Conferences in Europe

Infographic: Gambling Industry Expos vs Gambling Industry Summits

Published

5 years ago

August 28, 2019

Zoltan Tundik

Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Boutique style conference organizer presents the importance of quality vs quantity when it comes to planning your events calendar.

We have decided to put together a list of strong facts why growing companies with limited budget should opt for summits and smaller conferences versus large expos.

The facts on the list have been compiled after a short survey with selected companies that are usually attending up to 90% of conferences and expos during one year.

This infographic should not be taken as a statement against expos, it is just the fact that has been pointed out during the questioning.

As seen above, attending an expo is not as simple as attending a summit and here are the main points that have been discussed during the survey:

Logistics

Expo – In order to be successful at an expo, you need to book a stand and in order to stand out from the crowd, you have to come up a unique layout and design, that nobody has ever seen. It’s really hard to cope with when it comes to having all the already known brands installing their already visible branding at their stylish stands. After you have your stand’s design, the part of booking the furniture, lighting, electrics, and internet. This is only the logistics part, you need to also arrange meetings and hire staff, book the hotel for your colleagues and create the marketing materials. Not to mention, start an advertising campaign to highlight your attendance.

Summit – You ask for the organizer about the attending companies (usually not a myriad) and you can easily locate your targets/prospects to start planning the meetings. You check the agenda/program for the time schedule and you buy the tickets(s). You book the accommodation during your stay (usually 2 nights).

Meetings (before and during the event)

Expo – You spend hours to browse the attending companies and making phone calls to arrange meetings out of which, usually 40% are always canceled at the last minute. You create several marketing campaigns to create leads and follow closely the prospect pipeline.

Once you get to the expo you are in a hall that has thousands of visitors, running to their meetings or browsing for freebies. Some of them even browsing for business card for database building.

As mentioned earlier, you start greeting your already set up meetings, but you are also keeping your agenda open for potential clients, that might find you offering interesting. Between meetings and staying hungry, you spend hours at your stand waiting for potential clients and doing the promo gigs with leaflet/flyer handouts.

During you already set up meetings, you are keeping track of time so you can also meet your next scheduled prospect, but your prospect is also focused on her/his own schedule. Everyone is keeping track of time and calculating how much it takes to get to their next meeting (finding the stand, finding the contact, etc.).

Summit – You arrive at to the usually luxurious venue and greeted with a smile. You receive your badge and lanyard, and you instantly meet some connection you have contacted prior to the event. You sit down in the conference room with a coffee or a tea and already start discussing your possible collaboration. You know you are not wasting your time as you are speaking with a high-level pre-qualified decision-maker who is at the summit to get quality content without the hassle of running from hall to hall and keeping track of what going on. It’s a laid back atmosphere and everyone is there to meet like-minded peers while also getting the latest quality updates.

During networking breaks and the complimentary lunch break, you sit down with 1-2 prospect that you either contact before the conference or meet in the lounge, and you engage with buyers that are actively sourcing your solutions.

In the evening you enjoy a relaxed social gathering and have a few drinks to meet other prospects before you call it a day. The next morning or afternoon you enjoy a bit of sightseeing and you jet off to your next destination.

Post-event

Expo – You plan your next 3 weeks to follow up with the prospect you have met during the exhibition and try to get them to set up a new meeting at your office or their headquarters. This usually involves more travels, but at first, you have to get that response which has to be approved by the upper decision-maker, who you did not meet yet in person. Keep in mind that your prospect has also met at least 25-30 other solution providers and is now examining reviews and feedback from other clients.

During the follow-up period, you also send an email to people that you never met and have left their card at your stand, sometimes getting in weird situations, explaining where you got their contacts from.

You also have to go over more details as you due to the lack of time, you did not have the chance to explain clearly or the many questions remained un-answered while keeping track of the meetings schedule on both sides.

After you get some promising answers, you need to plan for the next expo and invite the prospects for a second face to face discussion while also maintaining the stand related standards in order to keep appearing on your advantage. It’s back to the drawing board again and back to number one on the list, logistics. During this time, you are also keeping an eye on your marketing budget to see if you are still on track and can fit in some updates to your stand.

Summit – You get back to the office and follow up on the clients you’ve met earlier and ask them if they have any remaining questions after your one on one meeting during the networking break, at lunch, dinner or social gathering.

