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ATEI: Still Going Strong 60 Years On
Although the origins of London's Amusement Trades Exhibition can be traced back to 1939, it is only since the early 1990s (when the "I" for International was introduced) that ATEI really entered the global arena. The appointment of Peter Rusbridge - pictured - as exhibition manager in 1991 signalled a new era for the show: his brief was to help turn a domestic show with a long and illustrious history into a 'must do' event on the world-wide coin-op calendar. Now chief executive of the rapidly expanding ATE Group, Peter reveals his thoughts and feelings on the eve of the 60th ATEI.
Q ATE will celebrate its 60th birthday in 2004, how do you explain its longevity?
A Looking back at some of the archive material and the press reports of the early shows you get a real sense of the pioneering nature of the people that were involved. These were people who shared a vision and who had the dedication and commitment to see their vision become reality. I think that these qualities, which combined with an undeniable entrepreneurial flair, are at the heart of the coin-op industry and have, to a large extent, been passed on through the eight decades that the exhibition has been in existence. In that sense ATEI is a living and breathing testimony to the industry it serves which accounts for its longevity.
Q When did ATEI cease to be an exhibition just for the domestic British market?
A I don't think it's ever really been just a British event. In 1946, which was the second ATE, the slogan 'Britain Can Make It' was adopted to help encourage export trade and to attract international visitors. In 1947 catalogues were mailed to operators around the world to demonstrate what was going on in London and in 1948 the organisers provided free interpreters for international visitors. So even from a very early stage in its life ATE set out its international aspirations. However, a key turning point came much later when in the 1990s we were able to secure government funding to stage a series of inward missions which allowed us to fly in journalists from around the world to preview the exhibition. This development, coupled with improved international travel and a dedicated marketing campaign, has helped us get to our current situation where we regularly attract buyers from over 100 nations.
Q How do you measure the success or failure of an exhibition in any one-year?
A Operationally it's relatively straightforward: Has build-up gone smoothly? Has registration worked as it should? Have all of the events taken place without any major glitches? Does the hall look good? ...and so on. Then there's the numbers: are we full, what are our visitor figures, how many nations are represented. But the most important measure is the feedback we receive from our customers. If they're happy and reporting good levels of business then we're happy. One of the biggest issues facing the exhibition industry is the reliance people place on visitor numbers as the only measure of a 'good show.' If we grow the numbers by 20 per cent and those additional people are visitors rather than buyers they actually constitute a hindrance and get in the way of business. That's why we adhere to a strict trade only entrance policy and focus our marketing resources on attracting quality buyers. It's the only way forward.
Q Can visitors expect to see 'the next big thing' at ATEI in January?
A If you look back in history, all the 'big things' of their time have been shown at ATEI. We've undertaken research amongst exhibitors and in each of the last two years there have been in excess of 2,000 new products launched in London. If there is a 'next big thing' I'm confident that it will be somewhere at ATEI 2004 – exactly where is a different matter!
Q If there was one thing you'd change about ATEI what would it be?
A Apart from the London temperature being 20 degrees warmer – I think I'd like to correct the misperception that ATEI is a gambling expo. Low pay-out gambling is an important part of our product mix but there's so much more to interest international buyers. In fact, we've got 60 different product sectors encompassing every coin-op amusements application that exists. After all, part of ATEI's strength is the breadth of the product offering.
Q Any hopes or aspirations for 2004?
A Yes, an event at which our exhibitors new and established surpass their ambitions and at which legions of international buyers find the 'next big thing' for their particular business.
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