After five exhibitors confirmed withdrawals from ICE London 2022, Clarion Gaming said Wednesday that 74% of industry professionals pre-registering for the event have confirmed their participation when the exhibition returns to ExCeL London on new dates, April 12-14.
The independent research conducted among a large size sample of 1,211 individuals, 77% 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% 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% of respondents), gain an overview of the market (56%), and to be inspired by new ideas (53%).
Stuart Hunter, Managing Director, Clarion Gaming believes the research shows the importance the international industry places on attending ICE London. In a press release Wednesday, 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.”
Hunter also underlined the UK Government’s recent announcement confirming that from February 11th vaccinated international travelers 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,” Hunter concluded.
Last week, Merkur Gaming, NOVOMATIC, Zitro, and TCS John Huxley announced their decision to cancel their participation as exhibitors. Abbiati joined this list on Tuesday. Clarion said that 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 nearly 450 exhibitors plus the 150 companies who will be showing at the co-located iGB Affiliate London. ICE organizers have also signed-up 15 new exhibitors in less than two weeks occupying in excess of 1,000 sqm of net space.
