Martin Burlin’s association with the affectionately known London Show began with a visit to Ally Pally in 1968. On the eve of his last show as EAG Chairman Martin reflects on the past and looks ahead to the future and the brave new world of out of home entertainment

 

You launched and led the development of EAG to where it is today, the biggest event of its kind in the UK. How do you reflect on your period as Chairman?

The straightforward answer is with great pride. The progress that we’ve made is down to having two excellent and professional show directors in Karen Cooke and Nicola Lazenby, the backing of the EAG board and the support of Bacta. I was asked to pick up the baton and have been delighted to work with the industry which included navigating the existential threat of the COVID period and lockdown.  This was a disaster for our sector which was among the first to be shut down and the last to reopen.

 

What have been the biggest challenges that you and the team have faced in developing the exhibition?

Setting-up an exhibition like setting-up any new business has its difficulties. Our last pre-COVID show was in January 2020, we then ran a virtual show free of charge and in 2022 ran an edition of EAG which was subsidised to the tune of £400,000. All of these presented problems which were outside our control and obstacles that we had to overcome in partnership with Bacta and individual Bacta members.

 

With EAG now comprising SIE Expo and the London Casino & Gaming Show how do you see the co-located events working and what can operators expect?

The 2025 edition of EAG will be the biggest since the event was launched. The Social Immersive Entertainment Expo and the London Casino and Gaming Show will sit alongside EAG as a natural expansion, offering new revenue streams for both operators and manufacturers. The shows are separate entities with their own personality, culture and ambience. There’s a synergy between all three and the boutique strategy is I believe the right path to follow. All of the shows can grow independently and I’m delighted that we will be welcoming a number of trade associations to EAG including the Betting and Gaming Council, the Showmen’s Guild, the Bingo Association, British Beer and Pub Association and UKhospitality. This broad church of trade bodies is indicative of a strategy which will help grow EAG.

 

How pleased are you that EAG has been ahead of the curve in terms of its adoption of Immersive Entertainment, Competitive Entertainment/Socialising. Will it attract a new audience to EAG and what does it mean to operators looking to bring something new to their businesses?

The Social Immersive Entertainment Expo (SIE) will provide an invaluable additional focus for EAG visitors as well as attracting a new audience to the show. IE will focus on the trends that are driving the future of out of home entertainment including all forms of Immersive Entertainment, Competitive Entertainment and Social Entertainment including the dramatic growth in Competitive Socialising – which according to the most recent Sector Pulse Report conducted by OakNorth Bank has experienced a 38% increase in the number of venues since 2018.

As well as being a platform for innovation the SIE will also feature a two-day seminar programme where ideas and examples of successful applications will be discussed.

The programme will include sessions focussing on the emergence of free roaming VR hardware, an exploration of new generation VR including the emergence of XR attractions in the sector, and an overview of the eSports scene, including an analysis of how operators are applying systems to the business mix.

What visitors and exhibitors want is the chance to make new contacts, have new conversations and see new product sectors. Being in the out of home entertainment business is about being open to new ideas, new technologies, new experiences and new ways of doing things.

Many of the companies in the Social Competitive Entertainment space are headed-up by young entrepreneurs who are creating an entertainment proposition which is targeted at a younger demographic.

It’s an exciting new world and there will be a host of new ideas and products that will help challenge and shape thinking. The introduction of the Social Immersive Entertainment Expo is a huge step forward for EAG and I cannot stress enough how much of a game changer it represents as operators from across the out of home entertainment space looking to create new revenue streams.

 

What are your favourite memories of EAG and before that ATEI?

I go back to 1968 so I have many really good memories – most of them unprintable! However, I think the stand-out is the wonderful human spirit that runs through the veins of this industry. It’s the energy, the sense of purpose, the creativity and the kindness of the people who helped build ATEI and EAG that I will look back on with huge fondness.

 

Can you summarise why EAG is so important to the industry?

In broad terms I think EAG does two things. Firstly, it demonstrates the size, the scope and the professionalism of our industry. It drives home what we’re all about and what we deliver in terms of being a major employer and a major supporter of extended supply chains in communities throughout the country. What it also does is provide an opportunity for operators to invest in the very latest innovations and in the process provide consumers with the best possible ways to spend their disposable income. It’s clear that modern consumers will not settle for second best which means that businesses need to continue to keep the proposition fun and interesting. Whatever happens EAG will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the industry as it did in helping to assist the recovery of businesses post COVID.

 

Finally, how will a visit to EAG help operators navigate the challenges of the year ahead?

The general consensus is that 2025 will be a difficult year for the economy - the budget certainly knocked the wind out of the sails of the commercial world.  Historically it has been demonstrated that the industry needs a strong exhibition even more when times are difficult. Research conducted prior to the 2024 edition revealed that exhibitors were planning in excess of 1,000 product launches at EAG a figure which underlines  the scale of the opportunity provided by the show to source the very latest products and keep their customers’ entertained. Whether EAG visitors are interested in children’s rides, slots, AWPs, roulette wheels,  virtual or augmented reality EAG is all about innovation in out of home entertainment. It’s the perfect way to start the business year!