After six months of bidding, the process of choosing the host city for Clarion Gaming’s ICE and iGB Affiliate conferences is finally over. From 2023, Barcelona will take over the role of the host, and at the same time, iGB L!VE will be held in London.

A tough choice

The shortlist of candidates contained four cities: London, Madrid, Paris, and Barcelona, and it wasn’t easy to agree upon the final decision, and there were more than 30 factors to consider.

The relocation process of the ICE was conducted along with Equimore, a famous event strategy, and location specialist, and the decision was made by the ICE advisory board. By 2025, the 12-year tenure in London will expire, so it’s the right time to relocate. After ExCeL in London, the event will take place at Fira de Barcelona, a space that is placed across 240,000 square meters. A five-year contract is signed with the property, with the start date set for January 20 and January 22.

Clarion Gamin didn’t want to take any chances, so the company already booked 40,000 hotel rooms for the event, and they will inform stakeholders beginning in September.

And why was Barcelona chosen? According to the source, Alex Pratt, the Managing Director at Clarion Gaming, highlighted the city’s magnificent facilities, as well as great infrastructure and logistics. One of the main reasons was ROI for customers and the ability to scale. He stated he was grateful for the efforts the stakeholders made to make the process smooth and come to the right decision. All of the shortlisted cities’ applications were professional and overall good.

Pratt commented: “This was a complex, customer-led undertaking. The process enabled us to identify the city that our customers believe is best equipped to be our strategic partner for the future and is able to host two world-class events which meet the needs of businesses of all sizes and locations across every part of the gaming and ICE community.”

Grateful to ExCeL

Barcelona isn’t the only city that gets a new event. The famous iGB L!VE is moving to London in 2025 after taking place in Amsterdam.

Prat thanked ExCeL London, highlighting all of its help during the last 12 years, saying: “We remain committed to ExCeL London as a great destination and are looking forward to bringing iGB L!VE to London in July 2025 to continue this legacy and provide the perfect backdrop for this fast-growing event’s future in key gaming territory. Now this process is complete, our exclusive focus is on continuing the ICE and iGB Affiliate success stories in partnership with our international stakeholders and delivering an amazing experience in London in 2024.”

The following ICE will be held in London from 6 to 8 February, while the iGB event will take place on 7 and 8 February.

Source: Harrison, Robin. “ICE and iGB Affiliate moving to Barcelona from 2025”. iGaming Business. August 1, 2023.

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