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Clarion Gaming announced, following a detailed and extensive six-month bid process involving Barcelona and London, Madrid, and Paris, that Barcelona will host ICE and iGB Affiliate from 2025. The five-year initial contract will cover the period from 2025-2029 inclusive. The Fira de Barcelona, with a capacity of 240,000 sqm, will host the first editions ICE and iGB affiliate on 20-22 Jan 2025.
The Advisory Board of ICE, which is made up of a diverse grouping from major international gaming brands operating both online and on land, endorsed the decision.
An independent international agency, with extensive experience in events and location searches, conducted the selection process. This included evaluating more than 30 variables and conducting venue visits, presentations of cities, and detailed negotiations. The selection process took into account all aspects of attending and exhibiting at the two events, as well as organising them. It also considered longer-term factors that would impact the development of ICE Affiliate and iGB.
Announcing the decision Alex Pratt (Managing Director, Clarion Gaming) stated that: “I’d like to start by expressing my gratitude to our panel of global stakeholders who represented all the key gaming geographies and sectors represented at ICE for their insights and contributions; to the four cities shortlisted for their highly professional and impressive offers; and to our agency for creating, and overseeing, every detail at each stage.
This was a customer-driven, complex undertaking. We were able to determine the city our customers believed was best equipped to become our strategic partner in the future. This city is able host two world class events that meet the needs and requirements of businesses and locations of all sizes across the entire gaming and ICE Community.
The winning bid was notable because of the size and quality of Barcelona’s facilities, its outstanding hospitality infrastructure, its logistics, its ROI for customers, and their ability to scale. We have the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by forming a progressive partnership with the international industry, Fira Barcelona and the public and private stakeholder in Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain.
Clarion Gaming announced that as part of the detailed review they also planned to relocate their iGB Live from Amsterdam, to London, in 2025.
“On behalf Clarion Events, I’d also like to thank ExCeL London team for their support in the last 12 years. ExCeL London created an environment where ICE and iGB Affiliate could grow, meet their business needs and become two of the biggest live events in their respective industries. We are committed to ExCeL London and look forward to bringing iGB Live back to London in 2025. This will continue the legacy of this event and give it a perfect backdrop in a key gaming region.
Now that this process has been completed, we are focusing exclusively on the ICE and iGB affiliate success stories with our international stakeholders in order to deliver a great experience in London by 2024.
ICE and iGB Affiliate are the only two major events that will take place in Barcelona during the month of January, thereby creating an exclusive experience for both exhibitors and attendees. Clarion Gaming reserved a total 40,000 hotel rooms for ICE Week 2025.
Clarion Gaming is committed to keeping all stakeholders informed with a monthly communication series starting in September 2023.
