SBC News iGB Live postponed due to COVID concerns

iGB Live postponed due to COVID concerns

iGB Live, due to take place at the RAI in Amsterdam, has become the latest gaming event to be postponed as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The event, which had already been rescheduled to take place in Amsterdam in September, will now take place in the Dutch capital on 13-16 July, 2021.

In an email to delegates, iGB Events Group Director Naomi Barton wrote: “Whilst this is hugely disappointing news for me to have to share with you all, you will of course know that the current ongoing situation with COVID-19 has meant that many trade events globally have been either cancelled or postponed this year. We had real support for this event to go ahead from our core customers, and strong indications that they had every intention to travel to iGB Live in September.

“Unfortunately, the ever-changing travel advice, and what looks like a continuation of ‘one big wave’ in terms of the pattern of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe along with an increase in localised spikes in different countries, has meant that travel to and from Amsterdam for many of our exhibitors and sponsors has proved an impossible hurdle to overcome, even though the desire was there to attend.

“We always said that we would only run this event if it was safe and secure and made customers feel comfortable to attend, if we could deliver a live, enjoyable experience that you would expect from an iGB event, and if we could deliver you the ROI and business value you need.

“I am utterly confident that we would have been able to provide you with a safe event and a great live experience, but feel that I can’t with any degree of certainty provide you with the ROI you need, given the external travel challenges that we have no control over, and lack of clarity around how this will play out.”

Posting to an igaming networking group on LinkedIn, Alex Pratt, Managing Director of Digital Marketing Portfolio and iGaming Business, said the postponement was “fundamentally the right thing to do,” adding that he is “personally gutted”.

This week SBC Events also announced that its Betting on Sports Europe and Betting on Sports America shows will become digital events, as well as launching virtual conferences for Africa and CIS regions.

Stewart Darkin, Managing Director of CasinoBeats, commented: “It is very disappointing to learn that iGB Live will not be going ahead in 2020. We all look forward to meeting in Amsterdam and, like many others, I’d hoped this would be the moment we would see old friends again.

“It is proving to be an extremely challenging time for the events sector and it is worrying to have seen G2E Las Vegas, ICE London and now iGB Live cancelled or delayed, as the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 continues to hold the sector in its grip.

“The hope is that the gaming business community and the events organisers can continue to support one another through digital events until travel restrictions are lifted, confidence is restored and physical shows can resume, hopefully early in 2021.”

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