Until a few days ago, the fair was announced for next July. New dates have now been announced. What is the reason for this change?

The truth is, we are going through a troubled time to which it is imperative to adapt. We experience change in the day to day of our lives and businesses. In this case, we receive requests from exhibitors who are very interested in participating, asking us to postpone the GAT Virtual Expo 2020. Starting in September, they will be able to present with greater certainty the portfolio of their products and services for the final quarter of the year and project their sales towards 2021.

Digital is here to stay. What is a virtual fair?

The virtual fair is a digital tool based on the unlimited reach of the internet to bring together, through a platform with specialized software, people and companies interested in making contacts or commercial business in any field. This innovative format allows you to recreate, in a virtual reality environment, the spaces and features of physical fairs.

Why apply this innovative virtual reality format to a gaming industry fair?

In the case of the gaming industry that has a high standard in technology and production of games and digital parts for its operation and sales, participation in a virtual fair constitutes an inescapable opportunity in these times of restriction for air transfers and face-to-face meetings. In addition to having the possibility of gathering a wide range of suppliers and operators located on all continents, the platform provides a detailed tour to learn about products and features, services and business options in all verticals of the game. Through an avatar created for each person, visitors can chat by text or voice with the exhibitor's sales representative.

What is an avatar?

It is the virtual identity that the user of a computer chooses and builds, based on options of physical structure, biotype, clothing and facial features, to be represented on a platform installed on a website, such as the fairs or digital conferences that we are organizing. The virtual fair and these characters fit in an extraordinary and precise way with the entertainment industry.

What are the contents of this online event?

We are not just another online event, we are a virtual fair that will bring together our traditional visitors to the face-to-face fair that we have been working for 22 years in Colombia, formerly FADJA, today Gaming & Technology Expo -GAT Expo-, with the difference that we will be able to attend new audiences that with the magic of technology, can connect from anywhere in the world with operators in Latin America. GAT Virtual Expo 2020 will offer a variety of content: exhibition at stands with interaction between exhibitors and visitors, academia at the highest level with virtual masterclasses, taster sessions, business conference with the most attractive potential markets in the region and networking.

How is the platform, its navigability and characteristics?

The chosen platform has technological characteristics that achieve surprising virtual reality. Interactive stands by modeling differentiated spaces. Communication between exhibitor and visitor through various channels, analytical metrics for access and permanence, personalized branding by brand for each exhibitor. Avatars with expressive movement of emotions and branded uniforms, if the client wishes. We believe that the permanent technical assistance offered by the platform is very important, as if it were personnel in a real fairground, attending to the specific requirements that arise during the hours of exhibition. Regarding the academic part, the corporate conferences and the business conference, we have enough rooms and special auditoriums for simultaneous events.

What kind of exhibitors can we find in the GAT Expo Virtual 2020 pavilions?

In the fair halls we will find land-based gaming equipment, such as slot machines, roulettes, wallets, chairs and gaming tables with their equipment. We also have spaces available for exhibitors on Sports Betting platforms, Virtual Betting, Affiliations, content for live casino, online casino, poker and lotteries. In honor of the name GAT & Technology Expo, we will have a space for technologies applied to the game and software developers.

Regarding the social isolation that the authorities require to reopen the gaming rooms, what does GAT Expo Virtual offer?

Due to the sanitary situation that defines special disinfection protocols to reopen casinos, we will have the biosafety pavilion with exhibiting companies in signage, acrylic dividers, dispensers, mouth covers, portable sinks, packaged and sterilized food and beverages. This space will be very useful for casino operators. Companies from Colombia and Peru will participate mainly in this line.

How is the academic part composed?

We have reached an alliance with Team Seven, which is the company in charge of the academic direction of GAT Expo Virtual. Online training courses and update workshops will be held in Spanish for operators in the different sectors with MasterClasses on Online Sports Betting Management, Online Casino Management and Casino Management (Land Based), through the Institute for the game of Clarion Gaming, Totally Gaming Academy. In addition, there will be corporate conferences during the three days of the event, in an auditorium attended by clients interested in learning about product portfolios or special guests for exclusive presentations.

Will there be a business conference?

Of course, the business conference will be the protagonist of the GAT Virtual Expo 2020. With the support and call of Federación Colombiana de Empresarios de Juegos de Suerte y Azar, Fecoljuegos, (the Colombian Federation of Entrepreneurs of Chance Games) meetings will be scheduled between 10:00 and 16:00, between executives interested in accessing specific markets and legal experts in regulation and standards from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Colombia, Peru and Argentina. We are very pleased with Fecoljuegos's connection to this virtual project that will be held on the same dates as its traditional Gaming Market in Colombia.

It could not be left out of this fair, focused on the greats of Latin America, Brazil, the so-called 'sleeping lion of the jogo industry', which will have its own communications in Portuguese, with businessmen and lawyers with extensive experience in history and legal update of this gigantic market.