The team from the highly specialised technical service company E-Service, which provides UK gaming, amusement and vending operators with efficient and cost-effective spare parts, electronic repairs and support, will take to their stand at EAG to highlight their new completely user-friendly Website and other new areas of their successful business. The company once again increased in size throughout 2011 and now employs more than 40 staff.

Interactive family attractions specialist Innovative Leisure, based in Leicester, will be displaying a fully operational DigiWall attraction at EAG while also promoting its complete range of interactive family attractions.

Included among these are climbing walls and towers; DigiWall, a computer-controlled climbing wall attraction;The Rock, a motorised climbing simulator; the Water Wars water balloon game, available with the optional Depth Charge feature; a recently introduced range of major High Ropes courses; and a brand new Mobile Zip Wire.

Electrodiver was founded in November of 1984 by Fernando Santos and his wife Maria do Céu Santos. The firm is a leader in the manufacture of kiddie rides in the Portuguese and international market.

Besides the manufacturing of kiddie rides, it also makes large statues in fibreglass.

In 2009 it was given an award in Spain as the best foreign company in the sector.

3DMe UK has made 3D printing easy, practical, and affordable simply using a standard printer, inkjet or dye-sublimation. There is no need for special glasses, viewers or display units to view the captured 3D image.

All that is required is the latest pioneering dual-lens 3D camera offering in the market today. Once the photo is taken, it is processed, printed, and framed in a couple of minutes on the spot using 3DMe’s proprietary software which allows for changes in 3D geometry of given stereoscopic data.

Innovative Technology, exhibiting at both EAG and the concurrent ICE event, will unveil an exciting new programme – Smart Data.

Real Puncher is back! EAG 2012 sees the official launch of Real Puncher 2. The famous interactive punching game returns with many added features as well as stage play, starting with Bank Robber, and continuing through Trailer, Dinosaur, Kraken and ultimately Meteor.

The game has a single-play option, as well as two-, three- or four-player Battle Mode. Operators have a ticket payout option and can adjust difficulty settings.

JNC will be showing Kiddie Sub, an enclosed ride with fully interactive video screen, and full motion up/down and forward/backward. Control the sub with the control panel; use the attack button on the panel to shoot targets above and below the sea, increasing your score each time you hit a target.

Suzo-Happ will have on show a range of amusement and gaming products with many new items, including two brand-new products that will not be unveiled until EAG.

On the stand you will find high-quality change machines, ticketing, and cash handling and recycling products from SHG, Gewete and Futurelogic, as well as coin and note handling product from Innovative Technology and Crane Payment Solutions.

Sound Leisure and Soundnet are anticipating a fantastic EAG show this month, with a range of products and services designed to suit every budget and location.

ToyVend is the UK’s longest-established supplier of quality sweet and novelty vending machines. It is the UK distributor for Beaver vending machines, known throughout the world for their build quality.

As the official UK distributor for Bandai and Cool Things, ToyVend can offer licensed vending novelties which include items such as Ben 10, Carebears, Clone Wars, Hello Kitty, Hot Wheels Power Rangers, Smurfs, The Flintstones and many more.

Quanmax’s Funworld division will use EAG to highlight Photo Play Q1, a compilation of 16 challenging games including eight multiplayer choices and an innovative menu design.

Photo Play Q1 offers an attractive mix of three fun games, four card games and nine skill games which motivate players to top performance: Boogie Find, Find It (with 350 new images), Elements Square, Kniffler MP, Mau-Mau, Newton 2, Paper Trash, Penguin Attack, Persian Diamonds, Pile-Up, Rommé for 2, Rush Hour, Slotcar Race, Strategy, Stronghold and Terra Cotta.

PW Sales was formed in January 2011 by former QPS/Mazooma Games man Paul Wilson. The plan was originally for the company to concentrate on the supply of rebuilds, conversion kits, club machines and used equipment to single-site operators, something it has done successfully during 2011 and will continue in 2012.

The ultimate in crane technology, TheWon, has a proven track record as a fully automatic, self-adjusting crane processor. TheWon fits easily to any existing crane and is as easy to set up as it is in operation. Guaranteed to make your cranes more profitable, TheWon drastically reduces the man hours required to maintain cranes.

