The Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) serves as a yearly “mecca”, according to Chien-Ee Yeh, President of Reed Exhibitions Asia Pacific, with the event making an IR-centric return on June 4th-6th.
Speaking at the press conference for the event on Friday, the executive outlined that G2E Asia will be focusing solely on land-based operations, including IRs and non-gaming, not aiming to include eGaming elements, contrary to concurring events such as Sigma, with the executive noting that “the profile has changed and evolved over the years”.
Reed Exhibitions has also extended invitations to Macau’s six gaming operators to participate in the event, with the executive noting that “they are the cornerstone of the industry in Macau. We’d love them to come to our show and exchange ideas”.
Speaking of the focus on IRs rather than a strict gaming focus, Yeh notes that “our gaming operators are now diversifying. They are into integrated resorts, so we also need to evolve ourselves to meet their needs, to understand what they’re looking for, the technology that they’re going after, the suppliers that they want to talk to”.
The event is subdivided into various segments – G2E Asia and the Asian IR Expo, bringing together 100 exhibitors over three days including sessions with industry experts.
In focus will be potential upcoming markets such as Thailand and the UAE, as well as Artificial Intelligence, tech, compliance and regulation, and financial crime.
The event welcomes featured speakers including Morgan Stanley’s Praveen Choudary, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Angela HanLee, Cambodia Commercial Gambling Management Commission’s Daniel Li and Spectrum Gaming Group’s Fredric Gushin.
The Chairman and CEO of the Philippines’ gaming regulatory body PAGCOR, Alejandro H. Tengco, will also be delivering a Keynote speech on June 6th.
Another component of the upcoming conference is smart table innovations, a topic which has taken Macau by storm as operators aim to implement the latest technology, including RFID and AI.
Chien-Ee Yeh notes that the IR component of the exhibition is now inseparable and that both G2E and the Asia IR Expo are “going to be held concurrently” for future editions.
The organizer also noted that Macau continues to be the “hub of Asia Pacific”, noting that there is no “need to be in Singapore”.
Last year’s G2E was split between Singapore and Macau, dividing attendance and exhibitor interest as Macau’s version was branded as having a non-gaming focus.
G2E Asia takes place at the Venetian Macau from June 4th to 6th.
