"The numbers don't lie and 1,000 satisfied guests mark a very positive balance for GAT in 2021"

In an exclusive interview with Yogonet, the creator of 3A Producciones and organizer of GAT events in Colombia and the Dominican Republic gave a positive assessment of their activity in the last year and anticipated the challenges they will face in 2022.

What is the overall assessment of the three GAT events in 2021?

Two years after launching the GAT Expo brand, we took the risk and were the first to return to in-person businesses in the gaming industry in Latin America, implementing a new format of biosecure medium-sized events, based on customized networking between suppliers and operators, sharing new experiences in places where networking spaces can be enjoyed outdoors, in attractive tourist locations.

In this way, we were able to bring together 600 visitors to GAT Expo Cartagena in August, and here I would like to point out that we were the first to be surprised to find that businessmen from 23 countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia came to Colombia.

The GAT Showcase Bogota, very important because it is the capital of the country, gathered more than 300 visitors. And we closed the year with GAT Caribe in Punta Cana, where we brought together leaders from casinos, lotteries, and sports banking in the Dominican Republic.

In short, over a period of four months, a total of 1,000 businessmen and women attended a series of marathon sessions of academic and commercial updates, thanks to the support of regulators, trade associations, manufacturers, and operators.

The numbers do not lie and 1,000 guests satisfied with the outcomes of their time and money investment show us a very positive result, but above all, it leaves us with a flattering outlook for next year's organization.

In general, for your business as a trade fair organizer, what are the lessons and changes brought about by the pandemic?

For 3A Producciones, the company that owns the Gaming & Technology Expo GAT Expo brand, the pandemic made three things clear: the first is that the way of doing business has changed.

The paradox is evident, although physically we have been apart, virtual communication has become a fundamental tool that has achieved a very direct interaction with each exhibitor or sponsor, bringing us closer. The loyalty of our clients has turned them into allies of our events.

The second point is that the team that works with you must be committed to the company's goals, despite the change in working methods and the obstacles that circumstances have imposed on us.

As far as events are concerned, we are convinced that the virtual world will never be able to replace an in-person event, especially when it comes to international businesses.

Which markets will GAT target in its 2022 editions?

In the last two years, we have had the opportunity to learn about the Caribbean market, which is experiencing similar situations to those experienced by Colombia 10 years ago.

The analysis of this new market is of great interest since our events allow integration and promote the regional unity of the industry throughout South America, the Caribbean Community, Caricom, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica, among others.

An important process of regulation in this insular zone of the Atlantic is on the way. We also celebrate the possibility of the return of physical casino operations in Venezuela and Ecuador, where we are already in contact in order to gather all these operators in Cartagena de Indias in the month of March. We have decided to accompany these processes with academic sessions that contribute to these regulatory developments for legal gaming in the operation of physical casinos and online gaming.

GAT Expo 2022 will be held in Cartagena de Indias on March 15-17, offering exhibitors and visitors a wide network of communication and advertising channels for marketing campaigns during the three days of the event. The academy will focus on a single session, morning and afternoon, on March 15. We will have a welcome lunch for regulators, trade bodies, exhibitors, and sponsors, closing with La Previa, which will be a catamaran tour of the bay. The halls of the Cartagena de Indias Convention Center will receive land-based and online exhibitors. There will be capacity control, biosecurity measures and in compliance with the Colombian National Government regulations, all attendees must present a vaccination certificate with a complete vaccination scheme.

GAT Caribe will hold its second edition at the Westin Hotel in Punta Cana and will feature a special three-day program that begins with a yacht ride as a welcome event for regulators, trade bodies, exhibitors, and sponsors. The exhibition of casino equipment and online platforms will be on the second day and conferences and panels will be offered on the third day. All this will take place on June 8-10. And GAT Showcase will be held again in Bogota, on September 15 at the Sheraton Hotel and will be mainly focused on the land-based market of operators and manufacturers of slot machines and roulettes.

What is the content that GAT will focus on?

Our call will be based on the academy and the trade show, backed by the institutional support of regulators, associations, distributors, and operators. The unavoidable topics are digital transformation, eSports betting, and digital marketing. Likewise, current topics such as affiliations, cryptocurrencies, and payment methods will also be discussed.

We consider that the scheduled networking events are a very important asset of GAT and we hope that the Latin American gaming industry can fully enjoy them as an extraordinary experience linked to their businesses.

Who are the exhibitors and sponsors confirmed so far for each event?

For GAT Expo Cartagena in the land based segment: Alfastreet, Aruze, Novomatic, Gambee, IGT, Winsystems, Zitro, R Franco, Interblock, Colinktek, JCM Global, Cluster Tech, Bya Group, Valisa, GLI, ASAP Americas, IZC and CDM Equipos. Online Gaming: Gameart, Toucheng, Booongo, TVbet, Worldmatch, Sportradar, OneTouch, Mondo Gaming, Betgames, Quinel, Exefeed, 1XBet, BMM, and America Simulcast.

The sponsors confirmed so far for Cartagena are Novomatic and Altenar. We are closing negotiations with a dozen clients interested in confirming their booths and sponsorships before the end of the year. In Punta Cana IGC, Zataca and Loteka will be present; and in Bogota, Zitro and Gambee.

Of course, Asojuegos, Fecoljuegos, and Cornazar, as well as the Dominican Casino Association, will participate in the three events.

How are you preparing to provide good customer support?

Our goal is to provide a turnkey service to our exhibitors, and we have assembled the necessary teams of professionals to optimize the production and logistics processes, with a view to facilitating the participation of the brands.

Alexandra Hernández, Marketing Director, will be in charge of staging all the physical and digital branding possibilities for exhibitors and sponsors. Alejandra Guáqueta, Manager of City Group, will be the company in charge of the production and the technical setting up of the show.

Jorge Gómez, head of Affiliate Summit Latam, will once again be in charge of the academic content at GAT Expo. Geek City will be the company in charge of the eSports betting content, and of holding the first Counter-Strike tournament in the GAT eSports Arena. We have a team ready to attend to each of the activities necessary to achieve first-class events and constant support to national and foreign exhibitors.