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Six months ahead of EAG opening in London Chairman Nick Harding and Show Director Nicola Lazenby outline some of the changes that attendees can look forward to, the importance of the Under One Roof messaging and set out their vision for the show

Reflecting on the 2025 edition – which showed a 23% uplift in attendance – what in your opinion went well and what are the areas where the show can improve?

NH: I could be glib and say that the 23 percent uplift says it all. But looking at the show overall I think the fact that we had a brand-new sales team which was only in place from July 2024 demonstrates how the team really hit the ground running and was able to communicate effectively with exhibitors old and new and get them lined up in just six months. 

I am obviously new to being on the other side of an exhibition - having been a visitor for 40+ years – but exhibitors were on balance happy with the environment, the layout and the running of the event. There were one or two hiccups - the infamous black box at the entrance to the lounge area being one - but nothing that was insurmountable. 

There was quite a bit of dead space which of course cost us money: we are actively addressing that for 2026 by improving the layout and removing some parts of the show that were formerly provided on a free basis. I would liken it to one of those tile games that we all played when we were children: we are moving tiles around constantly as new exhibitors sign up in order to make the layout work and also be cost effective. That of course was why we asked Bacta exhibitors to book by May 1st and I am very grateful to those who helped in doing that. As a consequence, we have been able to start to build the show layout earlier for the 2026 edition.

NL: Launching not one but two new show expansion areas in under a year represents a major challenge. Setting firm foundations for the future is a significant achievement delivered by the team which, as Nick said was only onboarded in the summer. As Show Director my job is to see the event through a critical lens and to focus on the areas which didn’t go well or aspects that were missing. Overall, I want to build more theatre into the show experience and make every square metre of the hall count. We are working on improving the visitor flow courtesy of enhanced signage and using the show features more effectively. 

Looking forward to 2026 what changes will visitors notice – what are the main points of difference?

NH: We didn’t feel that having three entrances was helpful and we want to make more of the entrance as well as the exit.  The main layout has also changed, and we have put the SIE Expo in the middle with EAG and the LCG shows either side. This decision was made for acoustic reasons as our casino exhibitors were keen on having a more ambient sound level and being close to the frenetic atmosphere of the EAG stands meant that it was hard to deliver that.  

NL: Essentially SIE Expo is slightly quieter than EAG which means that we have created an appropriate sound spectrum from one side of the show experience to the other.  The Bacta Lounge will be moving back to a corner plot adjacent to the ever-popular bar. We will be announcing more information about what that will entail.

You’ve launched a new creative – how important is the ‘Under one roof’ message?

NH: It is very important for us to get the message across that EAG is delivering three genres of product in one show. Our core amusements show which is the mainstay of the UK industry is complemented by the ‘competitive socialising’ products in SIE Expo and we then have the London Casino and Gaming show which is focussed on casino and gaming products for the UK and European markets.

NL: ‘Under one roof’ supports the underlying message that the show is not only about the product ranges which visitors are available to touch, try and buy, but also the far-reaching possibilities the show delivers to meet with suppliers, customers, keep up to date with the key industry trends and network with colleagues – all in one place.

How do you describe EAG to people who’ve never attended?

NH: If you are operating, or involved with Amusement, CompSoc, or Gaming in the UK and Europe with a landbased (not online) business then come to London in January. We will have everything that you are interested in and in addition some things you didn’t even know you are interested in!

NL: To echo the points Nick has made EAG is much more than you’d imagine. It’s the way that thousands of businesses choose to start their year and where exhibitors choose to launch thousands of new products and innovations. Come and see for yourself why EAG is such a crucial industry event.

You conducted a wide-ranging engagement programme with exhibitors following the 2025 edition – what did you learn?

NH: Historically, communicating with exhibitors was through an annual meeting which attracted about a dozen businesses. Whilst this has its place, and we will conduct something similar in September, we wanted to reach out to all of our exhibitors on a 1:1 basis - so we did exactly that. Nikki and I travelled extensively to see UK based exhibitors and those who either weren’t available, or who were in other countries were contacted by our sales team. We also conducted digital surveys for both exhibitors and visitors.  All of the feedback, good, bad and indifferent was collated and has shaped our 2026 strategy. It’s clear that people like and appreciate the opportunity to talk to the management of the show on a 1:1 basis rather than in a forum and we will continue with this approach in the future. 

NL: It was very important to meet with our stakeholders face-to-face and the feedback that we received was invaluable. It represented a really incisive way to gain independent views rather than a general consensus which is open to interpretation and compromise. This approach ensured that everyone’s voice was heard.

Have you been pleased by the level of collaboration shown by exhibitors. Do you get the feeling that there’s a great sense of shared purpose between organisers and exhibitors?

NH: It does really need to be a shared purpose between ourselves and the exhibitors. We want both exhibitors and visitors to be happy and to come back the next year and (within reason) we will do whatever we can to achieve that.  If I am honest, it’s been a bit of a ‘curates egg’: on the one hand we have been completely supported by people like Mark Horwood at UDC and Justin Burke and Paul Williams at SEGA who have been really creative and helpful in suggesting new ways that we can reach out to potential visitors and who in the case of UDC took our promotional materials to other shows around the world.  On the other hand, we are still waiting to get support from other large and small exhibitors in reaching out to their client bases and sending out invitations to the show. So, if they are reading this, then I would simply ask that they drop Phil Gibbs a note and he will send back some ‘Save the dates’ and other graphics for them to forward to their clients.  That way we all win!

NL: For me, it’s also important to get that sense of ownership and shared purpose with our new exhibitors in the new shows. I want our customers to feel like they are part of one happy family and take all of our exhibitors, new and longstanding on the journey.  Exhibitors are active in promoting their presence – perhaps some more than others – and we will naturally support their activities in any way that we can. We are launching a new app and website in September which has enhanced functionality to help exhibitors of all sizes get the most out of their investment.

Nick, you will have attended hundreds of trade shows as a visitor/buyer – how have you applied your experience to shaping the way EAG will look/feel?

NH: On my travels somebody said something along the lines of ‘how can you be Chair as you don’t know anything about exhibitions’.  My point was I do know a lot about exhibitions, from a visitor perspective, and I now ask stupid questions of Nikki and her team and those questions I find are often the best as they make the people at the coal face step back and justify why things are done, or not done.  So, it’s working well so far.  I guess the time for me to step down will be when I think I know something about exhibitions from an exhibitor’s perspective!

Finally, can you summarise what your objectives are for the development of the show?

NH: I want us to provide a highly professional show, in the world’s finest city that represents all aspects of the out of home entertainment industry. In terms of sectors, I want us to embrace the needs of FECs, high street AGCs. CompSoc venues which are the newcomers to the UK night-time economy and at the other end of that spectrum casinos and other forms of adult gaming in both the UK and Europe. We are not aiming to be ICE, we want to provide a well-balanced, bijoux show that has something for all visitors and which is only 20 minutes by tube from the heart of London.