Organizers of the ICE London Games Exhibition confirmed on Saturday that the event will take place as planned at the ExCeL London Exhibition Center from 12 to 14 April 2022. The announcement followed after several major exhibitors , including those in Germany and Austria, cancel their participation.
Clarion Gaming Group CEO Alex Pratt and his colleague Stuart Hunter agreed that some of the exhibitors had retired.
Vacancies have already been filled by other companies. They have also stressed that companies that deem it necessary not to attend this year will have their places returned by 2023.
Merkur Gaming and Novomatic: Several cancellations by top gaming companies
Last week, Merkur Gaming, a subsidiary of German group Gauselmann, canceled its stake in ICE London. Merkur gave rise to the unfavorable new dates and the still rampant crown pandemic.
A few days later, the Austrian gaming group Novomatic also announced that it would withdraw from ICE London 2022. The company gave similar reasons to Merkur. In addition to the unfavorable date, this also included huge logistical challenges. In addition, due to the pandemic of the crown, the group cannot guarantee that the representatives of the company will attend safely.
Other large companies have also canceled their participation in ICE London. These include US-based slot machine maker and developer of online gaming digital casino platform Scientific Games (SG), Zitro Games game developer and TCS live gaming equipment manufacturer John Huxley Europe Ltd.
Cancellations provide an opportunity for small gambling companies
Pratt and Hunter said Clarion Gaming respects the companies’ decision to withdraw from this year’s event. However, Clarion also has a duty to care for the more than 450 exhibitors who have confirmed their participation.
Hunter explained:
We’ve invested a lot of time, energy and resources to make sure ICE’s return is an evolution of the show. It’s been too long since the industry has been able to come face to face and we look forward to bringing everyone together to witness the changes we’ve made over the last two years.
Numerous smaller companies had had the fair to be held this year. These were especially affected by last year’s cancellations.
Due to the withdrawal of large corporations, suppliers who previously would not have taken place at the fair now have the opportunity to present their products and services.
In the last week, ICE London has been able to win 15 new companies. There’s more on the waiting list. Despite the cancellations, ICE 2022 is still the largest gaming fair in the world.
