As the international gaming industry makes its annual pilgrimage to ICE Totally Gaming in London of the next three days, Nick Harding, CEO of Gauselmann-owned gaming operator Praesepe, has described the London show as being “a billion dollars worth of thinking concentrated in just one venue.”
The CEO of the Cashino brand of adult gaming centres and Beacon chain of bingo clubs will be one of over 20,000 attendees from an anticipated 130 nations who will be walking the 39,000sq.m of floor space at ExCeL.
Reflecting on the development of ICE and its current standing on the world stage, Harding said: “There’s no doubt that ICE is a massive show and this year I believe it's physically the largest on record, occupying most of the halls at ExCeL. The Americans will always claim that G2E is the biggest show in the world but I no longer think that’s the case. ICE will host 529 exhibitors from 62 nations and of course our parent company Gauselmann Group will be one of the largest exhibitors there, with representation from all the different manufacturing businesses within the group.
“Clearly, with an event this big, it’s not a question of just rolling up and walking around. Without wanting to sound too regimented, you really do have to go there with a plan and a set of objectives. My senior team is going to be at ICE and they will each have their own particular responsibilities and interests. From my own perspective, I will be particularly interested in discussing security and regulatory measures around the world and will undoubtedly form my own view as to where the global gambling industry is heading.
“While all trade shows are important to us, I think ICE is different because the sheer scale and diversity means that there is always going to be some idea or innovation that we can either buy into and trial for ourselves or that sparks a separate thought process within our business and produces an idea or concept that can help us stay ahead of the competition. ICE is a really valuable resource in so many ways and for those reasons, it simply can’t be ignored.”
