"Preview is always an important two days in the calendar but next week's event is likely to hold a lot more significance for an industry that is looking for answers to some pressing issues. I sense that the business is looking for some clarity of thought, some vision and a consensus of opinion which will hopefully be abundant at Preview.

"Exhibitions are about product and product has always been the driver of this business. As the pre-eminent machine company in the UK we work in partnership with leading games innovators and developers based throughout the world to bring our customers the pick of the crop, the best of the best. Put very simply our function is to scour the world for the very best products across all games categories, hence we have exclusive distribution agreements with leading names such as Raw Thrills, ICE and Fantasy.

"In a very tangible and practical sense Preview allows us to introduce these new game concepts into the redemption and general amusement genres that have performed well recently and gauge the response from operators. We will be looking to Preview as a method of judging if our new product offerings will create the necessary impact to influence income performance and sales in the coming year.

"The modern machine company should be much more than a broker of product: the need to provide customers with expert consultancy and an attention to detail has never been greater. We place great emphasis on being close to our customers, visiting them in their premises not once a year but on a regular basis, understanding the issues that they face and delivering affordable solutions. Preview will be an extension of what we do in the field and an opportunity for us to host our customers surrounded by innovative product.

"Going into the exhibition I have to say that we are upbeat as a team: our confident mind set is based on the developments and enhancements made to existing products as well as the introduction of new games to the line-up.

"In this business you are only as good as your last product and we have good reason to remain confident in our ability to at least maintain Preview 2009 levels of business, which in the current trading environment is good."