iGB L!VE – From Relocation to Consolidation
One year after relocating from Amsterdam to London, iGB L!VE returns to ExCeL with a growing international audience, a sharpened focus on business outcomes and a series of new initiatives designed to reflect the changing priorities of the gaming industry. G3 spoke with World Gaming Managing Director Stuart Hunter and Brand Director Jody Frost about London's first full year as the show's home, the launch of new summits, evolving visitor expectations and why success is now measured by quality rather than scale.
When iGB L!VE announced its move from Amsterdam to London, the decision generated considerable debate. Twelve months later, Stuart Hunter believes the rationale behind the move has been fully validated. “We had a huge opportunity in front of us,” Hunter explained. “One of the biggest online gaming sectors in the world is based in the UK, and we felt strongly that it should have a dedicated home event. Rather than creating something entirely new to fill the space left by ICE moving to Barcelona, it made sense to migrate iGB L!VE into that position.”
The relocation was also driven by London’s status as an international business hub and its long-established appeal to global gaming executives. “Last year delivered record-breaking numbers across almost every metric we track, from attendance and exhibition space through to customer satisfaction scores,” said Hunter. “But the important work started after the event. We spent the last year speaking extensively with customers about what worked, what they missed from Amsterdam and what they wanted to see evolve.”
Those conversations have directly shaped this year’s event. “We pride ourselves on listening to customers and acting on what they tell us,” he added. “A lot of the new initiatives for 2026 have come directly from those discussions.”
For Frost, maintaining momentum after the initial move requires constant engagement with the market. “The industry changes incredibly quickly,” he said. “Whether it’s taxation, regulation, technology or market dynamics, our responsibility is to stay close to those developments and make sure the event evolves alongside them. The Africa Summit and M&A Summit are both examples of initiatives that have come directly from customer feedback.”
Defining the Mid-Year Business Event
With ICE and iGB Affiliate already established as major fixtures in the gaming calendar, iGB L!VE occupies a different position within World Gaming’s portfolio. Hunter sees the July timing as one of the event’s greatest strengths.
“ICE and iGB Affiliate kick-start the year. They create opportunities, start conversations and establish business pipelines. What iGB L!VE does is provide a meaningful midpoint where those conversations can continue, deals can progress and businesses can focus on the second half of the year.”
Importantly, the audience profile differs significantly from Barcelona. “One statistic that surprises people is that around 60 per cent of iGB L!VE attendees don’t attend ICE in Barcelona,” he revealed. “That means we’re not simply recreating the same audience six months later. We’re delivering access to entirely new business opportunities.”
Frost believes the event has retained a distinctive identity throughout its evolution. “iGB L!VE has always had a strong community feel,” he said. “It has traditionally been seen as the home of the iGaming community. As the industry matures, there is naturally more focus on doing business, but that sense of community remains incredibly important and is one of the things that differentiates the event.”
Introducing the World Gaming M&A Summit
One of the most significant additions to this year’s programme is the launch of the World Gaming M&A Summit, reflecting the growing role of investment, consolidation and corporate activity across the sector.
For Hunter, London provides the perfect setting. “We’re sitting in one of the world’s leading financial centres,” he said. “At the same time, we were hearing repeatedly from businesses that were either preparing for acquisition, seeking investment or looking at growth opportunities. We saw an opportunity to create something that could genuinely help facilitate those conversations.”
The result is a summit bringing together investment bankers, investors, advisers and gaming executives in a highly targeted environment. “If you look at the calibre of people attending, it’s arguably one of the strongest collections of M&A professionals and gaming executives you’ll find in a single room this year,” Hunter noted. “It’s not a commercial exercise for us. It’s about creating opportunities and adding value for customers.”
Frost emphasised the importance of targeted audience development. “Not every initiative is for every attendee,” he explained. “The challenge is ensuring we’re delivering the right products to the right audiences. The M&A Summit serves a very specific cohort, and our job is to make sure those people understand the value it offers.”
