G2E Asia Postponed Again, Gaming Industry Tradeshow Now Set for November

Posted on: May 20, 2021, 12:49h. 

Last updated on: May 20, 2021, 01:43h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

G2E Asia, the annual Global Gaming Expo held in Macau, has been delayed yet again. The show is now slated to occur November 9-11 at The Venetian on the Cotai Strip. 

G2E Asia Las Vegas convention exhibition
The G2E Asia gaming industry convention is seen in 2019. The annual gathering of gaming industry professionals will take place in November of 2021. (Image: Global Gaming Expo)

G2E Asia was originally planned for this month, but was delayed until August. Now, it’s moving to the fall.

Though the COVID-19 situation is improving around much of the world, G2E organizers said today that further delaying the gaming industry event will allow exhibitors and attendees more time to coordinate their participation. 

G2E Asia debuted in 2007 and is traditionally held in May. The annual gathering was canceled last year by the pandemic. Venetian Macau has presented G2E every year since 2008. 

G2E Asia says its planned virtual event — G2E Asia Online Expo & Conference — scheduled for next Tuesday, May 25, remains a go. 

G2E Importance

G2E Asia is the counterpart to G2E in Las Vegas, which is the gaming industry’s largest annual convention. G2E, typically held in October, was also canned last year because of the coronavirus. 

The first G2E was held in 2001 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. G2E moved to the Sands Expo & Convention Center in 2010, and has been there since. The 2021 show is slated to run October 4-7. 

For the past 20 years, some 30,000 people with interests in casino operations, gaming manufacturing, tribal casinos, and related industries have arrived in Las Vegas to attend G2E. It’s one of Las Vegas’ most important trade shows, though it pales in attendance in comparison to the largest convention — the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) — which draws 170,000 people yearly.

Global Travel Interruptions

COVID-19, of course, halted conventions around the world. For Las Vegas, a city that heavily relies on exhibitions to keep its more than 150,000 hotel rooms occupied, particularly through the week, the pandemic has been especially devastating. 

Las Vegas’ 150,259 hotel rooms were occupied just 42.3 percent of the time last year on an average nightly rate of $120.36. Visitor volume was just 19 million people, a loss of 55.2 percent from 2019. Convention attendance totaled a dismal 1.7 million people, a year-over-year decline of 74 percent. 

In 2019, Las Vegas’ occupancy rate was more than 90 percent. The average nightly rate was roughly $133. 

Las Vegas last week welcomed its first major convention since March of 2020, when more than 5,000 people arrived for the Tobacco Plus Expo. The exhibition took place at the newly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center.