The amusement-only sector wins
14 March 2024/ The participation of exhibitors and visitors at the Italian FEEXPO trade show is growing. And the organizers are already looking forward to the 2025 edition with enthusiasm /
After a successful debut in 2023, the second edition of FEEXPO (Family Entertainment Expo) held at the Bergamo Exhibition Center at the end of February has established this event as a reference point in Italy for operators of amusement-only games, i.e. games without cash prizes.
The exhibition was organized by Promoberg (the company that manages the Bergamo exhibition center) and the FEE Consortium (formed by a group of leading companies in the production and installation of coin-op kiddie rides, video games, attractions, and playgrounds) and recorded the attendance of 3,000 operators from all over Italy and, increasingly, from abroad.
Among the booths set up over 6,500 square meters by 63 exhibitors (including 6 foreigners from San Marino, Albania, Belgium, and Poland), visitors were able to see, touch, and personally try out the best products from the Italian and international panorama of amusement-only games. All this while also focusing on the evolution of the sector from a technological, regulatory, and institutional point of view.
As in the 2023 edition, FEEXPO was also rich in conferences, panels, and meetings in which operators, associations, and professionals discussed on the present and future of the amusment-only games sector. This year, ample space was also given to esports, thanks to the participation of the Italian Esports Observatory. This organisation, through public debates with companies and experts in the sector, has made known the opportunities of this emerging sector and proposed moments of discussion on the main trends of innovation in gaming, such as collaborations with content creators and influencers, the use of virtual sports and augmented reality.
Fully embracing new technologies, FEEXPO this year also entered the metaverse thanks to a partnership with The Nemesis, the open-world metaverse accessible from desktop and mobile that is scaling the global peak of gamification. During the 3 days of the trade show, it was therefore possible to admire this extraordinary and revolutionary technology.
“We are proud to have contributed to giving proper visibility to an important industry for our country, one of the excellences of Made in Italy in the world,” commented Davide Lenarduzzi, CEO of Promoberg, at the end of the event. “This year, after the double-digit increase in the number of exhibitors, there was also an excellent response from operators, of a high qualitative standard and with significant growth in international origins. The choice to set up the expo on weekdays has paid off, resulting in an increasingly business-to-business event.”
Satisfaction was also expressed by Tiziano Tredese, President of the FEE Consortium, who wanted to emphasize the meaningful participation of representatives from the Italian ADM (Customs and Monopolies Agency): “FEEXPO went very well and will also be remembered for the visit of the ADM representatives, whose presence was a sort of institutional certification,” he declared. He then added: “Being able to show the absolute transparency and professionalism of the amusement-only games sector to the State Monopolies representatives is one of the happiest notes of this second edition. From Bergamo, we want to make clear that the decree of May 2021 must be completely rewritten, thinking about the world around us and the global producers who cannot customize games only for Italy. Ours is a safe and family-friendly entertainment.”
In 2025, FEEXPO will be held from February 25 to 27, and the organizers have already announced that there will be great new features: “Last year, FEEXPO was a bet, and we won it, this year we have done even better, and now we are thinking of expanding in 2025, adding another pavilion of 6,000 square meters,” announced Alessandro Lama, a member of the FEE Consortium board and President of Federamusement Confesercenti. “We are the only Italian expo dedicated to amusement-only games and we aim to assert ourselves at the European level. FEEXPO is the amusement-only games expo, for families and children, and next year there will also be an opening to the public.”
Continue reading Games & Parks Industry March 2024, page 52
Photos Courtesy: TOGO Media
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