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UK amusements and attractions expo hits record number of exhibitors
More than 130 exhibitors attended EAG International, the gaming and amusements industry trade show, in London this week, breaking previous records for the eight-year-old exhibition.
EAG International runs alongside the fledgling Visitor Attraction Expo (VAE) at the ExCeL in the British capital. More than 6,000 unique visitors are expected to visit the show, which ends today (14 January).
On the amusements and gaming side, major industry players were in attendance. Sega and Bandai Namco were amongst those presenting their catalogue of new products for the 2016 season.
VAE, which launched in January 2015, has grown in size, and been further integrated into the amusements exhibition. A range of attractions services and products were on show at the BAALPA-supported show, including outdoor and adventure play specialists Innovative Leisure and Timber Play, ticketing solutions providers Vennersys and Syx Automations and leisure park train makers Severn Lamb.
"We've had more exhibitors this year than ever before," Martin Burlin, chair of EAG, told Attractions Mangement. "Even though we had more space to sell following some big mergers in the industry such as Crown Leisure with Harry Levy – who used to buy two big stands but now only need one – we managed to fill that space with new exhibitors."
"We've always been very price conscious, and haven't put our prices up for four years, so that helps us stay competitive," he added.
Welcoming the VAE show for the second year, Burlin believes the two events work well together. The shows have been integrated this year to provide a more seamless visitor experience, with many of the exhibitors relevant to both attractions and amusements buyers.
"We're looking forward to further developing the VAE show next year," Burlin said. "We've got lots of ideas which we'll be revealing later in the year."
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