With the festive season now a distant memory, that can only mean one thing: the first ICE Barcelona is fast approaching. ICE is undoubtedly the most anticipated and highly regarded event on the iGaming calendar. Across three jam-packed days filled with networking, meetings, live talks, and so much more, the conference attracts over 45,000 of the brightest and most innovative minds from across the global iGaming industry.

This year, with the event taking place a few weeks earlier than usual, the opening day of ICE Barcelona coincides with Blue Monday, also referred to as the “most depressing day” of the year. Characterised by feelings of low energy, sadness, and a lack of motivation, Blue Monday is when the post-festive slump hits hard, and the thought of summer feels like a distant dream.

To help beat the January blues and prepare for ICE Barcelona 2025, we caught up with Leo Judkins, Founder and High-Performance Coach at iGamingLeader.com. He shares his expert insights and top tips on shifting the mindset often associated with Blue Monday, ensuring you get the most out of your conference experience – before, during, and after the event.

Leo Judkins (pictured), a former iGaming director with 12 years of experience leading high-performance teams, now coaches iGaming leaders to develop and sustain peak performance at iGamingLeader.com

Drawing on your industry experience, what are your top tips on how to maintain energy levels during intense networking events such as ICE Barcelona, especially when they coincide with the January blues?

Energy is really two things: how you energise yourself before the day begins and how you maintain that energy throughout the day. There’s some overlap between the two, but both are important. Firstly, you want to ensure you’re getting enough restful sleep. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not considering how much quality sleep they’re actually getting. A key factor here is reducing screen time before bed, which can be a scary thought for many, especially the idea of not having your phone in the room. But improving your sleep quality is a non-negotiable step in making sure your “battery” is fully charged.

At conferences, maintaining energy gained from restful sleep throughout the day is crucial. For those in roles such as sales, listening to people can be draining – not because they’re boring, but just because it can be difficult to focus for extended periods.  That’s why it’s important to stay hydrated and take regular breaks between meetings ensuring you truly recharge and clear your mind.

For most, alcohol is a big part of networking events, which is fine, but it’s important to bear in mind how it can affect your energy levels. Therefore, setting boundaries around alcohol consumption can help you manage your energy more effectively. In sales roles for example, deals are often done over drinks and late at night, rather than during the actual conference which can create a bit of a challenge

Another thing to consider is how to switch off once you return to your hotel. Many people end up playing catch-up with work from the office, which leads to them doing twice the amount of work and not fully recharging.

What tools and apps can help leaders remain strategically organised and optimise productivity before and during ICE Barcelona?

The most effective piece of advice I would give here is actually to reduce your use of technology. Constant screen time can pull you into “doom scrolling” and prevent you from truly switching off.

In terms of conference tools, I recently spoke with a commercial director about this, and a big thing we spoke about was using your phone’s Notes app (I’m not sure if this applies to Android in the same way it does with Apple). Simply start a new note for each person you meet, you can include a photo of their business card, along with any key points from your conversation. Another tip is to record a quick voice memo right after the meeting, which is even better in my opinion. We often think we’ll remember all the details of a conversation, but our brains are terrible at retaining that information—especially when you’re having multiple meetings in one day. So, capturing key points in a note-taking app is a powerful way to help keep track and stay organised. When we listen, we listen to respond, not to truly understand. But when you focus on listening to understand, using active listening techniques especially when the conversation is being recorded, this allows you to become more present. You’ll then pick up on important details, and most importantly, the person you’re speaking with will feel heard. This is exactly what we want in any business interaction.

The second key thing is using your calendar strategically. Don’t just schedule meetings but also block out time for breaks in between. Massive conferences like ICE attract over 45,000 attendees, which can be very overwhelming. It’s going to take time to get from A to B, so incorporating a bit of breathing room between meetings is essential. For those looking to optimise even further, tools like Calendly can help streamline your booking system. Additionally, setting an ‘out-of-office message’ on your email is an effective way to manage expectations and let others know what your communication and response time will be while you’re at the conference. These apps and tech tips can make a big difference in helping you stay energised and organised throughout the event.

What are some of your main strategies for staying healthy and focused during multi-day conferences and back-to-back meetings?

Everything is in the planning. At conferences, things often become very ad-hoc, and that’s okay – a lot of people hate routine, which is also fine. But when you take the time to plan and structure your day, especially before the chaos begins, it allows you to have that unstructured time for spontaneous meetings and interactions. Setting clear intentions and boundaries for your day is key.

One of the core principles we cover in our coaching program is being proactive before reactive. Most people fall into the reactive trap – opening emails first thing, responding to messages, and suddenly dealing with a whirlwind of problems. Instead, if you spend just 5-10 minutes at the start of your day to plan, set intentions, and define goals, it provides clarity and mental space to navigate your day effectively. This approach also applies to health and well-being. Planning breaks, scheduling time for lunch, and staying hydrated – these basic principles are ones we often remind our kids about (not that they’re going to conferences, of course!). But these are the same things we should apply to ourselves. Being intentional about these simple actions can make a huge difference.

