Historic first ICE North America sets the benchmark for a bright future

What were the headline exhibitor and delegate figures?

I’m pleased to say the first edition of ICE North America exceeded our target figures, which were set quite high.  The 42 exhibitors and 200+ expert speakers attracted a total of 1,729 delegates who travelled to Boston from a really impressive total of 58 jurisdictions, stretching from Argentina to Australia, Spain to South Africa and the United States to Ukraine.  71 percent of attendees were from North America and 72 percent of the audience comprised decision makers within their organisations.  The key distinguishing feature is that these figures will be audited, providing stakeholders with confirmation and validation of the influence and integrity of the brand - unlike some competitor events.  All of the Clarion Gaming events go through this process in order to provide our stakeholders with figures and data that they can trust and base business decisions on. I would like to place on the record my great thanks to everybody who attended ICE North America either as an exhibitor or a sponsor, to those who shared their expert insight to what were packed conferences and to the team at Clarion, including our brand ambassador, Roy Student, who helped to deliver an event worthy of the ICE name.

What particular features set ICE North America apart from other events on the sector and what were the highlights?

ICE North America set out to create an event for the entire A-Z of North America’s gaming ecosystem rather than focus on just a single vertical.  The biggest sports industry gathering in gaming brought together decision makers, thought leaders, key operators and the MVPs of sports betting and interactive gaming.  It was a hugely influential gathering at which to network, learn and to quote one of our stakeholders come together to help ‘build what’s estimated to be a $500bn industry.’  A standout feature, unique to Clarion Gaming organised events, is the LaunchPad.  This provides an opportunity for start-ups to pitch their business ideas to an audience of thought leaders, investors and C-Level decision makers with the ICE North America audience voting for the winner.  The first ICE North America winner was global sports betting exchange LineLibrary which overcame strong competition from four other North American finalists.  The great thing about LaunchPad is its ability to accelerate the development process for businesses which might be small in size but have huge ideas and potential.  It’s an important part of the Clarion Gaming philosophy and I’m delighted that as a result of its participation in LaunchPad, LineLibrary founder, Sam Rattner has had meetings with a host of serious VC organisations. The next LaunchPad will take place at iGB Live! taking place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 16th – 19th July.  The closing date for entries is 7th June. More information can be found at: www.igblive.com/start-up-launchpad

What goals did you set out to achieve at this show?

When you launch an event such as ICE North America, you set targets that you want to achieve in terms of attendance, exhibitor numbers and other important metrics.  But there are other aims and aspirations which are slightly less tangible.  The decision to consolidate the Clarion Gaming presence in the US into a single event and broaden the remit to include the five verticals of Sports Betting, iGaming, Esports, iLottery and Affiliate Marketing, was based on the feedback from stakeholders active in North America who told us there was a need for a professional and, most importantly, for a trusted platform to help drive the future of gaming across the continent.  I am delighted to say the feedback indicates that goal has also been met.

What feedback have you received from exhibitors and visitors?

The feedback has been excellent with participants variously describing it as a ‘must for all in the industry’ as ‘an amazing experience’ and just ‘world class’. One delegate highlighted the opportunity it delivered to conduct six months of C-Suite level networking in a single day and Sam Rattner, founder and partner of LineLibrary, the start-up winner of ICE North America’s LaunchPad competition, confirming that the event had generated dozens of serious VC meetings.  While the feedback has been very positive and highly encouraging, Clarion Gaming subscribes to a process of continuous improvement and we are already working in partnership with our stakeholders to consolidate those aspects of ICE North America that went well and, most importantly, to address those where there is room for improvement. There’s no such thing as ‘perfection’ but as a team our focus is to get as close to it as humanly possible!

What are the dates for ICE North America 2020?

The 2020 edition of ICE North America, which will be the most influential sports industry gathering in North American gaming, will take place across June 8 to 10 in Austin, Texas. Looking ahead to the second edition, I have every confidence that ICE North America will be a fixture on the calendar for professionals who seek to understand the future of gaming in what is the world’s largest market.