6 minute read
Destination: ‘ICE London 2022’
Bill Healey Chats to Director of Clarion Gaming Stuart Hunter
What do you say to those exhibitors that have chosen to delay a return to ICE London until next year, are they welcome as visitors? Absolutely they are welcome – and I know many of them will be attending. I must stress that we fully understand the reasons why some of our exhibitors have chosen not to be a part of the return of ICE London for a range of reasons. We exist to look after the needs of all of our customers all of whom have contributed to the ICE London success story. We are already engaged with those exhibitors to have a presence at ICE London 2022 despite not having a conventional stand and as importantly to plan their return in 2023.
Having attended recent exhibitions EAG Show London followed by Fer Interazar Madrid with both shows where very busy and reported strong registrations, how are the registrations looking for ICE London? The registration figures are all very encouraging with visitors confirming from throughout the world. A stand out feature of ICE London is its international appeal – no other event in the gambling space comes anywhere near it. We continue to increase our marketing spend and I honestly don’t think we could have done more to persuade our community of visitors to make their annual pilgrimage to London. I’m confident that it will be a really positive experience delivered in
ABOVE: Director of Clarion Gaming Stuart Hunter the swashbuckling style that’s become the hallmark of the ICE brand. Our core message is ‘Together Never Felt So Good’ and I’m confident that will ring true when the first visitors get off the DLR at Custom House and start coming through the doors.
Can we expect ICE Exhibition to remain beyond 2023 in London? We undertook independent large sample size research among a community of ICE stakeholders last summer and will be following that up with independent quantitative and qualitative research at show and postshow. We only have one objective and that’s to host the world’s best b2b gambling exhibition in the world at a venue and location that the industry wants. There are two audiences in the debate - our exhibitors and of course the visitors who travel from across the world to participate in ICE.
Tell us about the Consumer Protection Zone? The Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ) is a central feature of ICE London. It will take-up a new prominent position within close proximity to the central boulevard and will host leading charities comprising Gordon Moody, GamCare, YGAM, Responsible Gambling Council and Gamstop together with suppliers including Future Anthem, Gamblewise, Mindway AI, Casino Guru, TruNarrative, BeBettor, W2 and Crucial Compliance. Under the leadership of Ewa Bakun, Clarion Gaming’s Director of Industry Insight and Engagement this will be the biggest and highest profile presence since the Consumer Protection Zone was introduced to the show-floor in 2018 when we had eight exhibitors, comprising a mix of technology providers and charities: this year we will have 14. The biggest testimony to the growing investment has been our fund-raising activities on behalf of the charities featured. We are fundraising for the third time through the CPZ and have opened the fund to a broader spectrum of companies this year. In 2019 we raised £35,000 rising to £65,000 at the last edition of ICE in 2020 and we are hoping that it will be possible to surpass that total. ICE London provides insight on all of the topical issues impacting the industry and safer gambling punctuates every conversation particularly so in the lead-up to the publication of the UK Government’s White Paper on gambling The Consumer Protection Zone won’t be the only place for visitors to talk and learn about consumer protection. We have also organised a Responsible Gambling Masterclass, as part of ICE VOX, with the CPZ theatre opening with talks on Tuesday afternoon. There will be opportunities for industry professionals to learn from experts and discuss consumer protection, sustainability and industry reputation throughout the three days of what is the world’s most influential event for the international b2b gambling industry.
Can you provide details on the ICE VOX Conference programme for 2022? ICE VOX provides world class insight delivered by industry thought leaders and it has proven itself to be absolutely integral to the ICE experience. This
year we have amended the agenda in order to deliver highly targeted Masterclasses covering a range of business-critical topics, which will be discussed and explored in full. The Masterclass programme has been curated in a way that allows delegates to select and participate in more intimate discussions covering key business issues, without interfering with their exhibition and meeting schedule on the show floor. This way they can participate fully in the totality of the London experience. Each of the nine Masterclasses has been capped at 50 participants in order to facilitate more valuable discussions. Topics being covered include: The Customer Journey (land-based and online); Responsible Gambling; Customer Acquisition; Global Market Roundtables; Vertical Integration; How To Build A Blockbuster Slot; Crime, Fraud and Esports and the LatAM Masterclass. Full details including how to register can be found here: https:// www.icelondon.uk.com/ice-vox
What can visitors from the Sports Betting Sector expect from ICE London 2022? The great things about ICE London from a product perspective is that it covers every single gambling vertical from every relevant geographical perspective. There are very few genuine global shows that cover the gambling and betting sectors but visitors to ICE London attend safe in the knowledge that they will have access to key innovators and potentially game-changing products and services. The ICE London experience is underpinned by technology, innovation and opportunity: when these qualities come together the event is genuinely unmissable.
Esports is massive what can visitors expect from ICE London? ICE London will present what I believe will be the most authentic delivery of esports tournaments at a gambling industry event courtesy of a £25,000 prize pool Rocket League tournament. The tournament, which will be contested on the Hyper X Esports Truck – aka Big Betty – will feature top tier esports teams Dignitas, 00 Nation, Rix.GG, and SMPR esports. We have secured the services of Gregun and JohnnyBoi, two of Rocket League’s best-known commentators, to host the event for both the live stream and the in-person crowd at ICE London. Visitors will also be able to participate by placing bets on the outcomes using the ICE Esports Arena chips. Our purpose is to firstly demystify Esports and secondly demonstrate how operators can tap into a global phenomenon that’s generating annual betting revenues estimated to be worth $13bn. Rather than provide an Esports lecture we are staging a high-profile tournament, featuring top tier teams competing for a prize pot of £25,000. The production and live-stream will be managed by Allied Esports and tours will be held every morning providing gambling industry professionals with exclusive and invaluable insight on how a professional esports tournament is run. Set against this backdrop, visitors will learn how they can best utilise the esports market and gain competitive advantage courtesy of keynote speeches taking place on the 12th and 13thApril and delivered by esports specialists UltraPlay and Esports Charts.
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.
To register visit: www.icelondon.uk.com.
iGB Affiliate London (13 – 14 April) connects affiliates to a 360-degree experience of igaming via networking and business lead-generation opportunities, content and learning.
To register visit: https://london.igbaffiliate.com
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