It was touch and go for me to make the Buenos Aires expo this past October, when Monografie S.A. pulled all the stops to present its 15th edition of SAGSE in a record breaking 3-day event. It was a Latin American fiesta full of colour, and for many exhibitors, that colour was green! Some exhibitors were there for the first time, and some others have been supporting Giorgio Gennari’s event since the late 90’s - so this review takes in some of both.

CASINO TECHNOLOGY ADDS EVEN MORE COUNTRIES

This was the first time for Casino Technology, a global provider of gaming solutions for casinos and slot arcades, with its headquarters in Sofia. The Bulgarian company’s products and services are available in more than 50 countries around the globe, and operating on five continents through a network of 18 local offices.

Last September, Casino Technology opened a new representative office in Lima Peru, which will operate under the name TransAtlantic Gaming, with strong European and local support to serve clients from the whole Latin American region. David Nicholls, Nevena Aleksieva and Georgi Koprinarov are introducing the company and its products to the Latin American market, and were on hand at Sagse 2007 to take care of business at an impressive stand.

We had the opportunity to ask Nevena Aleksieva on the outcome of the Buenos Aires expo. She said: “Yes, we are very satisfied of the exhibition and for the possibility of becoming well acquainted with the situation of the market in Argentina. A lot of the customers we had meetings with were decision makers, so we are intending to take the opportunity to develop very beneficial business relationships with most of them.”

On show at the Casino Technology booth there was a range of innovative gaming products providing full solutions to casino operators in Latin America, which included the outstanding GEMINI collection with five-reel video-slot games, featuring second video screen, and a variety of themes and bonus events. Catering for all player levels from low-denomination to VIP the range is attractive and appealing, as well as having essential technical features like: multi-denomination, online and cashless system support, SAS protocol and a choice of progressive and mystery jackpots.

Asked whether they had managed to make some potential sales, Nevena replied: “Yes, we concluded some deals and these could be a very important step in our entry into the Latin American market. We are in a process of concluding some commercial contracts for trials of gaming machines and we are planning to start developing some special projects in a short time.” Casino Technology, for sure, will be back in Argentina for SAGSE 2008, next year.

Now we had tried to see the leading industry lights in alphabetical order for reporting purposes, when they are not on the business of selling gear, but as this is the raison d’etre of the expo, one just has to ride one’s own luck, as they say, if they are-a-selling. So, close by, it was great to run across the AGI people on a sumptuous stand, where Jens Halle, Managing Director, was taking care of business for one side, while Max Lindenberg and David Orrick were doing likewise on another.

NOVOMATIC CELEBRATES A CONTINENTAL NEXUS

Austrian Gaming Industries GmbH (AGI), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Novomatic Holding, exhibited at SAGSE for the first time, after announcing plans for a major continent-wide expansion into South America earlier this year. Not that the company or its products are any strangers to the region as the Novomatic brand has recorded strong success and market share in recent years in countries as diverse as Peru and Uruguay.

Expectations ahead of the show were high and the results exceeded those expectations by a considerable margin. Visitors from numerous countries headed for the impressive Austrian Gaming Industries booth and were clearly excited by what they saw. The strength and diversity of the latest Coolfire II game range (presented in the all new Novo Super Vision upright cabinet – which has been designed especially for the South American market and thus will be exclusively distributed in those countries – and also in slant top configuration) proved to be a big hit with SAGSE’s visitors.

Another attraction was the Australian-manufactured Flexi-Link Jackpot System that was brought for the first time to South America as a result of a recently signed strategic alliance between AGI and the system’s manufacturer Independent Gaming PTY Ltd.

All three days of the show were busy on the Novomatic booth, with new contacts and relationships forged across South America and with a significant volume of new business being concluded.

Jens Halle, Managing Director AGI, noted at the show’s end: “SAGSE and our appearance here as major exhibitors signals AGI’s clear intention to accelerate the pace of our expansion in South America. The reaction of SAGSE’s visitors to the new products that we have presented here in Buenos Aires has been incredibly satisfying and gives us an even greater motivation to increase our presence in the vibrant and exciting national markets that make up the South American continent. We have made a very clear declaration of our intentions here at SAGSE and we look forward to building and expanding our market participation in the immediate future.”

GPI CARRIES ON LATINAMERICAN SUCCESS STORY

Ever since the first plaques were delivered in 1979 to Casino de Viña del Mar in Chile, GPI sales to South America have been in constant growth. The Las Vegas-based company has customers in every country of the region where quality casinos and table games are in operation. In Sagse 2007, GPI reaffirmed its leading position in the region, under the leadership of Nicolas Dienot, Latin American Sales Manager.

Answering our question on whether SAGSE has fulfilled its promise this year, Dienot commented: “Totally. This year, (SAGSE) has confirmed once more that it is an important regional expo for all global and local suppliers. I would add that in previous years we saw many dealers and technicians, but this time we met directors of the principal operators from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and also Peru. The majority are people we already know, but also we met some good new contacts.”

As expos have to help sales our question went further, to whether GPI had managed some sales during the SAGSE event. Dienot was very clear: “No, but then I have established the initial point of contact for sales that will be made in the coming weeks, and also good leads for projects to follow up and close further on.” Still, we wanted to know the dollar value of sales for GPI, and Dienot replied that they will confirm sales “on the region of a million dollars”.

With almost 100 casinos, Argentina is a mature and dynamic market so for GPI it wasn’t a surprise when their first order of RFID chips in South America came from Boldt/Inverama for their new Casino Melincué in Santa Fe. Also the countries further north and the Andean markets are very competitive, with casinos side by side in the biggest cities of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. GPI’s wide range of American chips allows them to fit any budget and to equip from a small 5 table operation in Pereira, Colombia, to the biggest operators such as Winner and Unidelca, or Grupo SAM in Peru.

