THE hustle and bustle of the conference floor is something we’re all familiar with, and as day turns to night, an expo centre becomes a networking event, and (for some) the fun certainly begins.

Following day one of last month’s ICE London, SBC and CasinoBeats hosted the annual London Baby event at Leicester Square’s Café de Paris, promising to crown three champions of the blackjack and roulette tables.

The lucky trio that came out on top were Ivan Soče  (pictured), product sales manager at NSoft, who scooped a pair of Beats headphones, Tom Kimsey, product lead at RISQ, who took home a Playstation 4 complete with FIFA19, and Kambi business development manager Alexander Engl, whose prize was an iPad.

With a little time having passed since the event, we had a brief catch up with the former of those winners, to find out how he found the event, his level of expertise that led him to triumph and if the prize itself has indeed been used.

CasinoBeats: How did you find your time at ICE London this year? And the London Baby party in particular?

Ivan Soče: “NSoft had a great show this year. We had a stand three times bigger than last year, and 40 people from our company attended the event, where we showcased our comprehensive suite of products.

“NSoft’s AI innovation in software solutions – vision, brought a lot of visitors to our stand. London Baby, however, was a great place to relax after a hard working day, and it was also a great networking opportunity. The ten year anniversary was indeed stylishly celebrated.”

CB: Would you consider yourself something of a gambling expert, or was a slice of luck involved in winning the prize?

IS: “Well, I don’t think of myself as a gambling expert at all – this was all just plain luck. However, it’s always great to win something, and you’ve made an excellent choice of the awards. Obviously I had to go all across the channel to find my luck – and I can’t complain at all.”

“I usually always listen to music while travelling, it relaxes me and makes the time go faster

CB: Blackjack and roulette were the two offerings available, which of these appeals more to you? And what was the stand out moment of your time at the tables?

IS: “I only played Blackjack because I didn’t want to take any chances. Blackjack has always been more appealing to me. The thrill of the game was intense and I truly enjoyed it all.

“It was really fun – a kind of recreation of some movie scene and you are the start. Actually, some of my favourite movies are casino themed, and the Cafe de Paris ambient itself had some movie scenery that night.”

CB: What your reaction to winning the prize, and crucially, has it been used since?

IS: “The prize was great, thanks to the organiser, and I didn’t actually expect to win. It was used the very next day and was a great addition for my way back home.

“I usually always listen to music while travelling – it relaxes me and makes the time go faster – so the new headphones were very handy.”

CB: With your prize being Beats headphones, we should talk about music. What is your standout genre, favourite bands, and why?

IS: “I prefer rock music mostly and the obvious choice is the Rolling Stones. They are ageless and their sound is always the best one – I actually grew up listening to great bands, legends actually, like the Rolling Stones, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple… There are some local rock bands [in Bosnia and Herzegovina] as well whose music I really enjoy.”

Ivan Soče collects his prize from CasinoBeats managing director Stewart Darkin