The new Phantom jukebox may have been “absolutely 100 percent” the star of the show for NSM Music at EAG this year, but the Atom and the new Rocket jukebox gave it a good run, attracting a huge amount of interest from customers old and new. Speaking after the show, a candid Alex Kirby guided Coinslot through the highs – and a few lows – of this year’s exhibition, and the company’s ambitious plans for 2026.
Coinslot: How did the show go for you this year: did it meet your expectations?
Alex Kirby: Yes and no. We had a good show, but the Tuesday ebbed and flowed. It was a bit of a funny day, and I don’t know if the seminars and summit had anything to with that, but I would say it certainly affected the clientele on the stand which is a shame really.
I think the additional events are an important part of the show but we could take a look at the timings of the seminars because we invest heavily in the exhibition, and we want as many people on the stand as possible and it can be a bit frustrating when they’re passing stands and heading off to the seminar.
Having said that, the people that came to the show on the Tuesday were quality customers, and on the Wednesday we struggled to keep up. It was so busy. Wednesday was a great day. Thursday is usually a bit of a dead duck, always is, always has been, but in general it was a good show for us.
Coinslot: Any key developments finalised at EAG – new agreements signed, new appointments, installations agreed etc?
Alex Kirby: Yes to all. I don’t know what I can and can’t say at the minute, so I’ll keep that under my hat for now. But we had some good agreements made, and plenty of orders. We’re always surprised when we get good solid orders at shows, as it’s not normally about orders, it’s about seeing people and letting people know which way you’re going in the industry.
So, it’s been really good in that sense.
Coinslot: What were the stand highlights – which products caught peoples’ attention, and what was the reaction to your portfolio of products?
Alex Kirby: It was absolutely 100 percent the Phantom. Everybody is so eager for that product. Everyone’s screaming out for it. It wasn’t just operators, it was PubCos as well, they’re keen for it.
People also love the new Sound Leisure collaboration, the Rocket jukebox, they love that. Apart from that it’s Atom. Everyone loves the Atom. But the Phantom was the product which was the exciting launch for the show, and so eagerly awaited.
Coinslot: It’s going to be a defining year for the business – how did you gauge the general mood of the industry and what were the main talking points?
Alex Kirby: We didn’t get much negativity. Normally operators like to go through issues and air their concerns about the market, but we didn’t get much of that. Obviously, there were fears about the cost of running pubs and lack of help from the government, and the U-turns, but ultimately the response from the operators we saw was positive.
But it must be said, there was some frustration, particularly among the exhibitors, about the overall numbers. We spend an awful lot of money to go to EAG because it’s a flagship event, but the unfortunate thing is a lot of operators aren’t supporting it. Many just don’t go. And that is something that needs to be looked into and researched.
I’m not sure whether it’s the show’s timing or the costs of staying overnight in London. But for the investment exhibitors make, you’ve got to have a good footfall of customers to justify that spend.
I think that’s a debate for coming weeks, but for NSM, we still had a good show. We sold an awful lot of equipment, and all our products were hugely successful.
But the level of footfall over the three days cannot be ignored – it was a concern to many that we spoke to. And it makes a difference: it could turn a good show into a great one.
Coinslot: Now the show is over, what’s on your agenda going into spring in terms of new products, new projects and more exhibitions?
Alex Kirby: We’ve got the Irish show first week of March, only four weeks away, then you’ve got the ARE show in April, and on top of that we’re in Scotland next week, driving up and down the country seeing customers, as well as running the business.
There’s IAAPA in September, so we’ll soon be organising stuff for that, and getting ready to start shipping the Phantom.
At the minute we’re still chasing all the leads from the show, and we’re just trying to capitalise on that. But it’s extremely busy at the minute. There are some other things we’ll hopefully be able to shout about in the near future, but for now it’s early days.
When Phantom meets the Pubco
Alex Kirby said… “It was absolutely 100 percent the Phantom. Everybody is so eager for that product. Everyone’s screaming out for it. It wasn’t just operators, it was PubCos as well, they’re keen for it……
