A memo from the organisers of the Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) has pledged the in-person event will take place as currently scheduled, from August 10 to August 12 inclusive, despite a two-week lockdown from June 26 in the host state, New South Wales, after a Covid-19 outbreak.
The exhibition (pictured in a file photo) is promoted by the Gaming Technologies Association, and is scheduled to have more than 240 exhibitors, including the leading global brands of casino equipment suppliers. The event is due to be held at the International Convention Centre Sydney.
A message on behalf of the expo stated: “With AGE just under six weeks away and with multiple Covid outbreaks around the country, we wanted to assure you that we are in full swing preparing all the necessary work for AGE to proceed.”
It added: “Sydney is halfway through two weeks of stay-at-home restrictions, but recent lockdowns outside New South Wales show governments are committed to reopening businesses quickly once the lockdowns are lifted.”
The memo added: “The New South Wales government has been very clear that a return to business as Covid-normal is their ‘Plan A’.”
The update stated that until recently, exhibitions have been subject to a 2 square metre (21.5 sq. feet) spacing per visitor. But the AGE organisers said they were “planning for the retention of a 4 sq. metre rule”.
The document added: “With nearly 20,000 square metres under use, the AGE will easily be able to proceed even under a 4 sq. metre rule.”
Were the Sydney lockdown to extend for “a week or two longer than currently announced, AGE will be able to set up and run,” added the announcement.
