Interview ICE TOTALLY GAMING


Icing on the cake From humble beginnings as part of a much bigger amusements show to the world's biggest gaming event, ICE celebrates its 20th birthday next year


1995 by current standards was a relatively quiet year. Barings Bank collapsed with losses of $1.4bn, it was the 50th anniversary of VE Day, Frank Bruno won the WBC World heavyweight championship and Neil Kinnock, former leader of the UK labour Party, resigned his seat as a member of parliament. A few kilometres west of The Houses of Parliament a team of exhibition organis- ers made a decision which although it didn't quite regis- ter as news, was to go on and have a profound effect on the international gaming landscape – the ICE brand was born. From humble origins ICE has grown to become the largest gambling business event on the planet. G3 spoke to the two individuals most closely associated with ICE both then and now – Dawn Millroy, who was Head of Conferences, Events and Exhibitions in 1995 and Clarion Portfolio Director, Kate Chambers who has overseen and directed the development of ICE into the behemoth that it is today.


Dawn Millroy, Head of Conferences, Events and Exhibitions (1995)


"You have to remember that 20-years ago the world was a vastly different place. I read somewhere that just one per cent of the UK population had internet connec- tion in the mid-90s and online gaming was at best embryonic. As a consequence, the world of higher stake gaming was essentially about slots and table games. To rewind, casino games were first introduced to ATEI, the long standing amusements show, in 1990. ATEI was in Olympia and we housed the higher stake gaming prod- ucts in the Pillar Hall. Whilst it was extremely impor- tant to those pioneer companies involved, it really didn't impact the main exhibition to any great extent. In 1992 ATEI moved from Olympia to Earls Court 2. In that time the casinos in Las Vegas had changed. There was an


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emphasis on including non-gaming equipment and buying teams were crossing the Atlantic to source prod- uct at ATEI. London was becoming a destination for US buyers. That created a greater momentum and we responded to requests for space by creating a section on the show floor branded 'Neros Casino.'


By 1995 there was sufficient critical mass to justify the


creation of a stand alone exhibition and ICE was born. The cultural differences between the two audiences was becoming apparent and we created a new identity, a new language and a campaign which was separate and distinct from that of its still bigger sister show ATEI. Now based on level 2 at Earls Court, ICE had its own entrance, its own registration desk and its own vibe. The audiences were so different that we had to intro- duce scanners at the floor of the escalators to ensure that only ICE registered visitors could go upstairs! At no stage did I think ICE would become what it is today, one of the biggest and most influential trade shows in the country.


“I'm proud of my role in launching ICE and I have to admit that I miss working in the industry dearly!"


Kate Chambers, Clarion Portfolio Director (Present)


"One of the great things about the ICE brand has been its ability to interpret change and to respond to chal- lenges positively. Much of this is down to the huge amount of goodwill that it enjoys from its stakeholders and their desire to see ICE prosper as a brand. With that comes an added responsibility for us as organisers to deliver the calibre of buyers our exhibitors expect and indeed have to see.


“Our 2015 campaign is one of the biggest ever under- taken in support of a gaming exhibition comprising over 120 adverts throughout 90 specialist b2b gaming media, extensive media relations and an engagement pro- gramme with over 200,000 individuals working for


I think the revolution in technology both how it impacts


communications and the entertainment channels our customers use, are the most significant differences between the ICE of 1995 and the ICE of 2015. Another point of difference is the learning programme which we provide at show through ICE Conferences and the free to attend Seminars held on the show floor. These are now central parts of ICE and make a big contribution to the show experience.


At no stage did I think ICE would become what it is today, one of


the biggest and most influential trade shows in the country. I'm proud of my role in launching ICE and I have to admit that I miss working in the industry dearly!"


"Whilst next year's ICE will be totally different in scale and content, it does however, share some key character- istics, notably the 'can do' approach of both visitors and exhibitors, the ability to get the most from the technology of the day and a pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit.


It's fitting that so many gaming professionals from so many countries will be celebrating the 20th birthday of what has become the world's favourite gaming exhibi- tion. What other commercial institution is capable of attracting over 20,000 well wishers from 100+ countries to what will be a fantastic three day celebration of busi- ness?"


85,000 companies. This is augmented by social media comprising twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, tumblr and our own mobile networking app.


Overall we will engage with potential visitors based in over 150 countries worldwide. Clearly this type of multi media campaign simply wasn't possible 20-years ago.


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