Numbers Swell for January's ICE

Numbers Swell for January's ICE

The 2007 International Casino Exhibition (ICE), which opens its doors on 23-25 January at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre, is on course to become the biggest and most comprehensive display of casino products and services in its 15-year history.

Following the first full year under independent ownership, ICE organisers – Clarion ATE – have succeeded in growing the show by 36 per cent. In addition to occupying its established 10,000 square metre (107,600sq.ft.) Earls Court 2 home, the casino display will also cover around a quarter of the 12,500sqm. (134,500sq.ft.) ground floor of Earls Court 1. All this in addition to the remainder of Earls Court 1 housing around 1,500sqm. (16,140sq.ft.) of remote gaming exhibits in ICEi and low payout gaming products and services in ATEI. The non-payout element of ATEI (amusements, electronic leisure and ancillary equipment) is being staged on Level 1 of Earls Court 1, reached via escalators from the ground floor.

Existing ICE exhibitors have seized the opportunity to have a greater show presence in 2007 with no fewer than 43 of the 102 returning companies opting to increase their stand size. The 44 growing companies, which collectively will take up 4,540sqm. (48,859sq.ft.) of floor space, have increased their show footprint by a staggering 92.4 per cent. Topping the list of expanding exhibitors, measured by the increased amount of space, is Aristocrat Technologies Europe, whose stand now weighs in at 377sqm. (4,057sq.ft.)

ICE 2007 will welcome 28 new companies from 19 countries to its fold. Looking to make a huge impact with its debut appearance, French company Caro Developpement is taking a substantial 201.8sqm. (2,171sq.ft.) stand – the twelfth largest in the show.

The organisers' latest figures, as of the end of October, reveal 164 companies drawn from 33 countries having confirmed their stand space at ICE '07, occupying a total net area of over 12,250sqm. (131,810sq.ft.). Adding in the ICEi contingent [36 exhibitors, 16 jurisdictions, 1,220sqm (13,127sq.ft.)], swells the overall numbers to 200 exhibitors from 38 territories taking 13,470sqm. (144,937sq.ft.) of floor space.