Operator News
UK – ICE attendance grows again as total exceeds 28,000
By Phil - 19 February 2016
Outline attendance figures for this month’s ICE exhibition have been declared at 28,487 unique visitors.
The interim figure, a record for the world’s biggest business to business gaming event, represents a 11.7 per cent increase on the total for 2015 and is the seventh consecutive year of growth for ICE.
The attendance data, which has been compiled by the company responsible for registration at ICE 2016, will now undergo an independent audit in order to be confirmed as an accurate figure.
Kate Chambers, who has overseen the development of the ICE brand, including the 2013 move to ExCeL, which is London’s largest purpose built events venue, believes the outline figures are a testament to the central role that ICE now plays in world gaming.
She stated: “We invited the world of gaming to enter the Gaming Technopolis and they came – in their thousands and from a total of 150 nations.
“Clearly I am delighted that we have secured a double digit increase on 2015, which, itself was a record year for ICE. There’s a significant momentum to the event and all of the anecdotal evidence, the media reporting and the messages we are receiving from stakeholders from all over the world is unequivocally positive. I have to place on record my sincere thanks to our 529 exhibitors from 62 nations who worked so hard and with such outstanding creativity to make ICE such a spectacle.
“Putting the figures to one side, which I must stress, still have to be audited, the real measure of success is the experience and feedback we receive from our stakeholders. We conduct extensive customer research after each edition of ICE and I look forward to sharing the results with the industry in due course.
“The most used cliché in the events industry is ‘you are only as good as your last show’ and with this in mind we will shortly hold our annual strategy days with the team responsible for organising ICE and agreeing the content and the campaign to take ICE forward in 2017.”
Gaming professionals who braved the grey London winter at ICE were also able to get some (virtual) sun on their backs courtesy of the Miami beach themed promotion held on the ICE show floor in support of the inaugural Juegos Miami. Jointly organised by Clarion Events and Urban Expositions, Juegos Miami, the dedicated business event for the Pan-Latin American and Caribbean gaming industry, is being held at The Biltmore, Coral Gables, Miami, May 31 to June 3, 2016.
Kate Chambers, explained: “London might not be the warmest location in February, but visitors to the Miami Spice feature at ICE were able to sit back, close their eyes and imagine they were in the Florida sunshine at the same time as learning more about an event which has been tailored to meet the specific needs of the Pan-Latin American and Caribbean Gaming industry.”
She added: “The response to Juegos Miami was fantastic. Visitors have been very positive to what is a totally new concept which has been built around relationship building, networking, access to the very latest and best gaming products, a high-level conference programme and training. The response from both exhibitors and the community of VIP attendees has been exceptional and extending our marketing and promotional campaign to ICE worked well. Visitors to the Miami Spice feature were also able to refresh at a Juice Bar and have their photograph taken against the backdrop of a Florida beach.”
For those attendees wanting the latest updates on gaming in the region, ICE also staged a free to attend LatAm seminar. The seminar, which was moderated by Cristina Romero, Partner, LOYRA, examined the state of the Latin American gaming market, both land-based and online, and examined the potential changes that will affect both operators on the ground and their international technology partners.
An invitation only event, Juegos Miami will attract industry leaders including top decision makers, key operators, legislators, major buyers and business owners.
