Despite having been with FTD Digital for almost 8 years, this was my first time at Clarion Gaming’s flagship Summer affiliate conference in Amsterdam. Turns out, of course, it was also my last.
With iGB & ICE moving to Barcelona in January 2025 and iGB Live moving to London in July 2025, unfortunately the conference Gods couldn’t find a place for Amsterdam in the calendar going forward.
So while I’m disappointed to not be able to attend this fantastic event again, by all accounts it went out in a true blaze of glory.
This was the largest iGB Amsterdam ever, with over 10,000 delegates. The conference filled three halls at the RAI, more than ever before. For someone used to London’s two halls at the Excel, I spent most of the two days a little discombobulated.
That, and the whirlwind of over 25 partner meetings and four consecutive days of networking events and parties probably contributed to that feeling…
Part of what makes the networking at Amsterdam so special is the Strandzuid waterfront restaurant and beach bar complex set just behind the RAI centre. The organisers booked the space for 4 straight days and it’s the perfect place to catch up with friends and partners, as well as to unwind after a long day of meetings.
Rather than stressing about the world IT outage that was cancelling flights left, right and centre on the Friday, Sue and I were serenely boating along the canal into central Amsterdam. What’s more, we even managed to catch the first on-time flight back to London!
The conference was a stonking success. It was great to meet partners both new, like our friends from Hull Bingo Plus, and established, like our old friend Lauren Wallace from L&L, whom we took out for a particularly memorable dinner.
It was Chris’s first Amsterdam too, and I asked him what he thought made it so special. He told me:
“The tradition of meeting people in person is vital in this day and age of insular remote working. Without the IGB conferences, I’m not sure what we would do.”
So here’s to Amsterdam! A fantastic event in a brilliant location. We’ll miss you!
