News that Earls Court had been sold to a developer and the long-term plan was to demolish the venue and build housing, caused speculation at the International Gaming Exhibition and ATEI, which took place earlier this week.
Late on Friday a joint statement had been issued by show organiser Clarion Events and the operators of the venue, EC&O Venues, that the home of the IGE has been secured for the next five years.
In a statement, Julian Graves, managing director of Clarion Events Gaming Exhibitions, said: "Following consultation with the industry it has become clear that this is where the industry wants to stay. We’ve been aware of the speculation surrounding the venue at a time when the industry wants stability, certainty and confidence in the future.
"We have made a five-year contractual agreement to provide that continuity and enable the industry, Clarion Events and EC&O to focus firmly on continuing to develop IGE as the leading international exhibition for the gaming industry."
The speculation surrounding the event was recently fuelled by the media reporting that EC&O Venues owner CapCo had acquired the remaining stake in the business, coupled with elements of the industry seeking to undermine confidence in the future of IGE, said the statement.
"CapCo has made no secret of its desire to redevelop the Earls Court site, however this is an enormously complex project, one with significant implications for London. Because of the scale of the proposed project, it has been required to be submitted as part of the London Development Plan, a 15-year strategic vision for London, which was launched in January 2010.
"The project is in the early stages of consultation, requires political support at local, regional and national level and then requires full planning permission and funding," said Nigel Nathan, managing director, EC&O Venues.
