ICE London opens commercial expo after 26 months with expanded educational content, esports focus

ICE London is opening its doors today, marking the first edition to take place after a 26-month pandemic-enforced absence, and the realization of unprecedented April dates at ExCeL London. With an expanded ICE VOX program already underway since Monday, organizers Clarion Gaming have confirmed that visitors from a total of 158 jurisdictions have registered to attend the three-day business-to-business expo, three more than the previous edition. Also, the event will host 410 exhibitors, with suppliers from 59 jurisdictions, and nearly 5,000 meetings have been requested between visitors and exhibitors using the new My ICE Gateway app.

With an orchestra on the Boulevard, the ExCeL’s central concourse, playing a classical rendition of Can’t Help Falling in Love, packed carriages on the DLR and a long queue of attendees set the tone for what looked set to be a full first day on Tuesday.

Stuart Hunter, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to open ICE London after a 26-month hiatus. As a team we are totally blown away by the positivity in the venue, by the energy, and the enthusiasm. The atmosphere is palpable, business meetings are already taking place, with visitors travelling to London from every corner of the globe. This kicks off a new era for ICE as we plan for 2023.”

An expanded educational content this year will comprise Pitch ICE, the International Casino Conference, World Regulatory Briefing, the ICE VOX conference program, the expanded Consumer Protection Zone, and a brand-new Hosted Meetings Programme. In addition, esports will have a more central role this year, with masterclasses, a special conference, and the ICE London Esports Arena hosting Tuesday a £25,000 ($33,000) prize pool Rocket League tournament, contested on the Hyper X Esports Truck (also known as "Big Betty"), featuring top tier esports teams Dignitas, 00 Nation, Rix. GG, and SMPR esports.

On Monday, ICE VOX kickstarted activities with the International Casino Conference (ICC), chaired by Per Jaldung, CEO at Casino Cosmopol & Chairman of the Board at European Casino Association. Speakers included Scott Sibella, CEO of Resorts World; Bobby Soper, International President of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment; James Taylor, Chief, Enforcement Division at the Nevada Gaming Control Board; Becky Harris, Non-Executive Director/ Distinguished Fellow, Gaming & Leadership at PointsBet/ UNLV International Gaming Institute; Jan Jones Blackhurst, Board Member of Caesars Entertainment; Jonathan Pettemerides, Director of Group Business Development at The Rank Group; among others.

It was followed by the World Regulatory Briefing (WRB), delivered by Clarion Gaming in partnership with the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL). Speakers included Andrew Rhodes, CEO - UK Gambling Commission; David Williams, Director of Public Affairs - Rank Group; Brigid Simmonds, Chairman - Betting and Gaming Council (BGC); Pontus Lindwall, CEO - Betsson; Paul Burns, President and CEO - Canadian Gaming Association; Karen Sierra-Hughes, Vice President of Latin America & Caribbean - Gaming Laboratories International; among others.

Agenda for Tuesday, April 12

• MASTERCLASS 1: Customer journey land-based: Creating the next gen contactless payments
  09:20 am – 1:40 pm

Speakers include Doni Taube, Head of Resort Marketing - Resort World Las Vegas; Alan Feldman, Distinguished Fellow - UNLV International Gaming Institute, among others.

• MASTERCLASS 2: Customer journey online: Transforming your team operations to produce an enhanced customer experience online
  09:20 am – 1:10 pm
  
  
• MASTERCLASS 3: Responsible gambling: Effective interaction and intervention >>
  09:20 am – 1:10 pm

Speakers include Peter Marcus, Group Director of Regulatory Operations - Entain; Anna Sainsbury, Co-founder & CEO - GeoComply; Anna Dearlove, Compliance and Player Protection - Allwyn; Tamara Morgan, Manager, GameSense Programs and Training - BCLC Canadian Lottery.

• Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF) Meeting (By Invitation)
  SG 20
  10 am –6.30 pm
  
  
• International Legislators Day seminar 
  (By Invitation)
  ICC room 11 & 12
  10am – 12.15pm
  
  
• Pitch ICE

Throughout Tuesday, between 11 am and 4.20 pm, 14 start-ups are set to present their visionary projects on the Pitch ICE stage (N7) at the expo. The 14 gaming companies showcasing their solutions and approaches to investors operate in a wide range of verticals and segments of the industry, including lottery, poker, manufacturing, sports betting, and more. Live pitches on stage will be moderated by Jesse Learmonth, The Betting Start-up Podcast; and Michael Caselli, Non-Executive Chairman, Clarion Gaming.

