Double digit growth for ICE as attendance breaks 20,000


 

Visitors from a total of 126 sovereign states travelled to London in their thousands to make ICE 2011 one of the most successful editions on record. The cleansed attendance figures announced by ICE organisers Clarion Events showed a total of 20,829 gaming industry professionals attended across the three days of the 'Totally Gaming' exhibition, an extremely positive 11.5 per cent increase on the 2010 figure. The number of represented sovereign states (126) was four more than in 2010 and included Anguilla, Cormoros and Congo who were all represented for the first time.

 

Commenting on the data, ICE Show Director Kate Chambers said: "A huge amount of work and energy went into this show and I am really proud of the contributions made by all of my team, the vast majority of whom, it has to be said, were new to the exhibition. It's clear that the international market responded extremely favourably to our investment in the ICE brand. The corporate identity worked, the ICE Conferences introduced new visitors to the brand, the ICE Show Daily was a success and the overall tempo on the show floor and in the conferences reflected a measured degree of optimism for the year ahead. 

 

"We've had tremendous support from our stakeholders and partners, notably the European Casino Association, the National Casino Industry Forum and the Association of British Bookmakers, all of whom have helped ensure that ICE remains totally relevant to the needs of the markets it serves. We've also enjoyed fantastic support from the world's media, an amazing 65 of whom had a presence on the show floor.

 

"However our biggest thanks must go to our 409 exhibitors who travelled to London from a record 55 sovereign states. ICE had the biggest names in gaming, the best innovators in gaming and the smartest names in gaming which made it such a compelling attraction and such an enjoyable event to be associated with. The strategic plan is already in place to build on the successes of 2011, address those areas that we can improve upon and take ICE Totally Gaming to another new level in 2012."