Supplier News
UK – Clarion confirms industry decision-makers are coming to ICE
By Phil - 2 February 2022
Close to three out of four industry professionals (74 per cent) pre-registering for ICE have confirmed that they intend to be part of the London experience when the exhibition returns to ExCeL London (April 12 to 14). The independent research conducted among a large size sample of 1,211, (77 per cent of whom were the final decision-maker or part of the final decision- making group)- also underlined the importance attributed to the world’s largest business-to-business gambling exhibition.
81 per cent of respondents saw ICE London as being either fairly or very important to attend with the main purpose of attending being to acquire new suppliers and partners (67 per cent of respondents), gain an overview of the market (56 per cent) and to be inspired by new ideas (53 per cent)
Stuart Hunter, Managing Director, Clarion Gaming believes the research shows the importance the international industry places on attending ICE London. He stated: “I would like to open by confirming that moving ICE London to April is very much a one-off and a last resort due to the absence of any alternative dates for an exhibition of this size and scale compounded by the fact that events venues in the UK are running at capacity. However, the research we have commissioned demonstrates the appetite that exists for the return of ICE London after more than a two-year absence and despite being held on dates that we accept are not ideal. The research also shows that the new April dates have substantially eased COVID-related concerns.”
He added: “We also have the recent announcement by the UK Government confirming that from February 11th vaccinated international travellers will not have to test for Covid on arrival in England: this is a major development that will encourage more visitors to make the journey to London and be part of the ICE experience. In addition, the UK Government has moved to its Plan A Covid response which has involved a significant easing of Covid restrictions including the end of mandatory face masks and a relaxation of the rules applying to Covid Certification Passports. I support the view of lead bodies such as UKHospitality and UKinbound that the lifting of restrictions represents a pragmatic step towards normality, they also show that the UK and ICE London are very much open for business.”
“The ICE brand has always worked to represent the entire gaming ecosystem. We continue to be committed to the whole of the industry, including the many smaller businesses throughout the supply chain who rely on ICE London for a significant proportion of their annual turnover. It’s been too long since the business has been able to meet face-to-face and the team is looking forward to bringing everyone together to celebrate the return of the industry in a safe and a secure environment. I would like to add that we will continue to engage with our customers in the run-up to and after the completion of ICE London 2022.”
While the withdrawal of land-based exhibitors has changed the dynamic of what visitors will experience at show, ICE London 2022 remains the largest exhibition in world gaming and will comprise circa 450 exhibitors plus the 150 companies who will be showing at the co-located iGB Affiliate London. ICE organisers have also signed-up 15 new exhibitors in less than two weeks occupying in excess of 1,000 sqm of net space. ICE London (12-14 April 2022, ExCeL London) is the biggest b2b gambling industry event in the world and features games creators, distributors, operators, retailers, trade associations, strategic bodies and regulators.
