One of the largest annual gatherings of both the land-based and online gambling industries under one roof is the International Casino Exhibition (ICE) in London. The event's organizers, Clarion ATE, have reported the upcoming ICE (January 23-25, 2007) to be the largest one ever. In fact, Clarion says it is going to be 36% larger than the International Casino Exhibition held earlier this year.

Hosted at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, exhibitors will be filling up nearly 14,650 square feet of space to showcase their gambling related products and services. The online casino and gaming section, known as ICEi (Interactive), will be comprised of approximately 1,500 square feet of exhibition space in one of the two Courts. There will also be a designated non-payout section of amusements, electronic leisure and ancillary equipment (ATEI) on the lower level of Earls Court 1.

To accommodate for a larger turnout, Karen Cooke, who is Head of Exhibitions at Clarion, said the entire floor plan of exhibition and showroom space needed to be entirely restructured. By doing so, Cooke says that returning exhibitors will be able to expand on their prior setups, while new casino and gaming companies who were turned down for prior shows due to a lack of space, will be able to attend. In other words, there will be room for everybody in whatever capacity is needed.

Attendance levels at the end of last month show a confirmation of 164 gaming companies from 33 countries who will be attending at ICE 2007. Overseas companies make of the largest proportion of exhibiting companies, with the U.S. leading the way at eighteen, followed by eleven companies from Spain, ten from Slovenia, nine from Netherlands, seven from Italy and six from Austria.