The organisers of the Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) say they have made the “unavoidable decision” to postpone the event for a second time, due to the rising number of Covid-19 infections in New South Wales, Australia. The next edition of AGE will now run from August 9 to August 11, 2022, stated a Wednesday announcement.
The exhibition (pictured in a file photo) is promoted by the Gaming Technologies Association, and includes some of the leading global brands of casino equipment suppliers. The event, which was scheduled to run from August 10 to August 12 this year, was due to be held at the International Convention Centre Sydney.
In Wednesday’s statement, the AGE promoters said the decision to postpone the event took into consideration the fact that the New South Wales lockdown was “extended with no end date in sight.”
The announcement quoted Chris Muir, chief executive of the Gaming Technologies Association, as saying: “Given the proximity to the AGE, border closures, and the unknown restrictions of the government’s ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown, we needed to act now.”
The organisers said they had looked at alternative dates for the event to take place later this year, but “largely due to its size, it was not possible to confirm dates for AGE to run in 2021.”
A fortnight ago, a memo from the AGE organisers said the in-person event was still on track to take place in August this year. But the extent of a new Covid-19 outbreak has led to heightened countermeasures in Sydney and some of its surrounding areas.
New South Wales recorded 89 fresh Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, and lockdown restrictions for greater Sydney have been tightened. The authorities in New South Wales have said there is no plan regarding when the lockdown might expire, despite a previously-announced end date of July 16.