Once you follow up, you get an instant answer from the decision-maker and you close the prospective pipeline. You look for the next conference in the area you are targeting for clients and you register your delegate pass.

To sum it all up, although your brand may see an increase in visibility during an expo, it might be lost in the loudness and in the shade of larger brands. If you have a restricted budges, sometimes you might even have to break the bank in order to cover all costs.

Medium costs of attending an expo can go over 10.000 EUR in many cases while attending a summit, you only invest up to 1000-1200 EUR (including travel and accommodation costs).

If you thought that this is useful information, please share among your connections and don’t forget to consider two upcoming summits this autumn:

4^th edition of CEEGC Budapest – 24 September, The Ritz-Carlton – read more
2^nd edition of European Gaming Congress – 8 November, Radisson Blu Milan – read more

And if you are already planning your 2020 agenda,

4^th edition of Prague Gaming Summit – 6 March 2020, Vienna House Andels Prague – read more
3^rd edition of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit – 7 / 14 May 2020 – Tallinn, Estonia / Copenhagen, Denmark – read more

We hope that you received some useful information today and we look forward to your suggestions on our social media channels.

Baltics

HIPTHER Announces the BALTIC & Scandinavian Gaming Awards 2024 Shortlists

Published

7 hours ago

April 30, 2024

George Miller

HIPTHER Announces the BALTIC & Scandinavian Gaming Awards 2024 Shortlists

Reading Time: 2 minutes

HIPTHER, the leading event organizer for Gaming and Technology industries in Europe, is excited to announce the Shortlists for the Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards (BSG Awards), that will honour iGaming industry excellence in the Baltics and Nordics regions for 2024.

Hosted under HIPTHER’s Pioneering GameTech Event in the Baltics, the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit, the BSG Awards recognize and celebrate the achievements of the very best of the iGaming industry, as voted by their peers.

The Final Vote will be cast at the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit by the participants of the conference, and the Winners will be crowned at the BSG Awards 2024 Ceremony that will take place during the event on 4 June 2024.

HIPTHER is thankful to all the esteemed industry professionals who voted online and decided the Shortlists across a series of streamlined Categories covering iGaming Operators, B2B Providers, and Connected Services such us Testing Laboratories and Payment Service Providers.

View the Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards Shortlists

Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards – BSG Awards 2024 Categories

Baltics: Operators Categories:

Best Online Casino in the Baltics
Best Sports Betting Operator in the Baltics

Baltics: B2B Categories:

B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Baltics
Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Baltics
Rising Star in Baltic Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports
Rising Star in Baltic Sports Betting Technology
Best Sports Betting Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Slots Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Live Casino Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Baltic Online Casino Technology
Connected Services – Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics
Connected Services – Best Testing Laboratory Provider in the Baltics

Nordics: Operators Categories:

Nordics: Best Online Casino in the Nordics
Nordics: Best Sports Betting Operator in the Nordics

Nordics: B2B Categories:

B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Sports): Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports
B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Sports Betting Technology
B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Slots Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Live Casino Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Nordic Online Casino Technology
Connected Services – Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics
Connected Services – Best Testing Laboratory Provider in the Baltics
Connected Services – Best Hosting Provider in the Baltics

Congratulations and best of luck to all the Shortlisted Companies!

See you in Tallinn & the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit 2024 – Register Now

Compliance Updates

IAGR & IMGL Open Ticket Sales for 2024 Conference in Rome

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2024

Alan Campbell

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) has opened registrations for its annual conference, taking place in Rome, Italy, from October 21 to 24.

With the theme Navigating the Future of Gaming Regulation in a Transforming World, this year’s event is a partnership with the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL).

“IAGR and IMGL’s Rome conference is a four-day event that brings together regulators, industry thought leaders and experts to share ideas and shape the future of gaming regulation across the world,” the President for the IAGR, Ben Haden, said.

The conference follows last year’s event in Gaborone, Botswana, which brought together the largest number of attendees in IAGR’s history.

“This year, participants can look forward to diving into themes that are at the forefront of the gaming regulation landscape including advancements in technology, the evolving regulatory challenges and strategies for future-proofing the global gaming industry,” Haden said. “In an era where technology is rewriting the rules of our industry, the question isn’t whether to adapt, but how swiftly we can. IAGR 2024 is about coming together as a global community to not only keep pace with change but to drive it.”

