Exhibitions CLARION GAMING
the way that ICE presents itself in 2015?
EiG has undergone a huge transformation which was made possible due in no small part to the input of the EiG Advisory Board, which comprises a large body of gaming industry professionals and luminaries who gave us their insight and opinion on what was required for the brand flourish. ICE went through its 'EiG moment' four years ago when it underwent some quite radical interventions in order to provide a platform for the next stage in its development which is where we are now.
Looking back to 2010/11 how close was ICE to the precipice? You had to change locations, there were competitors looking to set-up rival shows to ICE… how did the show not only survive, but become even stronger?
I was recruited to avert a serious decline and we started by bringing in what was in effect a whole new team. We began by consulting widely on the future direction of the gaming industry and openly discussed, with a large sample of exhibitors and visitors, what wasn't working and what they needed from the event - in other words we listened! The outcome was: a growing convergence across operation and supply, rapid adoption of new technologies, development of new content and new product. We re-branded and ICE Totally Gaming was the result. Everyone knew that the future of Earls Court was in doubt (which has subsequently been confirmed) and as a consequence the industry needed a modern new home in a world class city – with London and ExCeL the natural choices. So this acceptance
8 0
“We are very aware of the rising costs as I'm sure you are owning a business in the gaming sector. We work extremely hard in partnership with our various suppliers including the owners of ExCeL to keep the costs as reasonable as possible. One of the big advantages of being at ExCeL is that we are able to present companies wanting to exhibit with a much more comprehensive range of stand options – one of the major complaints about Earls Court and one of the frustrations, was the lack of stand options which frequently meant that we lost potential exhibitors.” Kate Chambers Portfolio Director, Clarion Gaming
of change, convergence and a new home, all combined to create what we have today - a show which reflects what's taking place currently, but which also looks into the future, based in a modern, world class venue which gives exhibitors the opportunity to express themselves and us the opportunity to grow and to develop.
Is ICE now so big that smaller exhibitors simply get lost?
There are more smaller exhibitors, as you put it, than bigger exhibitors and we work hard to help all of our customers gain maximum benefit from their attendance at ICE. We use a number of different channels to help generate profile
including
icetotallygaming.com, our e-shot campaigns, the previews we place in the international gaming media, the media packs we have at show, the ICE catalogue and the dedicated ICE app. We encourage exhibitors to produce their own media packs and invite them to meet with journalists in the media lounge at show. We have a team which is expert in helping companies to generate coverage and to engage with media. I also think that visitors to ICE come to discover the world of gaming and not just to spend three days on the stands of the big exhibitors. Often the big wins can be found on the small stands and our visitors appreciate that.
Businesses in the gaming sector continue to face shrinking budgets and rises in costs - how is ICE helping companies struggling right now, but still desperate to exhibit at the London show?
We are very aware of the rising costs as I'm sure you are owning a business in the gaming sector. We work extremely hard in partnership with our various suppliers including the owners of ExCeL to keep the costs as reasonable as possible. One of the big advantages of being at ExCeL is that we are able to present companies wanting to exhibit with a much more comprehensive range of stand options – one of the major complaints about Earls Court and one of the frustrations, was the lack of stand options which frequently meant that we lost potential exhibitors. Our strategy is to ensure that we deliver maximum value to all of our exhibitors, that we continue to deliver a truly international audience of buyers and that organisations are able to benefit from their attendance and to grow with us.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132