Since debuting its first Dr. Face unit in 1997, Digital Centre has gone on to create such international photo booth hits as Dr. Fashion, Crazy Doctor, Pix-Mix Factory, Photo-ID, Ping-Pong Kombat, Baby Boom, Instant Photo Souvenir, New Generation Blue and Black.

This year, making the most of its 15th anniversary, the company is introducing five new and versatile products.

The Strip features four impressive screens simulating a giant strip. It employs touch technology and a high-definition camera for video and voice recordings, as well as having Internet capabilities to send the images to email accounts or social networks. “The size and design are great for any location,” said Tarres. “It can fit into any fashionable store, even a small jewellery shop or similar specialty store.”

For the first time ever at ICE, all core Crane Payment Solutions products will be showcased on one stand. At last year’s ICE, following Crane’s acquisition of Money Controls in December 2010, Money Controls products were still featured on a separate stand.

Among the products on display will be the Money Controls Ardac Elite and CashCode one-bill validators.

The only German-owned producer of electronic selector equipment for the international market, WH Münzprüfer Berlin will showcase its innovative products at IMA in Düsseldorf and ICE in London.

The well-known EMP 900 series with six-way sorting will be shown in a new version with 32-bit microprocessor technology for the highest quality of coin acceptance and optimum counterfeit rejection.

E-Screen is a European distributor for touchscreen components and displays, including the latest in multitouch and large-format touchscreens from 3M, NEC and Mitsubishi.

ICE will see the launch and demonstration of products such as customised winning-number displays, the E-Poster, large-format displays and touchscreens, touchscreen kiosks, and software to allow real-time and customised communication with gaming customers.

Sales director Colin Veitch is eagerly anticipating ICE. “We have a great range of really noteworthy products this year, which we believe will undoubtedly make a major impact in European VLT and gaming in 2012. There is already huge interest in our European launch of the Epicentral couponing software system, and we can add to this the new 3M multitouch solution, our market-leading range of Epic printers, the new iVizion bill acceptor from JCM, and the advanced wide angle HD TFTs from Kortek.”

Premiering at ICE is IGT Cloud, a casino management service solution that empowers operators to optimise their operations and engage players. The cloud computing service will supply IGT Analytics for robust reporting, and IGT Floor Manager to manage game content and allow access to the largest game library in the industry.

Among the products on show from Suzo-Happ will be the Celebration Topper, which interfaces into the SAS Jackpot line of the slot machine.

When the selected level of a jackpot is achieved the topper triggers a Celebration Event. This includes customisable video messages on the 15.6-inch LCD display, light pipe LEDs rising out of the top of the topper, flashing LEDs on the sides of the LCD, confetti, and loud audio.

AstroSystems will be at both London shows. Explained sales manager Steve Priest: “By adopting and maintaining a strategy to exhibit at these concurrent shows, we have demonstrated our support and commitment for both amusement and gaming markets. The upshot has been a significant increase in sales into the UK amusement market, especially with the Microcoin SP and QL coin acceptors, and an equally rewarding result with our gaming customers.

Kiddie ride and amusement machine manufacturer Falgas Industries will exhibit at EAG for the first time in January.

Falgas Industries Group was started some 50 years ago by Joaquin Falgas and has expanded to become a truly global business, winning several innovation awards and exporting to more than 110 countries worldwide.

Visitors to ICE Totally Gaming will be part of the biggest ever online and offline gaming exhibition, according to show organisers Clarion Events.  A total of 22,466 square metres of stand space has been contracted to gaming exhibitors, a record high for an edition of ICE.

Soundnet is the exclusive music content provider to leading jukebox manufacturer Sound Leisure and music programmer for 15,000 public venues.

Its expertise in music also extends to video and encompasses site profiling, the sourcing of content, distribution in encrypted form and the handling of legal and compliance issues.

Diversified technology company 3M promises to demonstrate one of the industry’s most innovative, widest-ranging multitouch product portfolios at ICE.

