“We will see Novomatic grow to a leading position in all Latin American markets”

What expectations had Novomatic of the Colombian event and what were the final results?
Novomatic, as part of its plan to keep on introducing its products to the Latin American market, obviously considered Colombia as one of its main target markets. In fact, in Colombia, the Coolfire I product is already quite well known, and so this event was entirely the right occasion to come and now present the new Coolfire II products. These products are based on an improved platform, much better on a technological level than Coolfire I.

The products created through this platform have new features: multi-denomination, and multi-language capability, for example. Also, the graphic resolution of Coolfire II games is extraordinarily good. So, it was obvious that we had to be present in the Colombian market and this exhibition presented a very clear opportunity to react positively to a market that is clearly growing in importance and in the increasing sophistication of its national industry. For us, it was extremely important to present to gaming operators the fact that, in the Novomatic brand, there is the vitally important combination of technically excellent products and a significant opportunity to show a very positive return on investment.

What was the response you received from visitors and clients?
The feedback was extremely positive. We have received many visits, many interested people, many key operators, both big and small. We are extremely pleased to sign business with some important companies and there are many opportunities to keep on doing better business in Colombia. There is an understandable limitation within the current worldwide scenario but definitely there is also a real perception that the Novomatic product is excellent and that it is what the customers wish to have. With this understanding, we are working together with Colombian operators to deliver their current order requirements and, just as important, working to expand this business in the near future. Definitely we are convinced that the product will work perfectly in the Colombian market.

Which is the strategy of the company considering the global crisis? How do you plan to face this situation to be closer to the operator?
First of all, we have a good base of our product; a good product that definitely has all the characteristics I’ve already mentioned; in order to satisfy the wishes of the final customer and obviously generate a good profit for the operator. Naturally, as regards the products in operation, we are fully committed to providing top class customer service, staying close to the customer both in the technical support aspect and in the supply of spare parts and any other query in general, to ensure the product has a top class performance.

Additionally, we have in place a solid professional organization, from the management and administration functions. Add to that our important duality as both a manufacturer of equipment and also as a successful operator. That is a key strength of Novomatic, in terms of the knowledge and experience that our dual role in the gaming industry provides. We know, from experience, how to produce products that are successful in specific markets and what support and assistance our customers have the right to expect. Any change, any innovation that Novomatic makes is done on the basis of practical knowledge and experience. That’s why the product works so well.

How did you see FADJA event in particular, with regards to organization and people?
We have seen that the organization was excellent. We have seen that there has been an impressive participation of important firms, which demonstrates how attractive the Colombian market is. We believe the show has worked well with regards to the aims we had, which were to enter strongly in the Latin American markets and position the brand and the product with all the regional operators. We consider that, with all the levels of contacts we have made, we have achieved a good improvement in that sense.

Now comes all the work related to the permanent contact with the customer, as well as to the good performance of the product in the market. And that is a range of activities: it is not only related to the presentation in an event but also to the constant contact that goes beyond the placement of an order. It also has to do with the fact that the customer must feel completely satisfied with the product, and that involves all the steps until reaching the final customer – the player -  who really decides if a product is good or not. In that sense, we have a very professional staff and we are sure that finally, not only in Colombia but in all Latin America, we will see Novomatic grow to a leading position in the market.