OCTAVIAN’S PATERNOSTRO HONOURED AT SAGSE 2007

At the SAGSE Gala party on the second day of the event, the expo organizers threw a great old fiesta with honours for services rendered to the industry. This was a quaint Latin touch, which was much appreciated by all those present. This year one of the major contributors to the development of the industry in the region, Jose Antonio Paternostro, Octavian Director for Latin America, took one of the coveted SAGSE Awards, both as personal and corporate tribute for a job well done.

The next day, it was just madness trying to pin down Jose Antonio in the busy Octavian booth. However, goods things come to those who, literally, wait and when asked, Paternostro replied: “Octavian has been closing concrete deals in the shows, and in particular SAGSE 2007 was no exception. We have closed contracts for more than US $1.2 million and potential sales of more than US $2 million. Also, we defined the beginning of some tests that showcased our new table management systems like our Logismos Octavian GateManager and Octavian CashManager modules for live tables which will represent an increase of system contracts in the near future.”

On the matter of new product, Paternostro said: “SAGSE 2007 has been very important to Octavian. We presented the new product Maverick 1000 and its new platform of games. The flatpack design was received very positively by the operators from different regions that visited our stand. There are also some potential sales involving F2 Derby systems and Novomatic sales which could add more than US $1 million. Therefore, SAGSE 2007 is promising for results in the months to come, followed with hard work from the Octavian team.”

Back in England, Helen Hedgeland, Octavian International Head of Marketing said: “I am glad to hear that the show was such a success for you too, as everything that I have heard back has been great. Jose Antonio and his team have done a fantastic job in the Latin American market maximizing opportunities for the last year.”

COPAG AT LIVELY TCSJOHNHUXLEY BOOTH

Whenever you come to a Latin America expo and visit the TCSJOHNHUXLEY booth, it is sure to be an exciting experience. Not only for the welcoming graces of Elizabeth Romano, Latin America Sales Manager, but for the quality products on show. As Copag’s distributors for strategic territories, the British company has managed to place the leading regional playing card manufacturers’s products in the best and largest casinos worldwide.

At the SAGSE booth, we met Marta Mateus, Copag International Business Director, who was prompt to tell us about SAGSE 2007: “Yes, the expo came up to our expectations and it was also surprising in some aspects: bigger than last year and we met customers from other countries that were not expected at this show. We mainly met Purchasing and Operation Managers and Casino Directors, who are the real decision makers.”

Copag da Amazônia was founded in 1908 by Mr. Albino Gonçalves Dias, and as a family business has been handed over from generation to generation. Company president Ricardo Gonçalves Filho, the great grandson of the founder, has developed Copag into a modern and competitive giant worldwide with cutting-edge technology, and it has become a leader among its international peers offering playing cards with certifications ISO 9000 for quality, ISO 14000 for environmental protection and SA 8000 for social responsibility.

Asked on sales during the Buenos Aires expo, Mateus said: “Through our distributors for casinos in Latin America, the company TCSJOHNHUXLEY we have received some order confirmations and also quotation requests from other customers. Some sales happened during the show but we know that most of them come in the following weeks and during the whole year, as most of our customers are used to making their orders in a planned annual calendar.”

Mateus added that throughout 100 years Copag has accomplished many important things; many markets were conquered; many customers were serviced; and assured us that “this is only the beginning for a great company with the focus on customers. Our enthusiasm is that of a beginner, with our great team of associates always ready to service our customers in the best way we can. Our values reflect our ethical behavior, with focus on our most valuable assets: our human resources.”

BOSS GAMING OUTSELL THEMSELVES!

It has been an exhilarating year for British-based Boss Gaming. First, they managed to consolidate their Latin American plant in Bogota’s free zone in Colombia, where they manufacture their impressive electronic roulette games for the regional market. Then at the three previous regional expos, they managed to sell most of their inventory at the expos themselves.

Linda Monzon, president, said: “We’ve had a year with great activity and the company has made great progress with many of Latin America’s main operators. Boss Gaming has secured machine sales to countries such as: Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and shortly Chile, and in an important development, we have also been installed in the Marriott International luxury Casino in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.”

SAGSE 2007 was no different for Boss, as the comapny is well known in the industry. After signing a strategic alliance contract with the German company Merkur Gaming from Gauselmann Group, for commercialization, distribution and technical support of all Merkur Gaming products in the Latin American market, Boss proceeded to make important sales for both the impressive Merkur video games and progressive system and sold its showpiece Evolution electromechanical roulette to a Costa Rica casino.

Asked about the results obtained during SAGSE 2007, Monzon said: “We had a fine show, where both Merkur and our products were in great demand. Our Boss Evolution roulette is the result of a fusion of European state-of-the-art technology and excellent innovative modular design, which combines perfectly with the classic casino atmosphere and satisfies even the most demanding tasks. It supports up to 250 players and each station is equipped with a 19” LCD touch screen full of options and help that guide the player through the game.”

As time and space are cruel factors in media, other exhibitor reviews will be available in our next issue, when Bally, Aristocrat, WMS Gaimg, Suzo, Games 4U, and others will have their say and comment on SAGSE 2007, which published initial numbers as we were literally going to press. A grand total of 7,245 visitors attended the Buenos Aires bash, with 16.5% coming from countries such as Uruguay, Brasil, Colombia, Perú, EEUU, Chile and Paraguay, for Latin America’s grand event.

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