New product prototypes based on 3M projected capacitive technology (3M PCT) will be showcased for the first time in Europe by 3M’s Touch Systems division. These include sophisticated multitouch desktop display models specifically designed for high-fidelity touch LCD displays in sizes ranging up to 32 inches.

E-Service is a company focused on supporting operators and equipment owners in ensuring that they continue to secure a return on their investment. Founded by managing director Mike Clokie eight years ago, it supports UK and European operators with replacement parts, repairs and consumables, and has Approved Service Contractor status with some of the industry’s most trusted brands, including Azkoyen, 3M, Wells Gardner, Kortek, Tovis and JCM.

ICE Totally Gaming claims to be the only exhibition in the world which brings together the online and offline gaming worlds.

For the low-stake street gaming business, ICE provides an unusual global perspective that can’t always be found at the more territory-specific events.

2012 will see the return of the popular Racing Post Cafe at ICE, showcasing a wide range of products for both businesses and punters.

Racing Post Business-to-Business Services provides content for the betting industry, incorporating expert data into individual displays and publications for Websites, newspapers and localised race cards.

Historically the German AWP market has had limited choice, says Apex Germany, but it plans to change this with a major presence at the forthcoming IMA. Across a 500-square-metre stand, it will present a range of new choices for operators in Germany.The Pinnacle upright AWP with two 22-inch monitors has been approved by the German testing board PTB.

The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) says “it is important for us to exhibit in London because it is important that the European marketplace understand that they are just as affected by and have as much potential profit from standards as every other gaming marketplace.

The British social gaming company and ICE exhibitor Enteraction is partnering with Praesepe to launch Beacon Bingo Social on Facebook in early 2012. This game represents Praesepe’s first foray into the booming social gaming market, typified by games like CityVille and Slotomania, and bolsters the work the company is already doing in social media.

With the release of its XGS System this year, BetStone is now able to deliver cloud-based gaming management systems and a library of over 140 games without requiring expensive local installations of servers. In addition, BetStone’s portfolio of land-based games can be expanded to online and mobile through its channel partners.

A wide range of Advantech industrial PC products will be on display at ICE

Advantech-Innocore is a full member of the Advantech corporation, now the world’s largest company in industrial automation devices and computing. For customers of Advantech-Innocore, this means they now have access to the widest range of industrial and semi-industrial PC components:

Since its formation in 2001 ITM Leisure has grown at a consistently healthy rate. The company is a high-end supplier of licensed plush, redemption products and crane graphics to the coin-op and amusement industries.

Much of ITM Leisure’s product development and testing is carried out in a live arcade environment.

For for the first time in nearly ten years Thomas will be on its own stand at EAG 2012.

Said sales manager Ian Fuller: “We will be launching an entirely new range for 2012 – the Thomas 8000 series – plus will show the 5001 and 5002 high-capacity change machines and will unveil a brand-new version of the extremely popular 3004.”

Inspired Gaming Group will focus on three key themes for ICE: server-based gaming, marketing and rewards, and platform convergence.

It will unveil Core VIP, a new bonus and reward system, at ICE for the first time. It is the latest platform innovation to come from the company, and the first and only system to allow in-game rewards for all games, even third-party titles.

Apex Gaming will be releasing a new Multi Magic games package of 20 games. This adds to the existing games packages Multi Magic I, Multi Magic II, Multi Magic III, Magic Fruits, Hot Magic Fruits, Hot Magic Fruits XXL and Multi Magic Classic, and brings Apex’s game library to 110 titles.

Apex will also use ICE to release its new 3D platform, Evolution. The first games package contains five titles: The Adventures of Captain Nemo, Legend of the Sphinx II, Wonderland, Ocean Tale 2, and Royal Fruits.

ExCel London, EAG International Expo’s home, sits in a district known as London’s Eastside, now a vibrant area brimming with hotels and restaurants in addition to offering world-class shopping. The area is already benefiting from a billion-pound transport infrastructure investment, making ExCel a very easy destination for travellers.

After a year highlighted by strong sales growth and the development of its own entirely new gaming platform, JPM is planning an extensive presence at ICE.

Following the successful launch of Video Max Power, JPM will also be demonstrating its latest innovations in online content development via JPM Interactive (JPMi) and its proprietary Gameology platform.

