As reported last week, there will be two gaming awards events taking place on the Monday evening before the ICE Totally Gaming show in London, which begins on January 24.
The new Totally Gaming Awards event is going head to head with the International Gaming Awards, which is in its fourth year. The organiser of the latter, Colin Thompson, told InterGaming: "We feel there is a David and Goliath feeling to the announcement and just a little envy and jealousy of the IGA event and the thousands of industry people that have attended over the last four years. We have many of the global industry associations and organisations supporting us.
"The International Gaming Awards has raised over £100,000 for charity. We respect our industry and they will be the ones who decide."
On behalf of ICE Totally Gaming, Kate Chambers said: "We have responded to requests from our stakeholders for an ICE-branded awards event run in ICE week. Following on from ICE 2011 we undertook a wide-ranging programme of consultation with exhibitors and visitors via an independent research agency. The clear message that came back was they felt the ICE brand could and should spread its wings a little and transfer the values associated with ICE Totally Gaming into new arenas.
“The Totally Gaming Awards is part of the development of the ICE brand. As is the case with everything we undertake, we are working with the industry on the project, in particular the European Casino Association and the National Casino Industry Forum, and we’ve been really encouraged by the response we’ve had from companies wanting to enter the awards, from sponsors and from those wanting to host clients and colleagues at the Awards’ prestigious venue, 8 Northumberland Avenue.
"The Totally Gaming Awards will be a fantastic way of raising the curtain on the world’s most comprehensive b2b gaming event and a great addition to ICE week."
