Serbian market holds potential

Despite the fact that attendance at the second South-East European Gaming Expo seemed to suffer because the show was held during a week of riots in Belgrade, all the signs of an emerging gaming market in Serbia were there.

The well-organised show was larger this year, and many international companies made their Belgrade debuts. It is a shame, then, that the organisers were not rewarded with higher visitor numbers.

It appears likely that some prospective attendees were put off by violence that took place in the city on the weekend before the show.

Western backing of Kosovo’s independence vote brought angry mobs to the streets and the US embassy was attacked two days before the exhibition was due to open. It was then revealed that over a million protestors were expected to demonstrate in the city on the final day of the show. That rally saw the US embassy being torched and several other embassies attacked as riot police tried to restore order.