TE Connectivity will show the latest Elo TouchSystems products for gaming applications at ICE.

The main highlight will be a new 22-inch gaming LED touch monitor, the 2244L, which is a wide-viewing-angle version of the recently released 2243L 22-inch open-frame monitor. There will also be a new 55-inch model in the Interactive Digital Signage (IDS) family featuring multitouch, and a small seven-inch LCD display.

Sega Amusements Europe plans to show more than 60 products at EAG, ten of them making their debut at the event.

Said general manager Justin Burke: “Sega Amusements Europe is involved with around 50 shows but EAG International Expo is really a breath of fresh air. We have found the location to be convenient, with good hotels and restaurants within walking distance.

By tradition, January’s IMA trade fair is a meeting place for the industry where plans are made for the year just started, contracts are concluded and information is exchanged. But in 2012, the German and wider European political and regulatory environments are likely to dominate the discussions of visitors to Düsseldorf.

DRGT will be exhibiting for the first time as “DRGT powered by SiP” at the forthcoming ICE.

It is only a year since DRGT announced its entrance into the international systems markets after many years of successful operations in the home market in Belgium. But the purchase of Austria’s SiP in the summer has provided synergies that will allow “DRGT powered by SiP” to present a wide range of systems choices.

Making their world premiere at ICE are two new solutions from JCM, the iPro and iPro-RC bill validators, the perfect next step for those using JCM’s award-winning UBA.

The iPro combines SMLED sensors with the anti-fishing technology that JCM says made UBA the most popular bill validator in Europe. Its modular design means it can quickly and easily replace an existing UBA head for instant improved performance.

WOW is the brand-new multimedia upright cabinet that Italian casino machines manufacturer Magic Dreams will launch at its most important exhibition of the year.

It will also introduce the Time Voyager Jackpot and the High Voltage series.

With Time Voyager, players jump from past to future with a unique goal: to hit the biggest jackpot of all time. The past is the starting point for their experience through the ages but only by activating the Time Machine can their performance be boosted by the future.

Kate Chambers, portfolio director at ICE Totally Gaming, explains what the London show has to offer.

“ICE Totally Gaming is the only exhibition that brings the online and offline gaming worlds together, which means that visitors to ICE have a unique opportunity to see at first hand the challenges, trends, technologies and opportunities impacting the entire gaming landscape,” she says.

Throughout its 14-year history, registered charity GamCare has been supporting those with gambling problems, helping to raise awareness and address the issues associated with gambling addiction.

Working closely with the industry, GamCare has always been a keen participant at trade events, and EAG is an important date in the charity’s calendar.

Aristocrat Technologies will take to ICE the largest number of games that it has shown in recent years.

It brought forward European release schedules for several games suited to the region’s playing tastes after they received a positive response from European operators when previewed at the Las Vegas G2E event in October.

“We will introduce novelties for such highly developing segments of the international gaming markets as VLT and server-based gaming,” said Merkur Gaming’s spokesman Rolf Falke. “Success of our VLT and SBG range of products is guaranteed by the winning combination of well-founded know-how in this part of the gaming business, the advanced ADP technology and Merkur’s huge library of game content.”

Spielo International, the new entity formed by the merger of former sister companies Atronic and Spielo, will appear in its fully-integrated form at ICE for the first time in 2012.

Serving the VLT, commercial casino and AWP sectors, its line-up includes content with innovative functionalities like Episodic Gaming; new and proven content within linked, progressive, and community games; and player-tested cabinets, established core game titles, licensed brands, and systems solutions.

TST, part of Gaming Laboratories International, says it is coming to ICE “because Europe continues to be the hotbed of the global i-gaming industry. Many jurisdictions and players across the UK and the European continent are embracing i-gaming, and TST has been at the forefront of discussions to build regulations and conduct testing to ensure the game is fair for everyone.

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) will be showcasing exclusive tools that help regulators and suppliers do their jobs easier, faster and more efficiently. For example, it will have the newly-released and award-winning GLI Mobile app for iPhone and iPad that enables regulators to take the lab with them anywhere.

