Reed Exhibitions and the American Gaming Association have collaborated to produce the Global Gaming Expo, widely regarded as the most significant trade expo for the gaming industry (AGA). The first organization is the most successful event organizer in the world, with over seven million attendance at its events each year. The second organization is the casino industry’s national trade association in the United States.
These two organizations have worked closely together for the past two decades, and the G2E Asia event that they will hold in 2021 will be held at The Venetian Macao from August 17th to August 19th. When compared to the other events on the iGaming event calendar for 2021, it is without a doubt one of the most well-known.
An Overview of the Global Gaming Expo’s History
The first-ever Gaming Expo was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from October 1st to October 3rd, 2001. It drew a crowd of 10,000 people, 375 company exhibitors, and keynote speakers such as Alex Yemenidjian, CEO of MGM Studios, and Whoopi Goldberg, an internationally acclaimed actress and comedian. The AGA and the WGCE had a contract conflict, which resulted in the start of the event (World Gaming Congress & Expo). These two parties had previously collaborated on an event.
The event was previously hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center, but it was transferred to the Sands Expo in 2010, where it has remained ever since. Macau surpassed Vegas in annual revenue in 2006, causing the Global Gaming Expo to make an offer to the Australasian Gaming Machine Manufacturers Association to purchase the Asian Gaming Expo. This occurred at the same time when Macau surpassed Vegas in terms of overall revenue. They agreed, and as a result, the AGA renamed the event, G2E Asia. It initially opened in 2007 at the Macau Tower, and it will permanently relocate to Venetian Macao in 2019.
The 2020 Convention Had to Be Cancelled
The exhibition was postponed until the beginning of December 2020, according to a press release issued by G2E Asia on April 17th. The deferral was announced due to growing health concerns connected to the current outbreak, according to the notice.
However, another declaration was made in August 2020 that made it clear that the 2020 G2E would not be viable due to travel restrictions as well as the ongoing global health crisis. As a result, Reed Exhibitions China’s chief operating officer, Josephine Lee, believes that postponing the event until the next year is the best course of action. Moving the focus to 2021 increases the likelihood that both attendees’ and exhibitors’ expectations will be met.
What Can We Expect From the 2021 Event?
It is too early to say for definite what the full event will entail, but the exhibition floor is expected to be divided into twenty various parts. As is common, these options will include gaming equipment, information technology, business solutions, security and surveillance, slot machines, sports betting, and video gaming machines. The Smart IR section is a new addition that will feature exhibitors from various AI and business intelligence-related disciplines. Export Connect will act as a networking forum within the framework of the global esports value chain.
In addition, G2E Asia will include a rewards program. This program will allow participants to make direct contact with exhibitors. Some of the perks of enrolling in this program include a welcome gift, an invitation to the opening ceremony, access to an exclusive lounge with high-speed Wi-Fi, professional concierge assistance, and more. All senior-level decision-makers and critical purchasers are eligible for privileged membership after clearing the verification process established by the organizing committee.
On-site events planned include Tech Talk, Gaming Regulators Networking Luncheon, Operators Cotai Connect, New Product Hot Hits, Segmented Industry Networking Events, and G2E Asia before and after parties. Taking prior experiences into account, the Operators Cotai Connect full-day guided excursion will be limited to VIP members exclusively.
A Quick Overview of Venetian Macao’s History
The architecture of the building that houses G2E Asia, which launched in 2007, was inspired by The Venetian Las Vegas. It is the biggest hotel building in Asia and the world’s second-largest hotel. The project’s major architects were HKS and Aedas, who were also in charge of the building’s interior design. It contains a 1,200,000-square-foot convention center and a gaming floor with over 3,400 slot machines and 800 table games. The building’s overall square footage is 10,500,000 square feet. It has a hotel with 2,905 guest rooms and an indoor arena that can hold 15,000 people.
G2E Asia will have an online conference in the month of May
G2E Asia announced in March that an online conference and expo will take place on May 25. There isn’t much information available about the upcoming event right now. The conference, according to Reed Exhibitions, will focus on creative and exciting technologies that will usher in a new era of gaming and entertainment. In the weeks preceding this digital event, the official G2E website should be updated with an announcement of the speakers who will be attending. After the event, anticipate long-form footage to be published on the G2E Asia YouTube channel.
To summarize
Every year, more than 95 percent of Asian casino operators attend G2E Asia. It is a tremendously important event for the continent’s gaming industry. The 2021 expo is one of the most anticipated in recent history since it will return after a one-year hiatus. It is a well-known marketplace and commercial activity hub where industry specialists from all around Asia may network and gain a better knowledge of current global trends.