“AGE is easily the largest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere”

(Exclusive interview).- Focus Gaming News talked with Ross Ferrar, CEO of Gaming Technologies Association and he shared his expectations for AGE 2016.

The Australasian Gaming Expo 2016 (AGE 2016) is a few days away and Focus Gaming News shares exclusive material about the biggest gaming event for the Australasian market. Gaming Technologies Association is hosting this year’s event, which will present across 17,000 square metres, more than 200 exhibitors showcasing the world’s best gaming and related equipment and services.

What are the main characteristics that distinguish the Australasian Gaming Expo from other similar events?

Featuring 193 exhibitors this year across 22 different supplier categories, including Gaming Equipment, Entertainment, Building Supplies, Security Services and Food & Beverage, the Australasian Gaming Expo is easily the largest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.

This year’s edition has 25 percent more exhibitors than last year. What are your expectations for this edition of the expo?

This is our third year at this temporary venue and whereas in the past two years we only utilised three halls, this year we have managed to use the fourth hall, which has increased our capacity to attract more exhibitors and visitors than last year.

Can you tell us more about the venue?

This venue is only the temporary venue set up by the NSW Government three years ago while the new ICC Sydney is being built at Darling Harbour. The temporary venue was formerly the press centre that was used for the London Olympics.

For this edition, visitors will be able to download an App for their mobile phone, what other features can we expect?

A new feature that we have added is being able to locate an exhibitor’s details and their location on the show map, by simply clicking on their stand number in the exhibitor list. Another advantage of the App is that the exhibitor data is updated daily, so new exhibitors and exhibitors who make last minute changes to their details will be correctly represented. This cannot be done with printed show maps because of the printing lead times.

AGE is getting larger every year, not only when it comes to capacity, but also because of a significant increase of the audience. Why do you think AGE’s growth has been sustained?

There have been three factors that have caused the growth in the Gaming Expo. First, the hospitality industry in Australia is a dynamic and vibrant one that continues to grow and we have been able to capitalise on that growth.  Second, improvements in Digital Marketing technologies have allowed us to improve our visitor marketing to more effectively generate more attendees. And lastly, we expect to see even further growth next year when re re-locate the site to the new International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour.