The organisers of Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia, a casino industry trade fair and conference that should have been held in Macau from May 19 to 21, say this year’s edition will now be postponed until July. It will now be held from July 28 to 30 at its usual venue, Cotai Expo, at the Venetian Macao casino resort.
A Tuesday press release on behalf of the event stated: “G2E Asia and its organisers, the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions, fully understand and appreciate the level of planning that is required to participate in this event. The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak and related travel and commercial restrictions make those preparations too difficult to hold the show as originally planned.”
Josephine Lee, chief operating officer, Reed Exhibitions China, was quoted in the announcement as saying: “We made this decision in consultation with our exhibitors and the Macau government, and out of an abundance of caution.”
She added: “We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and thank our customers for their continued support of G2E Asia.”
The release further stated that the organisers would “continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with all G2E Asia stakeholders to provide updates as available”.
In mid-February, Reed Exhibitions China had said in an email in response to an enquiry on the matter from GGRAsia, that at that stage, there had been “no change of plan for the G2E Asia show”, but that the situation was being constantly monitored.
Investment analysts have noted that there is currently little clarity in terms of when the consumer side of the Macau gaming market will return to normality, with travel restrictions out of mainland China – the biggest single market for the city’s gamblers – still in place.
