Clarion Gaming has attended a key event at Gran Via Barcelona as it gears up to relocate its ICE and iGB Affiliate events to the conference centre.
Clarion’s managing director Stuart Hunter said the Mobile World Congress event, now in its 18th year at Gran Via in the Spanish city, relocated in 2006 “at a time when it was of a similar size to the current ICE and iGB Affiliate.”
He added that the event has since grown to occupy over 220,000sq.m of space across the centre’s eight inter-connected halls.
Hunter said it was “invaluable” for Clarion to gain “behind-the-scenes” insight into how the MWC brand “maximises the huge opportunities provided by the venue’s interconnected spaces and in the process deliver a rich vein of connections and opportunities for its stakeholders.”
Clarion, which hosted its last ICE event at London’s ExCeL this year, wants Gran Via Barcelona to help accelerate the show's next phase of growth.
The event welcomed more new exhibitors this year, with every hall filled.
In confirming ICE and iGB Affiliate’s relocation last year, Clarion earmarked the new centre as an ideal location in Barcelona due to its strong transport network and connections to the city’s main airport.
“In addition to the specific operational issues relating to the venue, the team was also able to replicate the visitor experience including the travel infrastructure which connects the Fira Gran Via to Barcelona’s El Prat International Airport (12km distance) and the historic city centre (3km) courtesy of the integrated metro station,” Hunter said of the recent visit.
“We look forward to continuing our series of orientation events throughout the year and involving all of our stakeholder community.”
ICE/iGBA 2025 will use around 120,000sq.m of the Gran Via space, up from 100,000sq.m at the ExCeL in 2024. It will use Hall 1 for iGB Affiliate and Halls 2-6 for ICE.
The Convention Centre, located in Hall 8, comprises a modular and versatile space ICE said, with seating for between 3,000 and 12,000 people.