Enada brought great results for Merkur Gaming, a member of the German Gauselmann Group. The range of Comma 6a games and cabinets met customers’ requirements. With more than ten game titles, Merkur Gaming offers a wide game library to meet all player preferences. Not only the Merkur gaming machines but in addition their high-class decorations for gaming halls – from branded machine separators to special massage chairs – attracted the attention of show visitors.

For the second time this year Apex Gaming was present as an exhibitor at a major Italian gaming exhibition. Apex Gaming has much experience in manufacturing VLT terminals along with the accounting and jackpot systems that form the complete VLT solution. As a major player in the Czech and Slovakian VLT markets, Apex understands the stringent technical requirements and the way to turn complex maths into popular games.

More diary dates for the competitive: ICE Totally Gaming, the January mega-show in London, is launching its own awards programme, and the Betview awards are also returning next year for the betting and bookmaking sector.

Astrosystems has added a new bonus feature to its Microcoin SP coin acceptor. Supporting six different bonus prices within each acceptor, it’s said by the firm to be “ideal for applications with multiple credit requirements such as cranes and kiddie rides”.

The positive reception given to the recent DNA conference in London has prompted the formation of a new association for digital out-of-home interactive entertainment as well as plans for a U.S. event. Said organiser Kevin Williams: “With DNA London under our belts we need to keep the momentum going and we can now reveal that a new association will be formed to support developers and operators of digital out-of-home entertainment technology.”

More than three quarters of stand space for January’s EAG International has already been booked and all of last year’s major exhibitors are to return, say organisers. The event, held 24-26 January at ExCeL in London, has also secured sponsorship from BALPPA, the trade body for parks, piers, zoos and attractions.

Europe’s amusements industry came together at the end of January for the EAG Expo at London’s ExCeL centre. But what did they buy there? We asked a selection of exhibitors to report on the new products and services they launched at EAG, and reveal some of the big hits

It’s that time of year again, when major trade shows in Germany and London bring the amusements and gaming industries together to meet suppliers and see the latest products. We asked some of the vendors and show organisers to explain what they’re highlighting at the big expos...

If exhibitors and visitors to the London shows hoped to have all their questions about the future of the exhibitions answered this month, they may be disappointed. What we saw this January, were two very different expos serving quite separate sectors of the industry.

“Can you tell me where the amusement machines are?” asked a harassed visitor at the IGE. Unfortunately for him, the answer was that most of the amusements were an hour and a half’s commute across London at the ExCel exhibition centre.

At this year’s EAG Sound Leisure and Soundnet will once again display a quality and diverse range of digital jukeboxes and music solutions.

Sound Leisure will unveil a major new development in digital jukebox technology at this year’s EAG show on stand 350.

Suzo-Happ, the global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of gaming and amusements products, has chosen to partner billiard cloth manufacturer Milliken at the inaugural European Amusement and Gaming (EAG) Expo in January.

Harry Levy Amusements has chosen the debut EAG Exhibition, at the Excel, to showcase its huge range of products next January.

“We are looking forward to EAG, as we have a cracking line-up of machines and know we have a great position and location to show them off on stand 440,” says Harry Levy’s Colin Mallery. “Of course, we are saving some surprises for the show itself, but here is a sneak preview of some of the great games you can expect.”

Leading machine distribution company Brent Sales will go into 2010 promoting two new product categories. The categories, which have been branded as ‘Fun With Prize’ and ‘Adrenaline Based Gaming’ represent Brent’s vision for the business over the mid-term. The Fun With Prize or FWP sector encompasses prize redemption, ticket redemption and prize every time products, with Adrenaline Based Gaming (ABG) the umbrella term for participation games which provide players with a compelling out of home experience. Both categories, together with a much greater emphasis on prize retailing and licensed products, form a central part of Brent’s major game presence at January’s debut EAG show (ExCel Centre, London 26-28 January).

There’ll be no shortage of innovation and creativity from Aristocrat Technologies when the international games developer unveils a raft of new slot games and concepts at IGE 2010. The company is planning to launch no fewer than 17 first-release Viridian™/Gen7™ titles for Europe, with at least 25 games making their maiden appearance at any EMEA trade show.

