After the end of the exhibition as the main component yesterday April 11th, it was evident the total satisfaction of the visitors and the marketing and sales team of the exhibitors who continuously had their stands full of people interested in each of the novelties in demonstration, both in equipment for land-based casinos and in the offer, which was rich in creativity and technological stimuli of online games.

Referring to the other components of the event, such as the academic agenda and networking events, Jose Anibal Aguirre points out: "I highlight with particular satisfaction the content and intellectual level that we were able to offer in the conferences and panels on April 9th. It was extraordinary to capture the attention of the participants and the interest in each of the topics announced. A great start was made by the wise conference of Coljuegos, since it presented in a detailed and timely manner the situation of this important sector of the economy and each of the verticals that make it up in our country, and the clear interest in achieving improvements in processes and control of illegality. The president of the entity, Marco Emilio Hincapié, proposed the creation of a Latin American commission of regulators to unify regulatory criteria, an idea that has received many voices of support. This also gave rise to the initiative of holding a periodic summit of Latin American associations, with the aim of contributing the vision of the operators in each of our countries on the state of the industry in their country".

Aguirre continues: "For me personally, it was remarkable the care taken in preparing the presentations by the speakers and panelists, who took their role very seriously. The participation of women in the panel of the Women's Gaming Association ASFEG, with leading businesswomen from Peru, Mexico and Colombia, has left us with a great responsibility to take into account, as next year we will have to evaluate the progress of the regional gaming industry in the search for gender equality. Artificial Intelligence was of course an unavoidable topic and we had the opportunity to assimilate AI analysis from different angles.”

The success of the transactional networks in Colombia was also protagonist with the link of the Gelsa and Paga Todo group, making known its expansion and influence in some South American markets, officially announcing its entry into Paraguay through Aposta.la.

The organizing team received multiple messages of gratitude and appreciation on the occasion of its 25 th anniversary, which was officially celebrated with a Colombian Party that included a folkloric display of music and dance in native attire. The artists were able to mingle with the audience and share various rhythms and musical genres. The idea is to continue with this concept in the following editions of GAT Cartagena, adding new cultural expressions to this networking event.

“GAT is an event different from others, characterized by joy and a friendly atmosphere that inspires participants to always want to return; In addition, the sales results are extraordinary,” says Galy Olazo, Sales Manager for Latin America at Interblock.

The exhibition

The doors of the Santa María and Nueva Granada halls opened to the public at 2 pm on Wednesday, April 10, after a brief ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the President of Coljuegos, the Director of the Information and Financial Analysis Unit UIAF of the Ministry of Finance Luis Eduardo Llinás, Juan Carlos Restrepo President of Asojuegos, Elizabeth Maya President of Cornazar, Evert Montero President of Fecoljuegos and Rubén Lagarejo President of Fedelco. Also, for the first time, Miguel Ángel Ochoa from AIEJA Mexico, Fernando Calderón and José Casapía from SONAJA Peru and Carlos Augusto Liseras from CONAJZAR Paraguay attended the ceremony.

The staging of the exhibition floor and the extension of the areas by 25% in relation to the previous year, reveals the growing attraction of the Latin American gaming industry for the fair that concentrates all its players in Cartagena de Indias. GAT highlights the large delegation of Latin American operator groups mainly from Argentina, Peru, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as well as the presence of international associations as protagonists of the academic agenda of GAT, which on this occasion exceeded expectations with a completely full auditorium during the entire day. Likewise, the profile of those attending the fair corresponds to executive level professionals, linked to formal business and legal gaming.

QR code scanning indicates that 2570 people entered the Cartagena Las Americas Convention Center on the first day. The registration statistics by jurisdictions indicate that executives from 37 countries attended the fair: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ecuador, USA, Slovenia, Spain, France, England, Cayman Islands, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden, Uruguay, Venezuela, and of course Colombia as the largest contributor in attendance of operators and entrepreneurs.

Brands such as Novomatic, IGT, Win Systems and Merkur, proved the success of their machines installed in casinos in Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Paraguay and Panama, among other jurisdictions, by receiving new clients referred by traditional buyers.

Pragmatic Play, Premium Sponsor of GAT Events, stood out with the innovative design of its booth with a double structure open on several sides and the group of sales executives led by Victor Arias, VP of Operations Latam. Other Sponsors such as Betconstruct, Evolution, Betplay, Aristrocrat and PlaylogiQ achieved high visibility from the strategic location of their advertising in the halls with a wide diversity of designs for the stands, most of which were delivered by the organization under the practical turnkey modality. Altenar, GLI Laboratories and WA Technology demonstrated their competence and experience in corporate conferences.

The arrival of Colombian lotteries, pioneers in the sector in the country for more than a hundred years, carried out innovative brand activations, distributing extensive marketing material and incorporating traditional games from each region such as tejo, with live games and participation of the public. The Lotería de Cundinamarca, Lotería del Valle, Lotería de Medellín, Lotería del Cauca, Lotería del Meta, Lotería de Santander and the Extraordinary Draw of Colombia joined the celebration of the 25 years of GAT with individual stands.

On Wednesday, GAT eSports held an exciting Valorant tournament featuring two top teams: Compubit and Bon Bon Bum Contra X Scrub. The event, which took place during GAT EXPO, was played in a best-of-three format, culminating in a thrilling 2-1 victory for team Bon Bon Bum Contra X Scrub. The tournament was organized in collaboration with ACE and was sponsored by Mobadoo, Monster and Janus, who made a high-quality and competitive event possible.

Gaming & Technology Expo continues its journey through 2024 and its next destination is Bogotá, capital of the Republic of Colombia with a single day of exhibition and turnkey stands at the Sheraton Bogotá Hotel on September 6. Next, GAT events will arrive in Santo Domingo on September 18 and 19 at the Renaissance Hotel and will culminate the year with the first version of GAT Caribe Cancún on November 27 and 28.

Web site: www.gatexpo.net.