James Fergusson: ‘Business events such as ARE provide an opportunity for the Blueprint Operations’ team to meet-up with customers, update on trends and share the insight and market intelligence that we are picking-up.’
Blueprint Operations went to ARE with a stripped back stand demonstrating a portfolio of new and core products for every sector. The focus was on continuing the dialogue with its expanding customer base and sharing market intelligence and insight to help operators maximise their BPO machine income.
Coinslot: It was the second edition of the ARE Expo: how would you rate ARE 2026 and what were the highlights?
In keeping with the personality of ARE we adopted a deliberately stripped-back approach to our presence. The focus was on the core products that continue to perform so well for operators alongside some exciting new launches. Exhibitions evolve and grow and certainly the opening day was an uptick on 2025.
Coinslot: There has been a very positive vibe around the show since its launch. Did it deliver good footfall and business opportunities or were you more interested in supporting a show that brings the industry together at a last selling point before the summer season gets into gear?
Exhibitions meet a wide range of objectives and serve numerous roles. Whilst ARE is the most modest of the exhibitions that we support it provided an important opportunity to continue the dialogue that we have with our customers. With both January’s EAG and October’s ACOS taking place in London it’s good to have a business event in between that takes place in the North West.
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?
Following the successful release of Bullseye Cat C in February 2025, we showcased two further Bullseye titles including the B3 model for AGC and bingo venues, while a second Cat C title was showcased on the Velocity cabinet. Since the introduction of the Bullseye brand to the portfolio performance has exceeded our expectations by some distance. The latest B3 title has performed extremely well since its deployment at the end of February and is now sitting within our collection of top five titles. Together, these launches demonstrate Blueprint’s continued investment in world class content and our commitment to delivering products that consistently perform across multiple sectors. We always go to industry exhibitions with a suite of new reasons to meet with us and ARE ’26 was no exception. Our new B3 and Cat C titles on show across our cabinet range included Monsters Fortune Dragons Eggs and Son of Horus (B3) as well as Luck o the Irish Pots of Cash (Cat C). We also had the specialist Poker 23 cabinet, emphasising our commitment to the delivery of choice.
Coinslot: Were there any notable wins from the two days – new agreements, installations, partnerships?
The role played by exhibitions in the marketing mix is changing. Whilst we will timetable important product launches to sync with the show cycle, predominantly January’s EAG, business events provide an opportunity to meet-up with customers, update on trends and share with them the insight and market intelligence that we are picking-up. Introducing new product, listening to the market, feeding customer insight back into our R&D teams are all part of the exhibition process.
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?
It’s important for exhibitions to feature a mix of events and by extension new reasons to attend. Certainly, holding the Bacta North West Regional meeting at ARE made perfect sense. It brought in 30 to 40 operators to the show and the opportunity to be updated on topics such as Category D Consultation, Bingo Consultation, Gaming Machine Technical Standards, Stakes and Prizes and Social Responsibility all set against the backdrop of the show floor, was valuable for everyone and informed some of the discussions we had on the stand.
