ICE London organizers Clarion Gaming have confirmed that the 2023 edition of the world’s largest gaming industry trade show, held from 7 to 9 February at ExCeL London, set a new attendance record with more than 40,000 unique attendees.
While exact numbers are awaiting independent audit, Clarion said Wednesday that the 2023 was above 40,000 and well above the previous record of 36,000 attendees set in 2020 – the last pre-pandemic edition of ICE. Around 24,000 attendees took part in the scaled down 2022 version of the show.
“It’s very important to stress that the data is subject to independent verification however we are confident that ICE has broken through the 40,000 high point and in the process set a new attendance record for a show which in its original format dates back to the 1930s,” said Stuart Hunter, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming.
“Furthermore, the number of visitor days, which measures return visits, stands at 79,000. Clearly these are really significant numbers and I believe they reflect the huge importance and value that visitors attach to their ICE experience.
“From a sector perspective we know that 50% of ICE 2023 attendees operate in both land-based and online with 50% online only. Casino and Games was the primary area of operation for 20,000 attendees, with 13,000 focussed on sports betting.
“The growing importance of Payments was evident with 5,000 attendees citing it as their main focus and reason for attending. Additional standouts include an overwhelmingly positive response to ICE VOX which sold-out for the first time.
“2024 will see further expansion of this important area to facilitate increased content and capacity. Significantly more than 80% of available stand space for the 2024 edition was re-booked by 4pm on Thursday.”
ICE London returns to ExCeL from 6 to 8 February 2024.
