2013 may see the two London shows, for the casino and amusement sectors, cohabiting once more - provided that the interested parties can come to an agreement.
Clarion Gaming is reported to have agreed with ExCel to run its ICE Totally Gaming show at ExCel during the first week of February 2013, but that is a few days after the closure of the EAG Expo which is scheduled to run from January 29-31.
News of the move broke at the Macau gaming show earlier this week and was widely reported at the Open Day, the informal get-together of the amusement industry at the North London, UK, premises of Electrocoin and UDC on Wednesday.
Today, however, Clarion is making no comment on the subject. Rumours were that the organisation was due to sign a contract, possibly today, but no confirmation has come from the company. It is believed that work on the Earls Court site will begin between the dates of the 2012 ICE Totally Gaming and its prospective dates for 2013, forcing Clarion to take steps to secure a new location.
Olympia is thought to be too small and ExCel is the only London option. EAG already has space at ExCel for 2013, scheduled January 29-31, but there is insufficient space to house both shows on those dates, and the speculation is that this has led Clarion to go for the following week.
There is also the problem of the cross-over products; equipment which may appear at both exhibitions. EAG has confirmed that it has an exclusion agreement with ExCel banning the display of certain competing products for a period either side of its dates. This may be an area of contention.
However, the vast majority of visitors to both shows will wholeheartedly support any move which will take away the necessity to cross London if they wish to visit both events in 2013.