The start-ups are: Bespot; Better Change; Mobi Funds Inc; My Lotto Hub; Neesan Labs Parlay Poker; OneUpOneDown Ltd; Pokerload; Pow Gaming; Racing Star; Rubik Talent; Sparket; SMAT Virtual; Touch-LESS Gaming and We The Bookie.

• Regulators Lunch (By Invitation)
  ICC room 7&8
  12 am – 3pm

• Chips Charity Presentation (Open)
  Press Lounge
  1pm – 2pm

• MASTERCLASS 5: Global market roundtables 
  1:30 pm – 5:45 pm

Speakers include Paul Burns, President and CEO - Canadian Gaming Association; Miguel Ochoa, President - AIEJA (Mexican Gaming Association); Sheila Morago, Executive Director - Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association; Juliann Barreto, Chief Operating Officer - Spectrum Gaming Group; Brandt Iden, Head of Government Affairs, US - Sportradar; among others.

• MASTERCLASS 4: Customer acquisition: Successfully structuring partnerships >>
  2 pm – 5:45 pm.

Speakers include Yariv Lavi, Director of Business Development - 888 Holdings; Martin Lycka, SVP American Regulatory Affairs and RG - Entain; Witek Wacinski, VP Strategy & Development - BetMGM; among others.

• European Casino Association (ECA) Board Meeting (By Invitation)
  SG16
  2pm – 3.30pm
  
  
• ECA Lunch & General Assembly (By Invitation)
  SG15
  3.30pm – 6pm
  
  
• International Legislators’ Agenda networking & afternoon tea (By Invitation)  
  Consumer Protection Zone
  4pm – 5pm
  
  
• Off the Record (Press Only)  
  Press Lounge
  5pm – 7pm
  
  
• EUROMAT drinks reception (By Invitation) 
  SG22
  5.30pm – 7pm
  
  
• ICE VIP Reception (By Invitation)  
  Sexy Fish
  6pm – 9.30pm

"April will see the biggest and most dynamic gathering of the industry ironically since the previous edition of ICE," Stuart Hunter, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, told Yogonet in February. "It’s been too long since the industry has been able to meet face-to-face and we are looking forward to bringing everyone together to celebrate the return of the industry in a safe and a secure environment. In these respects, the UK and ICE London are very much open for business and we will do whatever it takes to deliver an unforgettable celebration when the industry meets in London in April."

The 59 jurisdictions represented on the show floor at ICE London 2022 are: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Republic of Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, United Kingdom, USA,
and Uruguay.

Close to three out of four industry professionals (74%) pre-registering for ICE have confirmed their intention to be part of the London experience. The independent research conducted among a large size sample of 1,211, (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%).

This year, Clarion Gaming has also introduced a far-reaching Charter of commitments, cost efficiencies and investments to help exhibitors maximise their ROI at ICE 2022. The ICE Charter includes a freeze on the cost of exhibiting space for both the 2022 and 2023 events, discounted rates on the costs of at-show IT, the removal of historical charges that have been levied on double-decker stand builds and the formation of an internal task force to help stakeholders secure the best possible room rates at London hotels. Clarion has also made a six figure investment in a Hosted Meetings Programme to match influential buyers from throughout the world with companies exhibiting at ICE.

Furthermore, the Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ) will be a central feature of ICE London. It has a new prominent position in close proximity to the central boulevard and features 14 organizations comprising leading charities 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.

Moreover, Clarion launched a new social media competition running across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to celebrate the return of the B2B gaming industry expo. The #MyICEStory competition is an opportunity for the industry to share the photos that showcase and reflect their relationship with the ICE brand and the unique ICE experience "whether that’s celebrating a new piece of business, giving it their best shot on the stage at Pitch ICE, getting a selfie with one of the many celebrities who have attended the show, or even the moment when they met their future partner – but didn’t realise it at the time!" the company explained in a press release. The post that achieves the most votes will win a £1,000 Amazon Gift Card.

Attendees can see all of the entries which will be displayed on the new 360° social wall located in the Social Recharge Zone. To stand a chance of winning the £1,000 Amazon Card, entries should be submitted by 3 pm Thursday, 14 April. 

ICE London 2022