Confirmed speakers will be announced from May.

Conference highlights:

Expert-led sessions and panel discussions on the latest in gaming regulation
Joint conference sessions and events with IMGL, providing further networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities
Networking events set in the heart of Rome including an opening reception and gala dinner featuring the International Regulatory Awards ceremony

Early-bird pricing is available until July 31 with super-early bird prices available until May 31. Head to the IAGR website for more details and ticket sales.

Conferences in Europe

CasinoBeats Summit 2024: Providing the Tools to Balance Innovation and Regulation in the Digital Age

Published

4 days ago

April 26, 2024

Alan Campbell

Reading Time: 2 minutes

As the industry seeks optimal methods to responsibly integrate innovative technology, the upcoming CasinoBeats Summit will provide delegates with an exploration of the latest emerging technologies, regulatory frameworks and future trends to ensure a safe yet immersive gaming experience for players.

The Industry and Leadership track will take place across both core days of the CasinoBeats Summit, May 22 to 23 at the InterContinental Malta. Panel sessions will delve into key topics such as global gaming regulations, the evolving digital payment landscape and an in-depth exploration of the world of M&A.

The panel entitled Responsible Gambling in the Digital Age will delve into the latest responsible gambling initiatives influencing the digital landscape. Expert speakers Pedro Romero (RG Consultant and psychologist, University of Gibraltar), Matthew Curtis (Head of Responsible Gaming, L&L), Georgia Wise (Head of Responsible Gaming, PlayNorth), Eduards Jakubovs (Head of Responsible Gaming, Betsson) and panel moderator Maris Catania (Senior SG Consultant, SG: Certified) will analyse the impact of landmark regulatory guidelines such as the 3.4.3 regulation on remote customer interaction and the United Kingdom’s ‘white paper’ as well as discuss the latest distinctions between regulated, grey and black markets.

The Industry Trends and Future Predictions panel will look at the future of the casino sector, examining upcoming industry trends and their potential impact. Industry leaders Itai Zak (Executive Director, Digicode, and former/ex-Chief Executive Officer, SBTech), Matthew D’Emanuele (Chief Executive Officer, Yolo Entertainment), Alexander Martin (Chief Executive Officer, SKS365), Inesa Glazaite (Chief Commercial Officer, iGaming Platform), Dmitry Starostenkov (Chief Executive Officer, EvenBet) alongside panel moderator Martyn Elliott (Project Director, SBC Media) will offer insights into key emerging markets, innovative game formats and strategies to effectively cater to evolving player needs.

Commencing the second day is the panel entitled The Evolving Landscape of Gaming Sector Payments, which will explore the current state of the industry’s payment sector. Expert speakers Sean Spiteri (Head of Payment Solutions, PressEnter), Enrico Giancaterina (Managing Director, Funtech) and Ian Perrygrove (Chief Risk Officer, Kwiff) will discuss the current payment innovations driven by the casino sector, analyse the future of digital payment methods and the potential risks of such rapid innovations.

The Navigating the Future: Global Gaming Regulations panel will explore strategies to effectively address the challenges posed by current and future global regulations. Regulator representatives Aideen Shortt, (Advisor to the Minister, Curacao), Andrew Lyman (Gambling Commissioner and Executive Director, Gibraltar), Andrew Rhodes (Chief Executive, Gambling Commission) and Brandon Debattista (Deputy Chief Regulatory Officer, Malta Gaming Authority) will provide insights into their respective markets whilst assessing the possibility of a unified global regulatory standard and the importance of cross-market collaboration.

Additionally, track attendees will have the opportunity to garner insights into the world of acquisition and investment during an exclusive IMGL-led masterclass, Acquisition Strategy: Gearing up for Investment, which is set to take place on Thursday, May 23, the second core day of the event.

For groups of three or more, you can purchase the Group Pass Ticket and gain access to all three days of the CasinoBeats Summit for the discounted price of €400 per person (a saving of €200 per ticket). Additionally, operators and affiliates can apply for a free pass to the event.

You can keep up-to-date with the latest news, speakers and exhibitor additions and conference content by subscribing to the bi-weekly CasinoBeats Summit LinkedIn newsletter.