The international i-gaming sector is poised to celebrate its biggest industry gathering in London when the doors open at Earls Court 2 on January 24-26. ICEi 2006, part of the International Casino Exhibition (ICE), will feature no fewer than 45 suppliers drawn from 12 countries, combining to showcase the latest products and services across more than 1,000sqm. (10,764sq.ft.) of net floor space.

41 companies will be located within the dedicated ICEi area, with four more – Gaming & Entertainment Group (Australia, stand 3456, 35sqm.), Octavian International (UK, stand 3230, 95sqm.), Tain (Sweden, stand 3380, 14sqm.) and Vuetec (UK, stand 3565, 20sqm.) – located nearby on the Earls Court 2 show floor.

Constituting 37.7 per cent of the ICEi showcase, 17 exhibitors are based domestically, whilst Sweden holds the honour of providing the highest number (eight) from any guest nation. Six hail from Canada, three each from Malta and the USA and two from Israel, the remaining represented countries being Australia, Austria, Finland, France, Korea and Spain.

Key names

Some of the biggest names in the business will populate ICEi 2006, Sweden’s Boss Media topping the list with a substantial 80sqm. (861sq.ft.) stand. Spain’s Cirsa Interactive and Israel’s Playtech share second spot, each with a 70sqm. (753sq.ft.) display. Betfair and Orbis Technology both set out stalls in excess of 50sqm. (538sq.ft.), with three companies – Chartwell Technology, NetEnt and RealTime Gaming each weighing in with a 40sqm (431sq.ft.) booth.

Fresh faces

12 companies will make their very first appearance at ICEi in January, accounting for around 12 per cent of the floor area. The debutants comprise two companies each from Canada (1 Gaming Inc. and G-Fed Games), Sweden (24h Network and EssNet Interactive) and the UK (Gex Technologies and Microgen). Other first-timers include Avanzia (Malta), Goldrace.com (Korea), Greentube I.E.S. (Austria), iovation Inc. (USA), Quedesjeux (France) and SafeCharge (Israel).

More visitor services

Show organisers ATE are introducing a number of visitor facilities for all show attendees, including additional restaurants and bars, executive seating areas and a business lounge complete with I.T. services and free access to the Internet. These new features will be located on Level 2 of Earls Court 1, accessed via the co-located soft gaming and amusements show, ATEI. As in the last two shows, ICE/ICEi will have its own dedicated registration area, located at the front of Earls Court, directly opposite West Brompton Underground and Railway Station.