At the end of the first day of the show, Prakash Vivekanand, CEO at ASI, the largest distributor of games and rides in the Middle East, was able to put aside his general discomfort with the hall used for the show this year and assess the situation as “a good first day.”

ASI hosts 17 countries

“All of our customers are here, or have indicated that they will be here over the next two days,” he said. “We invited a large number of people - from 17 different countries - to visit us and it is good to see that most of them have come into town.

"I am pleased with our display (ASI had the largest single exhibit, spread across several stands) and the response that we have had. The range of product this year is a tribute to the creativity of the suppliers, I think.”

He noted that three of the region’s largest operators, Al Hokair, Al Othaim (both from Saudi) and Landmark (UAE) had taken substantial booths in order to fly their own flags and satisfy a growing demand for the franchising of their noted FEC brands.

He also said that the new trade organisation, MENELAC, was due to meet in the following month, bringing together all of these and other major operators together with suppliers in one organisation with the objective of representing the industry on international forums.

For his own business, he said that most of the products at the show on his ASI stand had been pre-sold to another of the substantial operators, MAF Leisure’s Magic Planet. “We have benefitted from some substantial orders from them this year,” he added.

Vivekanand said that there had been a notable influx of visitors from Iran, capitalising on the lifting of sanctions on trade with their country. “It is still early days,” he warned. “We have to take advice from our governments on what and how and when the infrastructure in available to us to begin to work with Iran.”

Russia, Pakistan, India, Iraq and different parts of Africa were all well represented, he said.

Image: Prakash Vivekanand of ASI, left, with Stefaan Vaerewyck, international sales manager for Elaut with the Belgian company’s Diamonds and Pearls non-monetary payout pusher