Barcelona was selected from a four-city shortlist, competing alongside Madrid, Paris and ICE’s long-term home, London.
The ICE relocation project, run in partnership with event strategy and location specialist Equimore, factored more than 30 variables into its decision-making process. Venue visits, city presentations and detailed negotiations also took place.
The ICE Advisory Board, comprising a range of international brands active in online and land-based gaming, has endorsed the decision.
When does ICE move to Barcelona?
As a result ICE will leave its long-term home in London. It also brings to an end a 12-year tenure at ExCeL London.
The event moves to the 240,000 square metre Fira de Barcelona on a five-year contract from 2025 to 2029. The 2025 edition will run on 20-22 January that year.
ICE and iGB Affiliate are the only major events taking place in Barcelona over the January dateline. That will create an exclusive venue and city experience for exhibitors and attendees for ICE 2025.
Clarion Gaming has reserved 40,000 hotel nights for ICE week 2025. Communications updating stakeholders on the plans will roll out from September this year.
Why move ICE to Barcelona?
Barcelona’s bid was notable for the scale of its world-class facilities, outstanding hospitality infrastructure, logistics, ROI for customers and ability to scale, Clarion Gaming managing director Alex Pratt explained.
Moreover, he added, it will create a partnership between the international gaming industry, Fira de Barcelona, and public and private stakeholders in Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain. “[We] have a huge opportunity to create an important legacy for the future,” Pratt said.
‘A complex, customer-led undertaking’
Pratt thanked the panel of global industry stakeholders for their insight and contribution to the selection process, and Equimore for creating and overseeing the undertaking.
According to Pratt, the four cities shortlisted to host ICE submitted “highly professional and impressive bids”.
“This was a complex, customer-led undertaking,” he explained. “The process enabled us to identify the city that our customers believe is best equipped to be our strategic partner for the future and is able to host two world-class events which meet the needs of businesses of all sizes and locations across every part of the gaming and ICE community.”
iGB L!VE moves to London in 2025
The detailed review also means iGB L!VE is on the move, relocating from Amsterdam to ExCeL London in 2025.
“On behalf of Clarion Events I would also like to thank the team at ExCeL London for their support over the past 12 years,” Pratt said.
ExCeL London helped ICE and iGB Affiliate develop, support stakeholders’ business needs and ultimately grow each show to the leading live events in the B2B and affiliate sectors, he added.
“We remain committed to ExCeL London as a great destination and are looking forward to bringing iGB Live to London in July 2025 to continue this legacy and provide the perfect backdrop for this fast growing event’s future in a key gaming territory.
“Now this process is complete, our exclusive focus is on continuing the ICE and iGB Affiliate success stories in partnership with our international stakeholders and to deliver an amazing experience in London in 2024.”
Next year’s ICE runs from 6-8 February, while iGB Affiliate London’s exhibition follows on 7-8 February.
Source: igamingbusiness.com
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2023/08/01/68131-ice-and-igb-affiliate-moving-to-barcelona-from-2025