So, the first thing is being proactive rather than reactive. The second trap many fall far is protecting your boundaries. It’s not other people who overstep your boundaries; it’s you not protecting them well enough, allowing other people to overstep them. Once you set your boundaries, make sure you protect them.

How can leaders implement effective delegation strategies to support staff balancing time between the office and international events?

The biggest thing is for those attending the conference. The people staying at the office will continue with their regular work, but they’ll have less availability from the person they normally work with as they’re away. I believe as the conference attendee; it’s your responsibility to communicate clearly and set expectations upfront. Be explicit about your response times and what communication will look like while you’re away.

Again, taking a proactive approach here is key. Time-block your calendar for when you’ll check in and communicate with the office. Set up out-of-office notifications and make it clear that response times will be slower during the conference. Without that effective planning, you risk setting yourself up for a 16-hour workday for several days in a row, which simply isn’t sustainable. Strategically planning your day is crucial for maintaining balance and avoiding burnout.

The third key point is delegation. When senior leadership figures attend a conference while the majority of the team remains at the office, it’s crucial that leaders delegate not just tasks, but also autonomy and decision making. One of the biggest mistakes many leaders make is that they only delegate tasks without giving any decision-making power, meaning they’ll always going to be the bottleneck. If you find yourself being the bottleneck in your organisation, unable to step away because you’re doing everything yourself, that’s a leadership style that needs to change. While this change may not happen during ICE, it’s something to consider for the next conference: how can you ensure you’re not the bottleneck, and how can you effectively delegate responsibilities whilst empowering the team to make decisions without the final say constantly lying with you?

The issue most leaders have with delegation is because they think that if they do things themselves, it will be quicker and to a higher standard – i.e. their own standard, which is often debatable if that is, a higher standard. While this might be true in the short term, continuing this approach long-term means you’ll always be the bottleneck. The key is recognising that if something can be done at 80% of the quality and speed you would do it, then you must delegate it.

Furthermore, how can managers/workplaces support team members who are balancing responsibilities outside of work, such as family, children, and pets, while traveling to multi-day conferences?

The biggest thing here is being clear about your boundaries and protecting them. It’s easy to fall into the trap of working 16-hour days at a conference, running on very little sleep, whilst drinking and partying late into the night, and constantly interacting with people. Then, when you return home of course, if you have a family, there’s often an expectation from your partner to be there to be there for the kids. Everyone is exhausted, and it can be hard to show up fully, which can lead to disappointment on both sides: one parent feels let down for not having time to recover, while the other feels frustrated that their partner isn’t fully present for the family. That’s why it’s imperative to communicate your needs and expectations early. We’ve all been on this rodeo many times, so you know what’s going to happen. Plus, use the opportunity to improve – think about small ways you can handle the situation slightly better than before, taking that extra step to “one-up” yourself.

The third key point is giving yourself buffers on both sides – before and after the conference. Allow time to prepare and energise before you leave, and just as importantly, give yourself space to recover and ease back into normal life and routine when you return. Most people make the mistake of diving straight back into work, which isn’t a good idea. You need time to recharge so you can perform at your best – so those are things I’d recommend.

Being intentional about your time is crucial, whether you have kids or not. You could rush back into work after a conference, but you shouldn’t. Conferences like ICE are very intense, and you’ll have a lot of follow-ups to manage. Giving yourself time to recover is super important. High performance is really not about doing more – it’s actually about being disciplined in prioritising recovery. Think of it like a top athlete competing in the Olympics. After sprinting for 4 days, they wouldn’t jump straight back into intense training, would they? They would take the time to recover. The same principle applies to you.

How can individuals best manage post-event burnout and return to work effectively following ICE Barcelona?

Burnout is an interesting concept – it typically doesn’t happen from doing too much. It usually happens from feeling the activities you’re engaged in aren’t aligned with your values, and when tasks feel heavy and draining. Feeling low on energy after an event is actually very normal, which is why recovery is so important. Think of it like a laptop battery: if it’s at 20%, the last thing you want to do is run loads of applications. We all get anxious when our phone battery is in the red, so we switch to power-saving mode and this is exactly what you should be doing after a high-energy event.

It’s tough though, because you’ll have leads and conversations to follow up on, and work waiting for you from before the event. But it’s important to exercise self-discipline when it comes to rest and recovery, not in working harder. Without proper rest and recovery, you won’t have the energy or mental clarity to solve problems or get things done effectively.


We’d like to extend our thanks to Leo Judkins for joining us in this article and for sharing valuable tips on making the most of our time at ICE Barcelona, beating the January blues, and staying positive, happy, and healthy.

For more information about Leo Judkins’s iGaming leadership coaching services, podcast, and more, visit: https://www.igamingleader.com

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