ICE Connect is being curated by California-based Quartz Events, which was acquired by Clarion in 2020 and is the fastest growing producer of invitation-only executive summits, with 80% of Fortune 100 companies participating in their events last year. ICE Connect will run 21 June  – 25 June (Europe focus) and 28 June – 2 July  (North America focus), with a repeat of this schedule taking place in the Autumn.

Expanding on an initiative that will help the international gaming community navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19 and beyond, Stuart Hunter, Managing Director, Clarion Gaming, said: “It’s been a full year since the international industry last came together at ICE London, and as a team we share the frustration at the continued absence of live events. Event organisers such as ourselves serve as facilitators of opportunity, and I believe that ICE Connect represents the most advanced and powerful opportunity for buyers and sellers to meet in the digital space.”

Outlining how ICE Connect works, he explained: “Qualified delegate attendees from operating companies complete a detailed registration questionnaire, which drills into specific industry challenges and upcoming project needs. The model, which has been successfully developed by Quartz, uses highly sophisticated matching algorithms, ranking and scheduling software, to match the operators with relevant, industry-leading solution providers who can solve their challenges and help them run their operations more efficiently. As a result, both delegates and solution providers spend 100% of their time in meaningful and productive meetings. In addition, we will also be producing a world-class ‘solutions-focused’ educational programme”

He continued: “From a solution provider standpoint every detail is handled by the ICE Connect team, with a scheduled programme issued three weeks ahead of the event, and a PDF meetings’ agenda and contact database provided a fortnight before the event ‘opens’. This represents a highly efficient way for sellers to connect with really senior, serious and relevant buyers. I am certain that the experience and expertise of Quartz aligned to the insight of the Clarion Gaming team will deliver an exciting new approach to conducting business and one that will prove to be invaluable to all sectors of the industry.”

“Our strategy moving forward is to develop the ICE Connect model and align it with our commitment to live events, enabling us to adopt an agile year-round response to the commercial needs of the industry, and to satisfy demand from all regions of the gambling landscape. There’s nothing like this that’s available in the gaming world.”

Registration for ICE Connect is now open. Attendees can find more information and secure their free place here: ICE Connect Europe; 21 – 25 June 2021 – www.ice-connecteurope.com ICE Connect North America; 28 June – 2 July 2021 – www.ice-connectna.com.  Exhibitor/sponsorship: ian.larcombe@clariongaming.com