ICE 2004 was held at Earls Court 2 at long last, giving a well deserved professional
touch to the exhibition. But especially giving exhibitors better value and easier
access to ATEI for those who needed it. While the building is reminiscent of a
Victorian railway terminal, that is not of itself a bad thing (Brunel was a genius
after all); also the big double plus, no pillars and the extra height - which
no exhibitor took advantage of except for TCSJohn Huxley. Perhaps 2005 will see
some two-storey booths as seen at G2E and that were so evident at EELEX 2003.
There were some small problems that annoyed people, like the poor and quite
inadequate toilet and cloakroom facilities, apparently things are worse at ATEI
but that can hardly be deemed a reasonable excuse. A more serious problem was
security; some exhibitors had items 'taken' from their stands including personal
exhibition notes regarding potential clients. Perhaps the organisers can give
better advice about stand security and offer small safe hire? The gangways were
good with an easy to follow floor plan. Initially traffic seemed light in comparison
to other years, but this was not the case rather it was a spatial problem (wider
aisles etc.). Overall most exhibitors were pleased with EC2 and the visitor
quality.
The ICE Ball to round off the event was as usual held at The Dorchester, but
again the function room was too small and the dinner was an anorexics delight!
However the entertainment by 'The Rat Pack' was very well received, and the
follow up groups proved very popular with the dance floor packed so a good time
was had by all.