British casino games and technologies innovator TCSJohnHuxley has penned a strongly-worded message to ask that the upcoming Global Gaming Exhibition (G2E) Asia extravaganza be further postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Stoke-on-Trent-headquartered firm released an ‘open letter to the industry’ yesterday to implore show organizer Reed Exhibitions to consider abandoning the 2020 edition of the annual Asian event or move its dates ‘to the end of the year at the earliest’.

Speedy shift:

Organized in partnership with the American Gaming Association, the 13th staging of the three-day G2E Asia was originally due to kick off from The Venetian Macao on May 19 but was subsequently rescheduled to the provisional dates of July 28 to 30. The communication from TCSJohnHuxley asked that the continuing menace of a coronavirus outbreak that has so far killed over 22,000 people around the world means any decision regarding the upcoming exhibition must now be ‘based on the safety, health and well-being of our customers and employees’.

Additional aspects:

Tristan Sjoberg, Executive Chairman for TCSJohnHuxley, used the letter to declare that his firm believes ‘very few operators outside of Macau’ will be able to attend this year’s rescheduled edition of G2E Asia as the industry is facing ‘challenging trading times.’ He moreover beseeched potential participants to ask themselves whether the trade show is currently ‘commercially viable’ considering ‘the difficulty of moving products around the world’ along with the potential prospect of business being ‘significantly reduced’ for some time into the future.

Read a statement from Sjoberg…

“To go ahead with the show under these circumstances is a ludicrous combination of sheer folly and corporate profiteering. We are therefore encouraging other exhibitors and industry professionals to take a stand and advocate for the show to be moved to the end of the year at the earliest. This is the time for us all to work together in highlighting to Reed Exhibitions the need for a sensible approach that is workable, yet beneficial for everyone.”