Launching an online casino means becoming part of a huge industry called iGaming. This global gaming community brings together casino operators, players, software providers and game developers, jurisdictional and financial authorities, bloggers and marketers from all over the world. They all speak different languages but meet regularly and interact online to get this giant machine moving. Online gaming events meet their needs and are an ideal platform for global meetings, however, from time to time, community members also meet live at various iGaming events.
The Most Popular Gaming Events
Numerous events, conferences and exhibitions are held throughout the year, which bring together the shareholders of the land-based and online games market such as GunsBet Casino. These events pursue the main goal – networking, but differ from each other in certain aspects. Participation in such events requires preparation and a certain part of the marketing budget. Operators who are just starting out in the industry should research the specifics of each event to find out which ones are really worth attending. Here you will find a brief overview of the main gaming events and some tips to help operators take advantage of them.
To begin with, let’s give a simple classification of events dedicated to games.
1) International / local events.Some events and exhibitions are international. They host visitors and participants from all over the world and cover global gambling issues. The best example is ICE Totally Gaming in London. Regional exhibitions, on the contrary, are more focused on gaming issues of a certain part of the world. An example is WrB Africa, which, with its internal regulation, focuses on the African gaming market and hosts leading operators from East, West and Central Africa, as well as the iGaming Asia Congress in Macau or Russian Gaming Week. If you are targeting a specific region and want to expand your knowledge about the peculiarities of the local market, you should consider attending one of these events. Otherwise, it makes sense to start with international conferences,
2) Gaming software/affiliate marketing events . An example of the first kind is iGB Live! Amsterdam, the place to see the world’s leading game developers and online casino software providers. They present their chic booths and create shows to present new slots, as well as throw parties after the official schedule of events. Affiliate conferences, such as London or Amsterdam, are the meeting place for the world’s best marketing professionals. Affiliates and affiliate programs host casino operators at their booths and present their best offers
3) Events dedicated to certain events. An example would be the Mobile Games Forum in London or the Betting Trends Forum in Moscow and global events that cover all current gaming topics and hot topics. The former provide in-depth insight into a particular gaming industry and are more geared towards experienced operators looking to immerse themselves in a particular area, while global events are ideal for industry newcomers, providing an opportunity to gain a general understanding of the market.
The Most Popular Gaming Events
Here is a list of the most popular iGaming events that are definitely worth visiting as a member or at least a visitor:
1. ICE Totally Gaming (ICE London) , which takes place in February in London. ICE remains the most comprehensive and most attended gaming conference in the world (with a record attendance of over 28,000 people in 2017). It covers both land-based and online casinos, offers a wide variety of seminars with the latest industry news, bringing together all the major market players. Attending this event is a must for SoftSwiss: we present our booth there every year.
2. The London Affiliate Conference, held after ICE in the same location (ExCel London), the conference is a great opportunity to learn about the latest marketing trends in iGaming and introduce your brand to affiliates – people who play a key role in promoting online casinos.
3. iGB Live! in Amsterdam takes place in July and is a well-known event in the iGaming market, consisting of 9 events dedicated to payment processing, player acquisition, jurisdictional issues, sports betting, finance and affiliate marketing. This event has seen a good growth in attendance in recent years and is the successor to the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference, Berlin Affiliate Conference and Excellence in Gaming (EiG).
4. Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) takes place in Macau in May and is the main platform for Asian iGaming businessmen. As one of the fastest growing markets, Asia attracts leading software providers, game developers, casino operators and marketers from all over the world. If you are planning to explore this market, G2E Asia is a good starting point.
5. SiGMA takes place in November in Malta. The event is international, as iGaming ecosystem shareholders from all over the world take part in it, from casino and bookmaker operators to owners of well-known software companies and start-up entrepreneurs. Regulators, marketers and affiliates are also represented here, which is a great place for networking.
What To Do At IGAMING Events?
Once the list of iGaming events is ready, you need to prepare and make a to-do list. The possibilities are really vast, and here are just a few of them:
Present your brand . Set up a stand and invite your best sales managers to present your online casino for example, experts believe the best casinos on the site casinos online no brasil.
Get to know software vendors and game developers. If you are still looking for a platform or want to make personal contacts with gaming content providers, these events are a great place to find a reliable IT partner.
Learn the latest iGaming trends : mobile casinos, Bitcoin gambling, innovative game design and so on. Learn about the latest situation in the regulation of the iGaming industry and the peculiarities in each particular region, personally get to know representatives of various gaming jurisdictions.
Study the main marketing and advertising trends , see what types of promotion work best for online casinos.
Get to know affiliates and make deals with them.
Get to know payment processor providers , read their terms and conditions, and find out who you can work with to improve the efficiency of your casino’s payment processing. Attend seminars and panel discussions on topics that interest you the most. Or even become a speaker at one of the panels and share your view on the situation.
Networking ! As with any industry, the more people you know, the better for your business. Don’t ignore parties after the official show schedule. These events tend to have a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, so you can interact with C-Level leaders in a fairly casual manner.
With the right iGaming events, and with a lot of stamina (because events are as tiring as they are exciting), you will return home with a load of new information to think about, leads to process, partners to collaborate on, and cool ideas to bring to life.