I.C.E. 2018 Review: Go Big Or Go Home?

This year’s I.C.E. made headlines for all the wrong reasons: using Promo Girls seems very out of step with Britain in 2018. But if we look beyond this controversy, I.C.E. 2018 was an epic show.

The I.C.E. Controversy

This year’s event gained notoriety after articles in appeared in the Press (The Guardian, Independent, The Sun and others), highlighting the particularly out-dated aspect of the event. Hostesses/Promo Girls.

Unfortunately, for a small section of the industry, this type of promotion is still deemed valid, and so sadly on many stands, hostesses and dancers were present, which was a shame as it doesn’t properly reflect a fascinating industry and with great stand designs, why is this needed?

The Real Event

More than ever, this event brings a slice of Vegas to this wintery part of London. In pursuit of this goal, the event attracts exhibitors intent on building stands on a truly vast scale.

This year was no exception with Microgaming (who’s enormous stand transformed daily), Merkur Gaming and Novomatic creating activations using the latest AV and highest build qualities. These stand included vast amounts of cutting-edge technology, exceptional lighting and sound coupled with interactive elements to draw the international buyers to their stands.

Who Goes?

Smiles all round on the last day @ #ICE2018 where people met, deals were made & business happened. Congrats to @PGSOFTOfficial for its prominent, vibrant and bustling stand. Until next year! #success #NKTN pic.twitter.com/nDSFViSDQu

— Nektan PLC (@NEKTANPLC) February 8, 2018

Competition for attention is therefore extremely tough. As such there is something of an arms race to create the most vibrant and impactful activations.

Trends

This year saw exhibitors competed to create exclusive environments and take the visitors ‘out’ of the wider event. These spaces would genuinely absorb visitors in their particular brand or product while managing to remove the epic distractions surrounding them. Whether that product be digital or real-world hardware.

Favourite Stands

Of course, we have to mention Quickspin. Designed by 2Lk and built by our amazing team here at DMN Designbuild for the second year running. But there are other stands we have to praise. Amongst our favourites were Microgaming, PG Gaming and Merkur. All building large, tech-heavy and exciting stands.

Yet, right in the middle of this design and build arms race, one very unusual stand stood out and captured our attention.

The owners of TXOdds were faced with having a limited budget to attend this hugely competitive show. So how do you stand out?

TXOdds came up with an ingenious response. Instead of the glitz and glamour, they decided to poke fun at the show and the audience’s expectations. Forget Vegas, they instead focused on London, playing with the location’s novelty and history by creating a budget ‘greasy spoon’ cafe complete with chequered floor, net curtains and dubious looking menus.

The result?

 

This was one of the most photographed stands at the show. It brought smiles to peoples faces and triggered conversations … surely everything that a good stand should do?

Summary

So how should you get noticed at I.C.E. 2019? This year’s show taught us that the old rules still apply. Be creative, be bold but also be clever and design with your audience in mind. And if you don’t have the biggest budgets then use humour and ingenuity to get yourself noticed, snapped and shared.

In shoer, creativity and quality is the key to success at this event.

Can we help you turn your products or services into a crowd-pleasing activation? If you want some ideas or a quote for your next stand, give us a call.