Coinslot: It was the second edition of the ARE Expo last week. How would you rate ARE 2026 and what were the highlights?
Nick Rudd: ARE 2026 was a real step forward.
What struck us most was the volume of industry contacts in the room. It felt like the show is genuinely finding its feet as a must-attend event.
For us, it was a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with people and show them where we’ve taken the Target Darts Zone in the last 12 months.
The North West is a core operating area for The Rudd Group, so being in Manchester always feels like home territory.
Coinslot: There has been a very positive vibe around the show since its launch. Did it deliver good footfall and business opportunities and did the show bring the industry together at a last selling point before the summer season gets into gear?
Nick Rudd: Both, honestly. We’ll always show up for ARE – as mentioned, the North West matters to us and we want to see events like this thrive in the region.
But it wasn’t just about flying the flag. Target Darts Zone has been in the market for over 12 months now and awareness is growing, so a lot of attendees already knew about it.
What the show gave us was face time – the chance to let people actually experience it rather than just hear about it. That’s valuable at any stage of a product’s lifecycle.
It’s also why we’ve taken the decision to host our own North West Target Darts Zone showcase in June in Manchester, with local lad Nathan Aspinall. We recognise how crucial this area is and we want to invest in it properly.
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Coinslot: You have given strong backing to ARE particularly with the quality of product you took to Manchester. Talk us through some of the crowd pulling innovations in your portfolio?
Nick Rudd: The Target Darts Zone set up is already played by hundreds of thousands of people globally – that’s not a claim many products in our space can make.
What we’ve done is bring it into the pub environment in a way that genuinely works for licensees and players alike. It’s market-leading interactive darts, and the product keeps evolving.
ARE gave us the perfect platform to show the latest features to an audience that’s increasingly familiar with the name.
Coinslot: Were there any notable wins from the two days – new agreements, installations, partnerships?
Nick Rudd: We had some genuinely interesting conversations with operators in market sectors we don’t currently work with, which is exciting.
It’s early days and we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but the right doors have opened and we’ll be following those up carefully over the coming weeks.
Coinslot: ARE delivered an interesting array of seminars and the Bacta North West Region were there in force as were licensing officials who joined the GBG on their High Street Hub. The threat to Aim to Permit was a key talking point, but what were you keen to discuss on the broader level?
Nick Rudd: The seminar programme was a real highlight for us. Our Marketing Director Helena hosted a session on the practical uses of AI within the industry, which was really well received.
We had a strong contingent of Rudd Group staff at the show and they got a lot from the competitive socialising panel and Simon Barff’s update on contactless and cashless.
That’s the bit people don’t always talk about enough – the knowledge-sharing element of ARE is just as valuable as the exhibition floor.
It’s what turns a trade show into a genuine industry event.
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