Informa’s £2.24bn Clarion Buy Puts ICE Under New Ownership

The business that stages the world’s biggest gaming trade show is changing hands. Informa has agreed to buy Clarion Events, the company behind ICE, in a deal worth £2.24bn, which means the show where UK players’ favourite studios unveil next year’s slots and live tables will soon sit inside one of the largest events groups on the planet.

What’s been released

Global events company Informa has added several more expos to its portfolio by buying Clarion, the company behind ICE, with the transaction valuing Clarion at £2.24bn based on expected EBITDA.
The deal is being funded in cash, with
the acquisition financed through dedicated acquisition financing and the net proceeds of a £940m equity placing and retail offer.
Clarion is being sold by the private equity firm Blackstone, which
originally acquired Clarion Events in 2017.

For anyone who has walked the ICE show floor, the scale of what’s changing hands is notable:
Clarion’s portfolio includes 125 events and media brands
in total, and
its WorldGaming portfolio, which manages gatherings such as ICE Barcelona and iGB Affiliate, will now be backed by Informa’s enterprise data and digital technology infrastructure.

Informa expects to complete the deal towards the end of Q4 2026, subject to the usual regulatory approvals, meaning ICE will be under Informa management by the time its 2027 edition takes place in Barcelona between 18-20 January.

What’s changed

Day to day, little is set to shift for the suppliers and operators who use the show to launch content.
For customers, exhibitors, sponsors and suppliers, the immediate message is straightforward: business continues as usual.
That matters for a UK audience, since ICE Barcelona is where studios such as Evolution, Pragmatic Play and Light & Wonder typically preview the live-casino formats and slot mechanics that later land on UK-licensed sites.

Informa has been explicit that gaming is central to the rationale rather than a side note.
Gaming is named as one of the three growth categories behind the deal, with ICE called out as the global leader.
The wider group is framing the purchase as part of a broader refocus:
this acquisition includes Clarion’s premium gaming event, ICE, and coincides with the separation of Informa’s academic business, Taylor & Francis.
Once folded in,
ICE Barcelona, iGB Affiliate and iGB L!VE will ultimately sit within a group targeting more than £4.2 billion in annual B2B Live Events revenue across approximately 1,000 specialist brands in more than 40 market categories and over 30 countries.

Where it fits

For UK players, this is a story about the machinery behind the games rather than a change to any app or slot shelf. ICE remains the stage where the supplier partnerships and product reveals that eventually filter through to UK-licensed casinos get their first public airing, and continuity there is the headline for anyone tracking next year’s releases.
For the gaming and gambling media sector, the acquisition marks a transformative transition
, but with the January 2027 Barcelona edition already locked in before the deal is even expected to close, the practical effect on the content pipeline UK players ultimately see should be minimal in the short term.

It also underlines how much weight the gaming calendar now carries for events groups more broadly. Clarion’s gaming brands were singled out as a standout among its wider stable of 100-plus B2B titles, a reminder of just how central ICE has become to the industry’s annual rhythm of launches, from live-dealer studio openings to the slot and jackpot announcements that regularly make their way onto UK sites within months of being shown off on the Barcelona floor.

Sources

• SBC News – Informa buys ICE owner Clarion in £2.24bn deal
• InterGame Online – Clarion Events set for £2.24bn acquisition by Informa
• Global Gaming Insider – ICE has new owners as Informa acquires Clarion Events for £2.24bn
• Gaming.net – Informa to Acquire ICE Owner Clarion Events From Blackstone
• Casino Life Magazine – Informa Acquires Clarion Events for £2.24bn: What It Means for ICE Barcelona and iGB