ICE NORTH AMERICA 2019
Every first edition of a gaming exhibition generates enthusiasm, while brings magical moments, good memories, an agenda with future commitments to close business and the feeling that things can always be improved and aspects be corrected to grow and follow the progress of the market. In this case, Clarion Gaming passed the exam with ICE North America (ICE NA), show that took place from May 13th to 15th at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (U.S.). The main numbers of the event indicate that there were present 42 exhibitors and more than 200 expert speakers, as well as 1,729 delegates from the global sports betting and interactive gaming industry, including decision makers, thought leaders, legislators, key operators and MVPs. The international reach of ICE NA was reflected in the 58 gaming jurisdictions represented on the exhibition floor, with executives from the United States covering 62 percent of the attendees. The rest comprises businessmen and women from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and even Africa.
As discussed with all the exhibitors and with Dan Stone, head of Marketing B2B at Clarion Gaming, this event can’t be compared with other major Clarion exhibitions, such as ICE London. Here, the dynamics responded to the current market status, which is still in evolution, with many territories in the country in the process of legalizing the activity. In structural terms, none of the condiments that the organizer usually uses to give the best flavor to their events were missing: excellent presentations in the Casino eSports Conference and ICE VOX learning cycles; the novelties of the Start-Up LaunchPad, a space that allowed young companies to offer their innovative ideas; a broad view of products, solutions and services from exhibitors; the attractiveness of the appealing presence of a star like former boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, and the necessary spaces for networking and sociability at the end of each day of the show.
In that sense, as a balance of the success of this first proposal, Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, said: “I would like to thank to everybody who attended ICE North America, to those organizations which supported the show, either as an exhibitor or a sponsor, to those who shared their expert insight to what were packed conferences and to the complete team at Clarion, including our brand ambassador, Roy Student, who helped to deliver an event worthy of the ICE name.”
As a closure, Chambers expressed: “This was the biggest and the most influential sports industry gathering in North American gaming. We will continue working to offer the best possible event for the sector, and will meet again in the ICE NA second edition, which will take place across June 8th to 10th, 2020, in Austin, Texas.”