The recently-concluded ICE and iGB Affiliate expos – the last editions to be held in London – bid the UK capital farewell with a record 52,345 gaming professionals attending both shows.
New records were set across the board ahead of the January 2025 relocation to Barcelona, noted organizer Clarion Gaming. The ICE unique attendance of 45,050 represented a 12% year-on-year increase, with iGB Affiliate registering a total of 7,295 unique visitors, an uplift of 27% on the previous highest, set at the 2023 show.
Visitation figures, which measure the number of person days gaming industry professionals spent at ExCeL London, topped 100,000 for the first time in the exhibition’s nearly nine-decade history.
Clarion says the international appeal of ICE and iGB Affiliate was “very much in evidence” with representatives travelling to London from 164 nations stretching from the United States to Uruguay, Brazil to Botswana, and Spain to Singapore.
Excluding host country the United Kingdom, the nations registering a four-figure attendance comprised: Malta (3,364 visitors), the United States (1,913), Bulgaria (1,659), Cyprus (1,658), Spain (1,483), Germany (1,235) and Brazil (1,134).
Stuart Hunter, Managing Director at Clarion Gaming, said: “February’s historic editions of ICE and iGB Affiliate were what I would describe as ‘I was there’ events. ICE and iGB Affiliate occupied every square millimetre of exhibition and meeting space available at ExCeL London and I am hugely grateful to everyone in the industry for creating an experience that was full of energy, excitement, and optimism for the future.
“Our exhibitors made a herculean effort to bid farewell to London in style and from all of the feedback received at the show and from subsequent emails and conversations the celebratory mood connected with everyone who was present.”
As it does each year, Clarion has commissioned an independent programme of research conducted amongst both exhibitors and visitors. That process is currently underway, noted Hunter, and it needs to run its course for the company to share the findings.
“What I can say is that the headline figures are hugely encouraging,” the Managing Director stated. “The response rates are unprecedented, which shows a community of customers that’s really engaged with the brand.”
“In terms of the satisfaction rating, ICE is enjoying an approval score of 95 (out of 100) compared to the average for all UK-based business-to-business events of around 50. Whilst that’s really satisfying, we are very aware that the bar has been set for Barcelona 2025. The entire team is confident that we can maintain and improve on what London has delivered. Make no mistake: these are hugely exciting times for everyone that’s involved with ICE and iGB Affiliate.”
Portfolio Director Naomi Barton, who led the team responsible for delivering iGB Affiliate, described the response to the show as being “phenomenal.” She stated: “The 2024 edition of iGB Affiliate re-wrote the record books with more attendees than at any time in the event’s history. The 7,295 unique visitors was 27% up in 2023 and represented the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth.
“All of the key performance indicators that we apply came out in positive territory with the number of exhibitors and sponsors totalling 250 (+11% year-on-year) occupying a total of 13,647 sqm of space (+16% year-on-year). We are recording best-ever satisfaction ratings and the volume of re-bookings for iGB Affiliate in Barcelona is off the scale. I don’t believe an iGB event has ever been in such a healthy position as we all look forward to an even brighter future for our market-leading event brands.”
