Stinger Report

The big gathering for the North American amusement trade charted both the post-global lockdown landscape, and the evolution of the amusement and entertainment scene. After a busy few weeks, with European, Indian, and Dubai amusement trade events and summits, there was a chance for the industry to shine in Las Vegas. Amusement Expo International 2023 (AEI’23) The trade event, that now represents an eclectic mix of what the organizers listed as Amusements, Music, Games & ATMs, Billiard & Home Leisure, Virtual Reality, Bulk Vending, Laser Tag, and Professional Service Providers & Suppliers, supported four-co-located trade events in one – for the first time. The varied mix of disparate trade sectors had been combined through the AAMA and AMOA, along with for the twenty years with the National Bulk Vending Association (NVBA), and with the Laser Tag Convention. Also, for the […]

The momentum continues, as the amusement and attraction industry travels to growing markets. The latest trade convention rushes from India (IAAPI), and touches down in Dubai, for one of the first major industry events of the 2023 calendar for the region. Big DEAL for MENA Market  Following a cluster of international events, we rush to the UAE to attend the Dubai Entertainment Attraction & Leisure (DEAL’23) exhibition, reflecting the importance of the Middle East and North African (MENA) market. DEAL’23 gathered some 300 exhibitors to the event at the Dubai World Trade Center convention venue. This marked the 29th year of operation, stated by organizers International Expo-Consults (IEC). The show got off to a big start with a VIP representation, and ribbon cutting, supported by a collection of the leading distributors and developers gathered to promote the massive opportunities in […]

In a crowded period over the last few months of the start of the year, the onward rush of 2023 continued with one of the largest shows for the amusement, gaming, gambling, eSports, and online gaming sector – along with European and MENA trade events. This all started at the end of January with the trade association holding their IAAPA FEC Summit – a gathering of those entering the amusement venue business, and the suppliers who support them. It is impossible to accurately cover all these events, and we have gathered a snapshot of leading trends and developments seen across the latest crop of trade gatherings impacting the immersive entertainment landscape. International Casino Expo (ICE) While not heavily covered by the amusement and attractions media for the obvious reasons, the London ICE’23 gathering of casino, online gaming, sports betting (land­based), […]

The realities of the consumer technology scene have been shaken by layoffs and restructuring in recent months. The holding, in Spain, of the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade convention for the smartphone, wearables, app and connected technology market, acted as a unique barometer of the health of the sector – charting the state of the VR, AR and overall XR landscape in general.  MWC’23 is a convention that attracts some 80,000 industry professionals from the technology world, to see over 2,000 exhibitors. And, over the last ten years, it has seen a significant placement of new VR and AR technology. Second to CES at the beginning of the year, MWC has been used to present new platforms and test the temperature of the market to innovation. This year’s event was laden with Wi-fi 7, and 6G investment – this […]

Following on from the first part of our coverage of this aspect of the market, we continue to investigate the crossover between venue-based entertainment and hospitality. Never has the location-based entertainment industry seen such a multitude of new venue openings, seeming to reflect a spike in social entertainment interest from an audience hungry for local-entertainment. In this second part, we look at the wider international dimension, as well as the trends and issues shaping the deployment of technology, along with innovation in this sphere of the market.  US Eatertainment Consuming the Players The amusement and FEC sector saw a major shot in the arm over 2022, with many of the leading entertainment venue chains reporting strong numbers. Dave & Busters’, the “Eatertainment” venue chain, reported store sales rising to 13-percent, slightly lower than expected, but still strong, and with the […]

The continued momentum of changes in the international entertainment scene was reflected in two major trade gatherings during February. Along with the ICE London convention, the amusement industry held one of Japan’s leading trade events – revealing a changing landscape for an industry in transition.  Japan’s Amusement Returns All eyes turned to the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO) held in Tokyo in the first weeks of February. After a hiatus of some three years, the Shinky Zhang Messe International Exhibition Center Exhibition Hall 9/10 played host to the JAEPO event organized by the Japan Amusement Industry Association (JAIA). This was a pivotal point for the future of the trade and its supporting association. On the JAEPO’23 show floor there were 41 companies able to attend, and here is a rundown of the key players. SEGA Corporation – The Japanese amusement scene […]

Just one month into the New Year, and the ramifications of tectonic change are reverberating round the tech industry landscape. Major restructuring across all the leading social media, tech and entertainment corporations, with a new focus on how best to apply this technology into the commercial, entertainment and enterprise landscape, are underway. Microsoft Restructures XR Position Now some five-years since the ‘Microsoft 2018 LBE Summit’, held in San Francisco at the Microsoft Reactor venue, and the news greets us that, following the momentous layoff of some 10,000 Microsoft employees, much of the infrastructure purported to be focused on supporting the emerging VR LBE scene undertaken by ‘Windows Mixed Reality’ (WinMR) has been shuttered. The reality of the situation is still be played out, but the sacking of the complete development team at Microsoft’s ‘Mixed Reality ToolKit’ (MRTK) operation, has also […]

The need for the traditional amusement and entertainment operator and manufacturer scene to comprehend the buying needs of their Gen Z and Millennial customers has never been so vital. Looking at the launch of new “Social Entertainment” venues, and the looming growth is now forcing many traditionalists to take notice.   As reported in our EAG’23 coverage of the amusement trade event, several US execs from leading entertainment venue brands had made the trip to London – not merely to see the new amusement on offer, but also to visit the latest crop of Social Entertainment venues. Defined by some as “Competitive Socializing” sites, or Next-Gen “Eatertainment” venues, it is clear that the UK has become a launchpad for this unique new concept that is popularising Social Entertainment and hospitality with a brand-new mix. The Stinger Report has covered Social […]

We start the 2023 coverage in full, after completing our extensive IAAPA’22 reportage. Now we look at the first inklings of how the technology and entertainment scene will be developing in this new year of expected advancements, as we cover another mammoth trade convention. The premium event for all things to do with consumer electronics and technology in general, rang in the New Year as always and seemed to highlight the battle lines for the year ahead. The Consumer Electronics Show 2023 (CES’23), organized by the Consumer Technology Association, took multiple spaces across hotel and convention centers in Las Vegas, attracting an estimated 113,000 visitors. The importance of the event to be an arbiter of the coming market in troubled conditions was a vibe felt across the show. VR was one of those trends that seemed to be attempting to […]

The amusement and attraction trade regroups and restructures to start the 2023 season with a bang, and a purpose. The industry may have a calendar of events scheduled for the year, but the developments and trends on the various show floors are very much more than planned, with many new developments pointing to the new future for the industry internationally.  The first trade event of the 2023 season started with Entertainment, Amusement & Gaming International Expo 2023 (EAG’23), affectionately known in the trade as “The London Show”. Organized by bacta UK trade association for the amusement and FEC sector, it was held at the ExCel Conference Center and totalled some 70 exhibitors (17 of which were making their EAG debut), occupying 78 stands across 8,000 sqm of space. This was the first return to the traditional timing for the show […]