Clarion Events, organiser of the UK’s ICE Totally Gaming trade show, has become a majority partner in Urban Expositions, which manages the Indian Gaming Tradeshow in the US.
Urban Expositions will maintain it's existing corporate identity, executive management team, event staff, brands and events. Clarion and Urban's portfolios are complementary in some cases and they have plans for collaboration on current events where that will benefit customers as well as on new launches and acquisitions.
Managing partners Doug Miller and Tim von Gal retain significant ownership in Urban and will continue to oversee all facets of the business.
Clarion's dedicated gaming division also delivers online gaming focused events EiG and GiGSE, the latter held annually in San Francisco, as well as events in Japan and Brazil and a specialist training business, The Totally Gaming Academy.
Urban Expositions manages the Indian Gaming Tradeshow in conjunction with the National Indian Gaming Association. The event is the oldest gaming trade show in the US and is the flagship event and most significant annual gathering for the tribal gaming community. It is held annually in San Diego and Phoenix.
“We are thrilled to partner with such a well established, international event organiser as Clarion,” said Doug Miller, president and CEO at Urban Expositions. “We look forward to working closely with the Clarion team to start a whole new chapter for our respective companies.
“Clarion's forward thinking leadership, proven experience and extensive resources will allow us to build upon our current show propositions while also pursuing new opportunities to diversify and grow."
“We have been searching for a strategic US partner that shared our growth vision and customer service commitment and Urban Expositions was the perfect match," said Simon Kimble, executive chairman at Clarion Events, which is headquartered in the UK.
“In addition to the synergy we'll find in industry spaces we share such as retail trade, arts and gaming, we each bring complementary skills and capabilities to the table in other areas that promise to fuel our growth. NIGA is a hugely important and highly regarded event and we look forward to lending our support where we can add value.”
