ICE London’s last edition will take place at ExCel London in 2024. The next edition of ICE, after that, will take place in Barcelona.
The first edition of the B2B event will be held at the 240,000 square-meter Fira de Barcelona and will take place across 20-22 January 2025.
Barcelona was selected from a shortlist of four cities, competing alongside Paris, Madrid and its home of 12 years, London.
ICE Barcelona will run on a five-year contract from 2025 to 2029.
Clarion Gaming has reserved 40,000 hotel nights for ICE week 2025. Communications updating stakeholders on the plans will roll out from September this year.
Barcelona’s bid was notable for the scale of its facilities, hospitality infrastructure, logistics, ROI for customers and ability to scale, according to Clarion Gaming.
The decision wasn’t an easy one, according to the organizer; when researching the next best venue, Clarion Gaming made numerous venue visits, city presentations and detailed negotiations.
It examined issues such as the logistics involved in terms of transport and event organizing, as well as the ease and costs of participating; both as a visitor and as an exhibitor.
Clarion Gaming Managing Director Alex Pratt explained how further details will be revealed later this summer, including an introduction to ICE’s hotel partner.
Pratt also explained why ICE selected the venue it did, “It was notable for its outstanding exhibition and conference facilities, the ability to scale, its hospitality infrastructure, ease of logistics, engagement from the city and the ability to deliver ROI for our customers.”