The team of wh Münzprüfer Berlin GmbH will present ist complete range of payment systems at the ATEI show.  The EMP 800 v6 coin selector with its considerable higher efficiency of coin recognition rules has proven very successful on the international markets since its launch about 2 years ago. 

JENSIgame SE is pleased to announce its debut at the forthcoming International Gaming Expo (IGE) in London. JENSIgame SE will be exhibiting on stand number 4460 in Hall 1 at Earl’s Court. JENSIgame SE will be presenting the next generation of video lottery terminals (VLT’s) called the Internet Lottery Terminal (ILT).

The GREaT Foundation, formerly known as the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, will be using January’s International Gaming Expo to promote and acknowledge the unique work undertaken by the gambling industry to help care for the small percentage of people in the UK who are classified as being ‘problem gamblers’.

APEX founder Mr. Weissengruber and his team are particularly looking forward to the world premiere at the IGE of their latest electronic table game innovation – the Quikker®.

A wide range of innovative touch solutions for gaming applications will be exhibited by Elo TouchSystems at the annual International Gaming Expo (IGE).

From a global leader in touch technology comes a new technology that has achieved the “Compatible with Windows 7” logo. IntelliTouch Plus surface acoustic wave touch technology expands the industry-leading Elo TouchSystems portfolio by giving OEMs, application developers and customers new tools to leverage the distinct advantages of the Windows 7 touch interface.

At ATEI 2010 COMPUMATIC will launch the new Dart Machine VIRTUALDART, developed with state of the art technology. 

A 19” screen gives all the necessary information like instructions, game options, details during the games, ranking lists and sport related activities under dartserver.com.

Stand 3340 at London’s 2010 International Gaming Expo will reflect Astro Corp’s increasing presence on the international gaming scene.

The company will be showcasing 25 single and dual screen games targeted at Asia, Latin America, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Also on show will be Cronus Roulette a highly flexible Multiplayer roulette system based on a  46” LCD Touchscreen layout.

Following a truly successful G2E, Innocore Gaming is anticipating a similar experience at IGE 2010. The combination of an impressive number of new design-wins and a ongoing improvement of the market have had a very positive effect and caused the company’s phenomenal growth in 2009.

Since it was first launched the Ardac Elite has been a market leader in bill acceptors.  Now, with the addition of EASITRAX® Soft Count compatibility the Elite offers even more benefits to customers.  Launched at G2E in November, UK and European customers will get the first chance to this integrated system when it is demonstrated at this year’s IGE at Earls Court.  

Stand 5110 at IGE 2010 will see the launch of Plus-Five Gaming, a Maltese licensed  company offering full-service “white label” online and mobile gaming solutions.

Crane Payment Solutions will showcase NRI & CashCode innovations for Casino Gaming and AWP Markets at the 2010 IGE/ATEI exhibition in London on stand 3232, Hall 2.

AWP operators will be pleased to see the debut of NRI’s highly anticipated next generation G-40 coin validator.  This product will leverage G-40’s highly reliable proven architecture yet re-set the coin validation standard with its best in class Multi Frequency Technology (MFT).

Launching in London will be MD’s new platform that will boost both MD and operators business.  Brand new Multireel Games, Brand new Jackpot, Brand new Roulette, but overall a Brand new Platform: the show has just begun.

Suzo Happ will be distributing the new Gaming catalogue at this year’s IGE in London on stand number 4240 in Hall 1. The catalogue reflects the strength-in-depth of the Suzo Happ product range. The new Suzo Happ Gaming Catalogue has grown by over sixty pages, covering over 220 pages in total. The catalogue will be available in English and German.

At IGE 2010, JCM Global will be showing three revolutionary new products in stand #4260: the iVIZION™ bill validator, the new TBV™ transactional bill validator and the Sentry 2.0™ bezel. Additionally, JCM will be showing its UBA® Universal Bill Acceptor, ICB™ Intelligent Cash Box, Vega™ bill validator and Taiko (Pub 7/11) bill validator.

Under the successfully established umbrella brand, Games Unlimited, the company will introduce its new country-specified game packages. “We are sure that among the great variety of our games every player can find his favourite one,” states Frank Ziegler, Director Sales and Marketing at MERKUR GAMING.

