As the gaming industry leaves the pandemic behind and rebounds from Covid, stakeholders are eager to return to in-person events. Exhibitions have long been an important tool in communication and business development – the place where networking comes alive and the latest novelties are presented.
Remaining cautious of the pandemic, many past shows over the last couple of years were domestic or regional in nature due to travel and sanitary restrictions still in place. However, 2022 started pointing to the return of international attendance. Casino gaming is a social activity, and the same seems to apply to the industry behind it: all over the world, expos benefited from bustling public atmospheres that bring back to mind pre-Covid days.
In conversation with Yogonet, Naomi Barton, iGB Portfolio Director, talks about the importance of the iGB Affiliate London show – returning 8-11 February 2023 at ExCel London – and its crossover appeal with Clarion Gaming-owned sister event ICE London. Additionally, Barton shares insights on what to expect from the next edition of the major iGaming Affiliates event, and why it will be the “not to be missed” business appointment of the year.
The industry is leaving the pandemic behind, looking toward a post-Covid landscape. How important are live events to your customers in this new landscape?
We know from the research that we undertake throughout the year how much of an appetite there is among our stakeholders for live events. Our customers have a burning need or desire to experience what’s new. This entails learning about new business strategies, new tactics, new technologies, new thinking, new ways of doing things, new trends and of course new business opportunities.
Ours is a fast-paced industry where things move extremely quickly. It’s therefore crucial for individuals and businesses to be at the vanguard of all new developments and the best possible way of achieving this is by meeting, connecting and networking face-to-face at a sector-leading live event.
What is the relationship between the iGB Affiliate show and the Clarion Gaming-owned sister event ICE London?
As you would expect with co-located live events there is a significant cross-over of attendees. Those operators who are at ICE may also be running or looking to launch affiliate programmes. Other iGaming and marketing tech suppliers visit iGB Affiliate London to network and learn.
ICE is the world’s largest b2b gaming event, so many affiliates take the opportunity to make their way 500 metres or so towards the Custom House entrance at ExCeL in order to ‘trend-spot’, gain a holistic understanding of where the market is going and meet with the tier 1 iGaming suppliers and industry innovators who attend ICE each and every year.
To have everything running and available in one key global gaming week in London is an incredibly powerful proposition for everyone and anyone involved in the gaming industry, whether they are a gaming affiliate, or involved in the online or the land-based gaming space.
What are the main reasons for attending?
Joining the community at iGB Affiliate London means that visitors will have the chance to engage with over 5,000 iGaming affiliates, advertisers, networks and tech suppliers in one place, learn from multiple expert-led content sessions to scale up their business, network with non-gaming affiliates and find out how what works in other sectors can be used in gaming.
They can also take advantage of iGB Introducing, our new networking initiative that facilitates pre-show and onsite physical connections with new affiliates and iGaming customers, whilst also being part of the largest-ever edition of iGB Affiliate London and celebrating the unique qualities of the sector at the iGB Affiliate Awards. For so many people in the industry, this represents their most productive and pivotal week of the year.
What should visitors expect from this year’s edition of iGB Affiliate London?
The 2023 edition of iGB Affiliate London will be the biggest on record, taking over three of the halls at our ExCeL home for the very first time. The demand for space that we continue to experience underlines the fact that iGB Affiliate London is the flagship event for our stakeholders and represents the ‘not to be missed’ business appointment of the year.
Our shopping list is to help our customers meet new partners and see new innovations as well as provide a professional environment in which they can meet with their current connections.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2022/12/26/65420–34our-customers-have-a-burning-desire-to-experience-what-39s-new-34
