ICE London 2022 postponed to April as Omicron pressures mount
Organisers scrub industry’s premier trade show from its traditional February slot as daily UK cases of new dominant variant hit 90,000
ICE London 2022, which was scheduled for 1-3 February, has been postponed following a surge in cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. EGR understands there are two possible dates in April currently under review as to when the event could possibly take place.
The postponement was announced by Clarion Gaming, with the organisers of the annual expo at East London’s ExCeL exhibition centre adding that a statement will be released next Wednesday, 22 December, to reveal new dates in April which are currently undergoing due diligence.
It is understood several exhibitors had pushed for a postponement due to increasing number of infections of the Omicron variant in the UK and the possibility of a renewed lockdown as a potential firebreak against the latest surge in cases.
Yesterday, 16 December, the UK reported 88,376 daily cases of Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours – up from almost 79,000 the previous day – as well as another 146 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
Speculation had been rife within the industry that the expo, which has not taken place since February 2020 due to the pandemic, would once again be postponed.
The situation mirrors that of the 2021 conference, which was pushed back to April, but never took place due to similar Covid-19 concerns about the formerly dominant Delta strain.
The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) had met earlier this week in Las Vegas to consider and vote on a proposal to push the event back until later this year.
ICE London 2022 was expected to attract 550 exhibitors and welcome 35,000 attendees to ExCeL’s 87,000 sq ft double exhibition halls.
Indeed, most suppliers gear their entire launch strategies around ICE, plans which will now have to be put on hold following today’s announcement.