Extending the ‘Step into the Future’ theme for 2020, ICE London has unveiled its latest pioneering initiative courtesy of a large-scale Augmented Reality (AR) invitation which will lead to an immersive first of its kind at-show experience for attending delegates. Highlighting the brand’s gaming technology credentials, ICE London has partnered with SPARK, the leading AR, CGI and VR agency, to deliver a unique treasure hunt across the 49,500sqm net floor space the event will occupy at ExCeL London, UK (4-6 February). The 35,000+ gaming professionals expected to attend the 2020 event will be able to take part in the AR experience by using their smartphones to interact with futuristic content as well as engage with an AI floorplan. Using themes from the ‘Step, Look, Dive and Leap into the Future’ creative, users will be able to interact with the ICE London dancer as well as futuristic robots, cars and even a spaceship in order to enhance their experience at ExCeL London and navigate what is the world’s largest gaming innovation exhibition.

Dan Betts, Head of Strategy at SPARK, explained: “We will have eight markers around the entire event allowing people to scan and experience interactive visuals as part of the treasure hunt and, when they’ve found all of them, they will be entered into a prize draw. But even bigger than that, there will also be a dedicated space on the show floor where users can interact with a large-scale animation of the ICE London ‘Step into the Future’ dancer who will guide them around the exhibition. SPARK has provided cutting-edge AR tech strategies for a range of leading brands including Lego, AirBus and Nissan, but according to Betts, ICE London represents a whole new proposition thanks to the engaged, tech-led audience it attracts drawn from across the international gaming landscape. “ICE is the perfect place for this technology and the unique way it is being deployed,” he stated. “With AR, a lot of companies simply use it to target children or launch a single product, but ICE London is really different thanks both to its scale and the fact that the people on the show floor represent the ideal target for new ideas like this. AR is traditionally installed at specific points via QR markers, but what we’ve designed for ICE London is truly interesting, revolutionary and innovative!" Betts concluded: “Despite working in augmented reality for a number of years, I’ve never seen any AR invites for a giant exhibition such as ICE London, so this is definitely a first. To deliver something tech-led which features bespoke graphics centred around a designed creative that incorporates the experiential fun of a treasure hunt as well as the use of AI really stands out in the field of AR.” (2020/01/30)