European Casino Association and Clarion to host new Symposium at Les Ambassadeurs Casino in July

Ahead of the return of ICE London to its traditional February dates in 2023, event organizer Clarion Gaming has teamed up with the European Casino Association (ECA) to create the ECA/Clarion/ICE Symposium, which will be taking place on July 13 at Les Ambassadeurs Casino in Mayfair, London.

Brussels-based trade association ECA and Clarion Gaming first announced they were teaming up for the launch of the symposium in April. The event is set to draw on the experience, needs, and insight of operators and games creators in order "to plan how the casino sector can come back stronger post-Covid" and "to confirm what it needs from the industry supply side ahead of ICE London 2023."

Stuart Hunter, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, explained: "We first spoke about the need to align industry thinking for ICE 2023 with the ECA leadership team at April's event and subsequently fleshed out the format at the ECA's Dealer Championship in May where we hosted a breakfast meeting for board members. The Symposium will bring operators and land-based suppliers together in a relaxed format, with the agenda for the day being created 'live' during the morning session."

The director further explained that the event will feature an open space model -a format driven by attendees- to encourage participants to have "open, honest, and dynamic" discussions around the current needs, pain points, and shared opportunities that the industry currently faces.

Hunter also announced that after an initial panel session, individual groups will start their own discussions and agenda building, adding that all the discussions and intelligence that's generated "informs and inspires" the attendees directly. The output will then be used to direct the vision for ICE London in terms of strategy, content, product mix, customer experience, and onsite networking/meeting ideas.

"The Symposium is an important part of our preparations for the return of the major land-based supplier brands to the ICE London show floor and will help us to maximize ROI on behalf of all of our customers," the executive concluded.

Stuart Hunter, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming (left); and Per Jaldung, ECA Chairman. 

European Casino Association Chairman, Per Jaldung said he believes the Symposium represents an important step forward for the land-based sector. He commented: "I'm delighted that the ECA is working in step with our colleagues at Clarion Gaming to ensure that we are fully prepared for February and that everyone is on the same page. The Symposium is a great example of how we can all work together to achieve shared objectives and common goals."

The 2023 edition of ICE London, which will take place on February 7-9, is on course to match the physical size of the 2020 edition with 85% of stand space booked nine months in advance of the show opening. Demand has been driven by high rebooking figures and the return of the major suppliers to the land-based sector, Clarion Gaming explains.