big; it fills the Rimini Feria expo centre, although it has to be said that stands were well spread out and there were a few large gaps in the floor space.
At the entrance were the big boys - the video lottery terminal concessionaires and the major manufacturers who are being instrumental in supplying them. Back in Rome in the autumn I had been told that VLT roll-out had been painfully slow. Now, it seems, it is gathering pace. Estimates vary but it appears that between 10,000 and 16,000 VLTs are now out in the market. When roll-out is complete there will be around 57,000 VLT machines in Italy, which will account for 14 per cent of all Comma 6A product.
It is true that the amusement game manufacturers are taking a hit because operators are saving their cash for VLTs and, to a lesser extent, AWPs, but the presence of large stands from the likes of Faro Games, Dedem and Elmac showed that amusement is far from dead in the water in the Italian market.
The main problem with the Rimini show is Rimini itself. The somewhat faded holiday resort is a bit depressing off-season, but that’s not the main reason why it is a far from ideal venue. The expo centre is fine, but Rimini is so difficult to get to if you begin your journey outside Italy.
I left home at 6am and arrived at my hotel at 8pm after various trips aboard planes, trains and automobiles. Rome is further from Manchester yet I can fly there in less than two hours. To compound the problems, Rimini airport was closed, causing international visitors no end of problems.
A full show report will follow in the April issue of InterGame.
