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Thousands attend Bahrain IGN Convention

ManamaOver 14,000 people attended the IGN Gaming and pop culture event in the past two days. The event pulled the highest number of visitors in its five-year history. Visitors from all over the region attended the pop culture event. 

An organizer told DT News that 9,000 people attended on the first day alone. He said that the numbers for the second day is yet to be confirmed but the venue was almost as crowded on the second day.

“It was a huge crowd and the day was packed with lots of activities and competitions. There were around 45 activities including 15 competitions. The competitions were varied there were gaming competitions, cosplay competition, and there were even some technical competitions such as a mobile app creation competition.” he said.

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The event was organized by Tarteeb and its strategic partners and sponsors including Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), VIVA, Tamkeen, and the Bahrain Economic Development Board.

Chief Operating Officer of Tarteeb, Mohamed Al Sulaiti said that the event was bigger than ever before. 

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“Number of people who have come for the event this year is more than last year’s. We have seen a turnout of 14,000 so far,” he said yesterday evening. “The biggest hit for this year’s event was the celebrities and factory 13. Factory 13 is a haunted house and it was received very well,” he said. 

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International celebrities such as Actor Pilou Asbaek and American professional wrestler Oscar Gutierrez better known as Rey Mysterio were the star attraction of the event. Since its launch in 2013, IGN has brought many well known wrestlers, actors and celebrities to Bahrain. The previous four editions of the convention were attended by international celebrities including actor Giancarlo Esposito from the TV show Breaking Bad, actor Hafthor Bjornsson from Game of Thrones, Voice actor Troy Baker from the video game The Last of Us and Wrestling legends Booker T and Kurt Angle.

Apart from the activities the event featured a ‘retail alley’, where merchandise, games and other items were sold, and also a ‘artist alley’ where artists showcased and sold their art.