NSM Music has confirmed that unless things change, they will not be exhibiting at EAG Expo 2027. The news comes just a week after the London Show reported growth across its three sections, but for NSM, it remains a case of timings, venue, costs and visitors. Sales Manager Alex Kirby explains.

It’s never an easy decision to withdraw from the UK’s leading trade show, but we have been considering taking a break from EAG for a while.

It’s restrictive timing, oversized venue and the rising stand and electricity costs have been a difficult combination to accept and we continually ask ourselves, instead of exhibiting, would we be better giving away 100 Atoms to our loyal customers – either way the cost would be comparable 

As part of our review, it was always important to acknowledge the efforts of EAG. The team has worked very hard to widen the reach of the show and also to sharpen the look and feel – and in this area it has made good progress. The exhibition is smart, professional and a quality showcase.

But all this work is hindered significantly by a calendar date that allows little quality preparation being so close to the Christmas and New Year break; a venue that is too big for the show’s needs; and a pricing model that puts it at the top end of most exhibition budgets.

For the kind of investment the exhibitors are being asked to make, EAG has to deliver. And in our experience, that cost-effective delivery is an on-going project that will require more time and some major changes by the organisers to merit the spend.

In the current climate of rising operational costs, revenue monies now going to the Gambling Levy and possibly higher licence fees, businesses are looking more carefully at their budgets – and in particular, the return on their spend.

From NSM’s perspective, EAG is our biggest investment, so we consider it to be very important to us. But a lot of operators are not supporting the show in numbers. Many just aren’t going.

We’re not sure whether that’s down to the timing or the relatively small number of exhibitors compared to other major trade shows, but it was particularly evident this year. One UK operator that came to our stand made the worrying observation that “there’s not a lot here for us.”

And it’s that kind of response that prompted our reappraisal.

We do recognise that EAG is working on this particular concern, the SIE show is an exciting development and definitely on trend with room to grow.

But the casino show is an issue that needs attention. It has split the exhibition physically and impacted footfall across the entire show. And with ICE opening in Barcelona just four days later, the organisers need to reconsider whether a casino show is viable in January?

Our view is the show is better as one; the three-way division lessens its value to each sector that it’s trying to serve. It separates the footfall and takes away the buzz and energy of the show.

And for exhibitors, you’ve got to have a good footfall of customers to justify the spend and we’ve got to get the operators in – they are the ones that make EAG viable.

It’s good to finally see growth in overseas visitors, but the UK visitors need to be enticed – and a show just 6 working days into the new year has proven to be less likely to achieve that.

EAG needs to reassess the date – it’s prohibitive to many exhibitors and arguably many visitors.

But the most important consideration, at this time, is cost. EAG is more expensive than other shows in its category, which puts it under more pressure to deliver a return. It has become extremely expensive from a manufacturer’s point of view and we consider both the stand space and the cost of electrics to be excessive. In fact, we spent more on the electrics at ExCeL than we do for the entire ACOS or ARE shows.

And that opens up a new thinking about the show. A change of date, a change of venue and, possibly, a reduction to two days?

EAG has to be bold in its plans to grow the exhibtiion.

As our association’s trade show, we need EAG to deliver value for money for its members and to broaden our sales opportunities.

We don’t doubt the quality and vision of EAG, but we have a show that hangs on to one of the poorest slots on the exhibition calendar, a showfloor structure that separates exhibitors into small sections, a venue that is expensive and beyond our needs, and an exhibition cost structure that cannot realistically deliver value for money.

We want EAG to succeed – no one in their right mind would think otherwise. But if it’s the wrong date, the wrong venue, the wrong structure and the wrong price, we have to make difficult decisions. And that is why we, very reluctantly, are taking a break from the show.

But one thing is certain: we would be back with a vengeance if EAG were able to make progress on the considerations that we, and many operators and exhibitors that we spoke to, have been thinking about.