Over 200 gaming industry professionals have accepted an invitation to be a part of the ICE London 2023 Ampersand event which is being held on October 10th, the opening day of G2E at Top Golf Las Vegas. The gathering, based on the Open Space format follows July’s ICE Symposium which was  held in conjunction with the European Casino Association at London’s Les Ambassedeurs Casino.

Drawing on the history of the Ampersand Open Space assemblies staged by Clarion Gaming in Las Vegas, the meeting will gather the thought leaders, influencers and innovators active in North America's gaming and betting industry for a day of discussions and an evening of networking and socialising. The event will comprise a series of discussions on the topics put forward by the participants and will culminate with a reception celebrating Ampersand’s return to Las Vegas after a two year absence.

Ewa Bakun, Head of Insight and Industry Engagement at Clarion Gaming set out the purpose and format of the day. She explained: “We will be using  the tried and tested Open Space format that we have successfully used in other events, most recently the ICE Symposium held in London earlier this year, as well as the many Ampersand meetings that we have held in both London and in Las Vegas. 

“Open Space has an ‘un-conference’ format, in which participants build the agenda at the start of the meeting and then discuss in a series of free-flowing conversations throughout the day without speakers or moderators. The idea is that everyone is empowered to contribute with their thoughts, opinions and experience, drawing on the wealth of experience of all of the attendees, rather than a small group of expert speakers. This is a format that’s conducive to networking drawing on meaningful conversations and shared challenges.

“From an event organisers perspective the outcomes from Open Space meetings are gold dust. The insights are invaluable in helping us to shape the ICE experience, based on customer needs rather than on a mix of assumptions and anecdotal information. It’s vital that our in-person events remain totally relevant to the needs of what is a fast-moving and dynamic industry."