The spike in interest is influenced by the cancellation of this month’s IMA event in Düsseldorf. The cancellation of IMA, caused by the current state of confusion in the German domestic market where punitive legislative proposals could result in drastically reducing the number of machines in German arcades and bars, effectively makes ICE the German industry's international business-to-business gaming event of the year.
Discussing the development, ICE Marketing Director Jo Mayer said: "Legislative uncertainty, if it is as significant as the situation appears to be in Germany, will obviously impact exhibitions which only exist to serve industry needs. I have huge sympathy with the show organizers and of course with the German industry. What I can say is that ICE has a proud reputation for being the meeting place for the international gaming industry and the make-up of our visitor base is one of the really unique features of ICE. As such the German operators who make the short journey to London will receive an extremely warm welcome and will have access to a second-to-none line-up of 500+ exhibitors drawn from more than 50 jurisdictions as well as a thriving conference program and free access to all seminars. Gaming professionals from every corner of the globe will be at ICE alongside what could well be a record breaking contingent from Germany."