“We regard ICE as ‘our’ show”

(Exclusive interview).- David Orrick, Director of Industry Relations at Merkur Gaming, talked with Focus Gaming News about the upcoming ICE London.

The 2020 edition of ICE London is just a few days away, and Merkur Gaming is ready to display its big array of products at the most important event of the gaming industry.

David Orrick, Director of Industry Relations at Merkur Gaming, talked with Focus Gaming News about this year’s ICE London and shared the company’s goals and expectations.

What does ICE London mean for Merkur as one of the top gaming companies in the world?

As you know, Merkur Gaming is a major exhibitor at trade shows around the world. Each one has its own characteristics and attractions but there is one event each year that is of key importance to Merkur Gaming and, indeed to all of the Gauselmann Group subsidiary companies that exhibit alongside us. That show is ICE Totally Gaming in London. We regard ICE as ‘our’ show, as a German and European company, as the ‘biggest and best’ gaming B2B event and as a venue and in a location that our customers and business partners want to attend. Traditionally, ICE is the platform on which we build our year. All trade shows can be described as the ‘lifeblood’ of the industry and we regard each one that we attend very highly. But ICE is very, very special for our companies, for our brand and for our customers and visitors and, as every year, we will be going all out to ensure that it truly is a special success.

What do you expect to achieve at ICE 2020? What do you mean when you say you’ll present ‘a big show’?

‘Big’ is a theme for our presentation at ICE this year. Our booth, subtly re-designed this year, is the biggest in the North Halls at ExCel, our new product range is Big in scale and one particular product range is Big in both its dimensions and what we predict will be its appeal. The two products that make up this range are the Avantgarde Max and the Avantgarde Trio Max, both have 32” Full HD screen, 2 and 3 respectively, both have great sound features and both will be sold complete with Merkur Gaming’s unique Black Series finish. Our team is Big: almost 200 strong and every one of them will be working flat out to make this Merkur Gaming’s best ICE yet.

ICE is the platform on which we build our year.

Merkur had a ‘perfect’ presentation at BEGE late in 2019, what does it take to be perfect once more on such a large stage as ICE London?

Perfection, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder but, as we stated, BEGE was perfect from start to finish, from the build-up to breakdown. ICE, of course, is on a stratospherically grander scale but, for exhibitors (no matter how small or how large their booth space) if their event goes along without any problems whatsoever and if they achieve the commercial objectives that they set themselves,  then they would be fully qualified to call their ICE ‘perfect’. The challenge for the organizers is to accept that, inevitably, some problems will occur. How quickly those problems are recognized, and successfully dealt with, and how quickly, determines how close to perfection they will be judged to have come. All major exhibitors and, separately, the organizers, hold debrief sessions post-show. If the majority of those sessions throw up no problems of a significant nature then, retrospectively, the show will be seen to have been a success. But trade shows exist to satisfy all the objectives of their exhibitors and their visitors and, if it isn’t quite perfect this year… well, there’s always next year!

Which products are your top three for taking to the show?

Our impressive game range: in both standalone and multigame formats, that adds up to over 160 titles on display. Our fantastic new Linked Progressive Jackpot, Treasure Link, and our new range of fixed Jackpot bonus games. That’s a top-three but, remember, with a multi-faceted booth such as that of Merkur Gaming, a top-three does not even scratch the surface of the many attractions on display. With Merkur Gaming itself being joined by other Gauselmann Group subsidiary companies and with the wide range of multinational products being presented, the Merkur booth is, quite literally, full of attractions and innovations. We warmly invite everyone attending ICE this year to come by and check out not just our top three, but the entire booth!

ICE will mark 2020’s launch pad and Merkur Gaming is determined that this will be an outstanding start to what some elements of the mainstream media have already titled ‘the Golden Twenties’.

What are your plans for 2020?

Our first objective is to make 2020 a landmark year for Merkur Gaming. With expansion throughout Europe (and, particularly, eastern Europe), new initiatives in Africa, further expansion in Latin America and strategic step-by-step market entry to both the US commercial and tribal government gaming sectors, there is plenty to achieve. ICE will mark 2020’s launch pad and Merkur Gaming is determined that this will be an outstanding start to what some elements of the mainstream media have already titled ‘the Golden Twenties’.