The 2010 edition of G2E, held last November in Las Vegas, underlined industry expectations of a forthcoming global resurgence for the international gaming industry. Fast Forward to January 2011 and those expectations took a large step towards becoming reality; thanks in no small part to the vibrant and exciting ICE - Totally Gaming show in London’s Earls Court.

As the traditional high profile opening event of each year the international gaming industry relies on ICE to effectively ‘set the tone’ for the following months. Following the global downturn of 2008/9 and the knock-on effects into, at least, the first half of 2010 there have been welcome signs that a recovery has begun and confidence is, slowly, returning. Nurturing and growing that returning confidence requires a co-operative approach from all sectors of the industry, from the development of new and innovative products by manufacturers through to a willingness to invest by operators both large and small. Trade shows also have a vital role to play in the process; by providing a stage on which the various industry sectors can come together and promote the route to sustainable growth for the future: both short and longer terms.

ICE has gone through a period of uncertainty over its future and, while some questions remain, has benefitted from having to focus on providing for its exhibitors (over 400 of them this year) a show that allows business to be conducted in a positive and upbeat manner. At the end of the three show days of ICE the general consensus was that the show had indeed largely succeeded in recapturing the ‘glory days’ spirit of past events and thus been a positive factor in helping the international gaming industry move forward together.

Novomatic had a whole new booth on which to present its new innovations. In the same location and of the same overall dimension as in previous years the booth had been totally redesigned in a spacious and more open look that many visitors likened to a ‘space age’ concept. And there was a lot more to see than just the stand construction: Novomatic presented a whole range of new products for 2011, including: 14 new Coolfire™ II games, 15 new NOVO LINE™ games, for both VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) and GDS (Games Download System) applications.

Austrian Gaming Industries (AGI) also presented two brand new Mystery Progressive Jackpots: THUNDERGOD™ and Wild Nights™, and a brand new Community Gaming novelty: BANK BLASTER™. These jackpot and community gaming products and their many diverse themes represent a whole new range of attractions for casinos worldwide and their guests.

AGI Managing Director Jens Halle expressed himself well satisfied at the close of ICE. He noted: “We have all spent a lot of time talking about the future of ICE and it was good to finally now be able to concentrate on business in the venue and under the organisation that our customers told us they prefer. ICE has been a very satisfactory show. We have presented our great range of product innovations, met customers and guests from around the world of gaming and, I feel, pointed the way forward for the rest of this year. I think that we can all feel a little more confident for the future as we work together to the benefit of the entire industry.” (E-02.07.11)

For more details of the full range of Novomatic and AGI products on display at ICE please see the press release in Corporate News.

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