´The balance at the close of GAT is more than positive due to the quality of the event´

How have you lived the show in terms of its development, number of exhibitors, the products that have been presented, new trends?

The balance at the close of the event is more than positive due to the quality of the call. In these difficult times we have specialized in being able to guarantee exhibitors a specialized business audience; not the quantity but the quality, and that has been one of the great changes that we have experienced and this was like our litmus test, I really tell everyone that we were the first to close because a month after the fair in 2020 we had to close the doors, and we were the first to return. So it has been a team effort, very important, that has allowed us to maintain ourselves, and we have achieved it with results.

About 50 exhibitors have participated, we had a capacity of a thousand visitors and yesterday we broke it. That is a demonstration that people trust the brand, the organization and that is the main balance, the satisfaction not only of the work but also that the clients have achieved their objectives. Therefore, expectations have been exceeded.

Really, the uncertainty that at any moment anything can happen and you have to be prepared, then that makes you change your strategy. Now we think more in the short term than before. Before we planned for two, three years, and now we plan for two, three months.

What does it mean to be the first large-format trade show of the year?

The honor fell to us. We hope we have met industry expectations. The format into which the fair was transformed now allows for very specific business, because whoever comes here knows what they are coming for and comes with that intention, and the exhibitors have recognized that.

We believe that the fair is going to evolve, we are transforming but we are in an industry that changes all the time, and while other sectors are in depression, we are growing, especially online, but we also see that the recovery of the operators of casinos is also happening, and we like that very much, because it is a fair for both sectors. We have tried to innovate in topics such as e-sports and the idea for the future is to be able to continue promoting new generation games, so that the fair always has a different attraction each year. For example, countless games are appearing on the market, which perhaps many people do not know yet, but family games are already being bet on. There are platforms where you can play and bet playing Monopoly. What we try to do is to be aligned with that trend, at the forefront of events in Latin America. We seek to innovate and offer business alternatives, not only the exhibition or the academy, but also parties, dinners, lunches.

What have been the topics of greatest interest by the public, in terms of conferences?

The interest was focused on the panels of the unions, of the associations, in terms of regulations, homologation, which is a very sensitive issue for machine operators, all these issues are being promoted through these academies. It is not normal for the regulator to be the protagonist, as is the case here. It happens that Colombia is a mature, regulated, controlled market, and they recognize the work of the government not only for creating more taxes but also for controlling illegal gambling. In the academies there has been a lot of talk about the fight against illegal gambling and responsible gambling. I believe that the success of the academy is centered on having the regulator, the unions, discussing and analyzing in the midst of differences.