Following last week’s news that Clarion Gaming is moving one of the largest conferences and shows in the gaming industry, the International Casino Exhibition (ICE) to Barcelona from 2025, it was reported on August 7th that Zitro, the leading slots developer with an office in Spain, supported the decision.
Sebastian Salat, Global President at Zitro, gave the following statement: “We fully support Clarion’s announcement to relocate ICE to the vibrant City of Barcelona, a destination we firmly believe is perfectly equipped to host the future editions of ICE. We believe this move will be a major step helping both ICE and the Industry to grow in partnership with the European gaming market. It will also increase the global dimension of ICE, as moving ICE to Spain will undoubtedly draw a higher number of Latin American operators, due to emotional and cultural links between Spain and Latin American countries.”
The relocation has been discussed for some time
Even though the potential move of ICE to some other European city has been under consideration for some time, the aforementioned decision was a new perspective for the entire sector.
In this regard, Salat added: “Over the years, ICE London has established itself as a resounding success in the gaming industry, gathering leaders, suppliers, operators, and gaming professionals from around the globe. It has grown in status as the most important trade show in Europe and has proven to be the ideal space to cultivate business relationships, and creating new opportunities for companies to expand their global reach. However, a good number of exhibitors, including Zitro, have realized significant challenges such as insufficient space venue for future growth, logistic complexities, and extremely high costs. Those challenges were communicated to Clarion and we were delighted this contributed to formal review through the recent bid process.”
One of the biggest European regulated markets today
The decision was also hailed as a good one as Spain represents one of Europe’s biggest regulated markets today, meaning in the online and land-based sectors, resulting in Barcelona being an ideal hub for European gaming firms. Also, the city is considered one of the key European tourist destinations, together with its top-quality facilities, logistics and extraordinary hospitality infrastructure, which proves that ICE 2025 will be a very rich experience.
Commenting on the beauty of Barcelona, the company notes: “The city’s captivating blend of rich cultural heritage, iconic landmarks, and vibrant atmosphere, offers attendees the perfect opportunity to complement their ICE experience.”
Source: “Zitro Comments On The Relocation Of ICE Show To Barcelona”. European Gaming. August 7, 2023