The SMART Way from Innovative Technology is a revolutionary new way to pay in and out mixed notes and to pay out mixed coins.

From stand 4350 at the IGE - International Gaming Expo (January 2010) The SMART Way will be demonstrated to the gaming and amusement industry’s elite. Innovative Technology are inviting all operators and machine manufacturers to our stand to see for themselves the combined ability of the SMART Hopper and the SMART  Payout with the NV200.

Amatic Industries from Austria can be found on number 3060 in a prominent position reflecting its status within the industry.

Multi Game EVOLUTION PRO symbolises what Amatic Industries stands for. It is the multi game concept that has seen Amatic Industries grow to become a major industry player. This year Amatic Industries is placing particular focus on the Multi Game EVOLUTION PRO.

London’s new exhibition dedicated to the coin op and amusement sectors, EAG Expo 26-28 January 2010, Excel Exhibition Centre London, is set to be a must attend event.

83 companies have booked their stand space and will exhibit their own products and services. In addition, they will also demonstrate the products of furthercompanies for whom they are distributors or partners. With companies and products from as far a field as Australia, Belgium, France, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and USA, EAG is an international show and an important event for anyone in the European amusement industry.

The 2010 edition of ATEI and IGE, taking place at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London across 26-28 January, is on track to deliver international operators with yet another feast of amusements and gaming innovation as show organisers revealed robust levels of exhibitor participation two months ahead of the doors opening. Clarion Gaming announced that by the beginning of December, the number of amusements/low stake gaming suppliers scheduled to appear had surpassed the 150 mark.

There’s no sign of any crisis here - quite the opposite, in fact,” says IMA event manager Petra Lassahn about the IMA show in Düsseldorf in January.

Following the significant increases posted last year, the IMA looks set to continue its growth in 2010. “The goal of up to 250 exhibiting companies is ambitious, but from where we stand right now, it’s entirely realistic,” continues Petra.

FER Interazar, the International Gaming Fair, marked its twenty-ninth anniversary with FER INTERAZAR 2009 which took place on 23rd, 24th and 25th September at the Juan Carlos I exhibition centre in Madrid. It is worth mentioning that at the end of the Málaga fair in the spring, the sector was left with a bittersweet taste which, although it sustained its expectations for the Madrid fair, did not offer any guarantees for the awakening from its long period of lethargy, of the market for the sale of machines.

Preview 2010 (October 7-8, 2009) is promising to be one of the most exciting shows on the calendar this year. It will be the first opportunity for the industry to see a comprehensive range of new stakes and prize AWPs, following the initial summer operating season.

"A clearer picture should be emerging of which machines are really the ones doing the business now," says Preview organiser Ylva Howard. "The new stakes and prizes have allowed designers to be more creative with the machines and there will be some exciting new developments on show."

Events conspired against the Park Avenue Open Day this year - tube workers decided to go on strike and the rain came down. Bizarrely, the introduction of the new stakes and prizes for the £70 AWPs also happened on the same day. Everyone was expecting the changeover date to be two days later.

Like many others at the Park Avenue Open Day last month, Steve Hawkins at Essex Leisure was surprised to find the changeover date for new stakes and prizes AWPs had been moved forward two days.

The twentieth eighth FERIA ANDALUZA DEL RECREATIVO (ANDALUSIAN AMUSEMENT FAIR) which took place in the midst of the financial crisis and was preceded by continuous rumours that it would be cancelled, will be seen paradoxically as one of the most successful fairs in recent years in the history of the sector. Despite the doubts held by the regular exhibitors, the organization never doubted the viability of its project. "The fair most wanted by the professionals in the sector", as the Andalusian operators normally describe it, did not leave anybody without some doubts. Nevertheless and in all honesty the numbers given by the organizers show that, this year, the crisis continues at the moment to affect each of the exhibitions that make up the international circuit.

This year's Amex exhibition in Dublin was overshadowed by the extremely sad news of the demise of Martin Dempsey - the warm-hearted organizer and publisher of Coin-op News. Despite this, the team behind the show and the magazine pulled together and managed to deliver a successful show.