There’s a strong wind blowing from east to west for the amusement industry’s keynote trade show EAG. So, is a move to Kensington’s Olympia from its current home of the ExCeL Centre in Docklands on the cards?

The mood swing for relocation comes in the preamble to next week’s ACOS event which is being held at the smaller historic venue in west London, the traditional heartland of the UK industry’s xhibition space.

“We think it’s a great location as this is where the ATEI used to be prior to Earls Court,” Electrocoin MD John Stergides told Coinslot ahead of ACOS next week.

“If it were possible, we would prefer to have the EAG show here as well, since being in central London helps attract more visitors not just domestically but also from abroad.”

Stergides, a veteran of the UK industry, has undoubtedly judged the zeitgeist well. Of 15 exhibitors attending ACOS next week, all were universally supportive of Olympia in their dialogue with Coinslot, describing the open design, the location, the traditional roots and the ambience of the historic hall as a key plus for their presence at ACOS.

The change in location for EAG has been murmuring for some time with the vast expanse of ExCeL proving a more daunting backdrop for the event. Cost, inevitably, plays a role with Europe’s largest exhibition space likely to come at a higher premium.

“It’s just too big. ExCel doesn’t do justice to the EAG,” explained one EAG veteran. “Its size just makes the show look small; we’re not an ICE where you can occupy the entire ExCeL. Olympia is more compact and more comfortable for our industry. And we all like to be in west London – networking in that area is far more accessible.”

And who is to argue; ACOS will deliver an important barometer for the industry as to where it wants to lay its hat. Olympia or ExCeL, what’s its home?

Coinslot September 28th – October 4th 2018, 2596 Page 4