ICE bid farewell to London in early February in grand style, gathering thousands of international gaming buyers and thought leaders at the ExCeL exhibition center for the last time, as the major trade expo gears up to relocate to Barcelona starting next year.
From February 6 to 8, ICE and sister show iGB Affiliate hosted a record total of 811 exhibitors from 76 nations, occupying the entirety of ExCeL for three busy days of networking, product presentations, varied panel sessions, and more.
Among the companies exhibiting its latest portfolio innovations at the show was SOFTSWISS. The iGaming solutions supplier captivated attendees with a new campaign, featuring renowned physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton, with the company noting parallels between his transformative observations and its own commitment to reshaping the online landscape.
But more than anything, it was the provider’s innovations that drew attendees to its booth. For ICE London 2024, which marked a pivotal milestone in the company’s journey as it celebrates its 15th anniversary, the business wowed visitors with a varied array of products.
Among them were the company’s classic Casino Platform, its Game Aggregator – which reached 10 billion euros in Monthly Total Bets last July -, the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook and the company’s Jackpot Aggregator, which has now welcomed more than 70 partner brands. And if that wasn’t enough, SOFTSWISS also headlined the official VIP Opening Party EVOLVE by Fire & ICE 2024, an exclusive event hosted at Magazine London that brought together about 5,000 industry leaders.
As part of its coverage of the event, Yogonet caught up with the SOFTSWISS team during ICE to learn more about what the supplier had in store for the show’s last dance in London. “ICE is about big business and we are happy that our stand is always very, very busy,” Anastasiya Tsikhanava, Business Development Manager at SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator, told Yogonet on the event’s second day. “Everyone seems to be interested in all the products in our portfolio that we offer right now, which is a very good thing.”
Indeed, this year’s ICE was special for SOFTSWISS, with the company’s booth reflecting the company’s extending footprint and ambition in the global iGaming market. “This year we have a double-decker, which means we are expanding and growing,” Tsikhanava confirmed. “ICE is a huge exhibition for the industry, and three days of meetings is quite a lot, so it’s good to see the booth so busy.”
The company starts preparing for an exhibition of this size about “a month in advance,” says Tsikhanava. “All of the representatives here are booked for all three days, and we hear around 50 people are here from SOFTSWISS,” she added, noting just how busy the stand can get at peak show hours. “You can see everyone here: payments, marketing, business development managers, C level of the company… And all of them have a lot of meetings booked and business to do.”
In a way, ICE London marks the beginning of the iGaming year in the events calendar, similar to the first match of a season. For that reason, SOFTSWISS eagerly attended ICE to meet and engage with current and potential partners, share insights on how its solutions can facilitate business growth and forge valuable connections, something the business has been more than successful in achieving.
Tsikhanava says the industry has been taking note of the opportunities the company’s portfolio opens to its customers. “What we are the happiest about is that these products are in high demand,” she said. “They are improving with the customers, and with the service and the parameters that we offer. We are keen on providing the highest service possible for all the products that we offer.”
For a global company like SOFTSWISS, with an international team and an official presence in several countries across the world, keeping up with the latest trends and developments is key. For that reason, the supplier monitors movement in global iGaming, paying close attention to growth markets including Latin America and Africa, which today are delivering promising opportunities as more jurisdictions come online and industry interest and investment ramp up.
“As for Latin America, we had a lot of requests from the Brazilian market, from Colombia and Mexico as well. LatAm is right now the pulse of the gaming industry,” Tsikhanava states. But the Business Development Manager also highlights South Africa’s potential, a country where she says SOFTSWISS has “big plans.”
This year at ICE, attendees were able to learn more about that roadmap. One of the topics the SOFTSWISS team highlighted was the company’s recent strategic acquisition of a majority stake in Turfsport, a prominent South African provider of multichannel wagering software for sports, horse racing, and lotto.
The company shared insights on how this acquisition strengthened SOFTSWISS’ capabilities and diversified its offerings at the show, at a time in which the supplier channels its efforts towards establishing a stronger presence in the African market. To be successful in this mission, leveraging the synergies created by this acquisition will help SOFTSWISS serve the unique needs of the region better.
Those wishing to learn more about SOFTSWISS’ plans for Africa will surely be able to explore these plans in depth at SiGMA Africa 2024, to be held March 11-13 in Cape Town, South Africa. At stand 25S, the iGaming company will showcase its product ecosystem and services at the show, described as “a convergence point for companies involved or interested in the African iGaming market.”
And of course, looking to the future, SOFTSWISS is set to meet partners once again at ICE – only that next time the event is changing its long-term home of London for Barcelona, a relocation that has sparked enthusiasm among the gambling community.
“We are very excited when there are changes like this and I hope they are for the best,” reflects Tsikhanava. “We are happy to experience new venues for game exhibitions and covering new areas. It will be fun. And maybe someday there will be a London exhibition from another organizer. We will see.”