Spotlight on Africa
Another major addition is the Africa Summit, reflecting growing interest in one of gaming’s most dynamic emerging regions. “The demand came directly from operators and suppliers,” Frost said. “We consistently heard that Africa was a priority growth market, but it’s also a very complex one. There are multiple regulatory frameworks, different levels of market maturity and unique infrastructure challenges.”
The summit aims to bring regulators, operators and suppliers together in a structured environment. “We’ve worked hard to attract both African operators and regulators, as well as international businesses looking to enter those markets,” he explained. “The objective is to create meaningful conversations that help businesses understand how to approach these opportunities responsibly.”
Hunter added that the initiative reflects a broader philosophy. “Our responsibility is to help customers reach the markets they want to access. Africa is clearly one of those markets right now.”
A Truly International Audience
iGB L!VE now attracts visitors from around 150 countries, a statistic Hunter believes reflects the industry’s increasingly global nature. “We don’t pursue international attendance simply because it looks impressive in a press release,” he said. “The reality is that our exhibitors and sponsors want access to buyers and decision-makers from specific markets around the world.”
World Gaming’s extensive international database and media reach allow the company to connect those audiences. “What we’re really measuring is whether we’re delivering the right people from the right markets,” Hunter explained. “The fact that professionals are prepared to travel thousands of miles to attend tells us that they’re seeing genuine value.”
The international focus has also prompted the introduction of enhanced visa support services.
“If there’s friction that prevents people attending, we want to remove it,” Hunter said. “For most visitors it’s simply about providing information early enough, but there are more complex cases where additional support is needed. Anything we can do to make attendance easier is worthwhile.”
The Evolution of Visitor Expectations
Visitor expectations have changed significantly in recent years, according to Frost. “People are becoming much more outcome-driven,” he observed. “They’re increasingly clear about what they want to achieve and far more intentional in how they plan their time.” That shift has increased demand for networking tools, pre-arranged meetings and personalised event experiences. “A two-day event goes incredibly quickly,” Frost said. “Many attendees now arrive with fully booked schedules. Others prefer a more organic approach. Our challenge is providing both.”
Hunter agrees that quality increasingly matters more than quantity. “We look beyond registration numbers,” he said. “We’re analysing where attendees come from, what they’re hoping to achieve and whether we’re creating the right opportunities for them.”
One example is the new World Gaming Summer Gala at The Savoy. “That came directly from customer feedback,” Hunter explained. “We wanted to create a more elegant, slower-paced environment where senior leaders could connect in a meaningful way.”
Sustainability and Long-Term Growth
Sustainability continues to play an increasingly prominent role in event planning. Hunter points to significant improvements in exhibitor participation and waste management initiatives.
“We’ve seen genuine behavioural change,” he said. “Participation in our waste reduction programmes continues to increase, and recycling rates have improved substantially. Exhibitors increasingly recognise that sustainability isn’t optional.”
Supporting Innovation and Start-Ups
Alongside established businesses, iGB L!VE continues to invest in initiatives designed to support emerging companies. “The Start-Up Accelerator and Pitch iGB are hugely important,” said Frost. “Innovation is the lifeblood of this industry.”
The programmes serve different stages of business development, from early-stage start-ups seeking guidance and investment to more mature businesses looking to scale. “They provide visibility, access and connections that smaller businesses often struggle to achieve independently,” he said. Together with the M&A Summit, they form part of a broader ecosystem designed to support growth throughout the business lifecycle.
Measuring Success Beyond Attendance
As exhibitors face increasing pressure to justify event spending, both executives believe the definition of success has evolved. “I think companies are becoming much more selective about where they invest,” Hunter said. “We’re hearing more and more that businesses want fewer events but better outcomes.”
Rather than focusing solely on attendance figures, World Gaming increasingly measures what it calls “criticality” – the extent to which an event is essential to customer success.
“We consistently achieve some of the highest criticality scores within the wider Clarion portfolio,” Hunter explained. “What matters isn’t whether an event is bigger than another event. What matters is whether customers achieve their objectives.”
Frost echoed that view. “Different exhibitors have different goals,” he said. “Some are focused on lead generation, some on brand positioning and some on customer retention. Understanding those objectives is fundamental to helping them achieve success.”
