ICE trade show changes hands in £2.24bn Informa deal
Clarion, the company that runs ICE – the largest gaming trade show in the world – is being acquired by UK events business Informa for £2.24 billion.
How the deal is structured
Informa is paying around 11 times Clarion's forecast EBITDA. The group expects the multiple to drop to roughly 9 times after £50 million of cost synergies, and to about 8 times once a further £25 million in operating profit growth comes through. A dedicated acquisition facility and an equity placing of about £940 million to institutional and retail investors will fund the purchase, which should close at the end of Q4 2026 once regulators sign off.
- Price: £2.24 billion.
- ICE 2027 takes place in Barcelona, 18–20 January, under Informa.
- Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant joins Informa's leadership team.
Clarion's portfolio
ICE relocated from London's ExCeL to Barcelona in 2025, the same year the iGB Live affiliate conference moved from Amsterdam into ExCeL. Clarion also runs the DSEI defence show, IFA Berlin and Distributec. Informa CEO Stephen A. Carter described the deal as a boost to the group's B2B events arm.
What it means for Canadian players
New games launched at ICE usually reach casinos within months, including the brands licensed in Ontario. Keep an eye on new releases in our online slots guide and compare highest RTP slots before you play.
Source: SBC News, 6 October 2026. This article is based on publicly reported news; our editors summarised and rewrote it for Canadian readers.