SBC News Clarion Gaming - EIG 2015 - Agenda Berlin

Clarion Gaming – EIG 2015 – Agenda Berlin

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EIG 2015 – Jo Mayer & Curtis Roach

EIG 2015 the gambling sectors leading knowledge led and innovation focused conference returns to the Arena Halle Berlin (20-22 October)

Following a year of seismic change for the gambling sector which is witnessing operators, service providers and various stakeholders adjust to new demands and market conditions. Outlining the conference key discussions and agenda, Team SBC caught up with Clarion Gaming’s Jo Mayer (Head of Marketing) and Curtis Roach (Senior Producer) to get the low-down on all things EIG 2015

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SBC: Hi Curtis & Jo, great to catch up on all things EIG!  What are the core themes for this year’s conference, and why has your team chosen to focus on these contexts for EIG?

Curtis: There have been a number of changes to the structure of the market lately, driven by consolidation and regulations mainly, that will affect the way companies approach their operations. Grey is the new green? Will be a key question we want to address at EiG this year to focus on where the opportunities are for growth, including market potential of emerging regions, mobile, devices and new technologies, synergies and acquisitions, growing importance of data and the life of PoC. Of course innovation is another core theme of EiG, and we are going to build on the start-up proposition for EiG complementing the Start-up Village and LaunchPad competition with the start-up workshop, run by GamCrowd and one-on-one mentorship with operators such as William Hill and Paddy Power.

Jo: Continuing EiG’s evolution, we are also adding more educational sessions targeted at operational topics in the areas of regulations, product design, customer acquisition and retention, SEO and payments in an effort to embrace a wider iGaming community, across the full spectrum of the ecosystem and job levels. This is all in an effort to widen the EiG’s reach beyond just the C-level attendees to increase the attendance through a diversity of offering.

SBC: 2015 has been a year of acquisition and consolidation for the industry, how has this affected the planning and research for EIG? What new values do operators and services providers want to demonstrate to the market?

Jo: EiG prides itself on capturing and analysing the most recent industry developments that affect the industry, so of course the increasingly consolidated market has had a significant effect on both planning and research. The emergence of these mega gaming corporations has forced the smaller operators and service providers to focus on differentiation and diversification into new markets. Delivering bespoke/niche products and services will be an increasingly important factor that needs to be demonstrated to the market to remain competitive. Also, getting as close to the customer as possible is a priority, demonstrating a deeper understanding of consumer needs and wants to really give that personal experience and increase customer loyalty.

SBC: EIG has always placed a high emphasis on showcasing Innovation and new services entering the market…Do you think that this year this context has been lost, due to the interest in corporate acquisition?

Curtis: Not at all. Of course the interest in corporate acquisitions is something that we must reflect in the agenda but we never lose sight of the importance of showcasing innovation. eSports has been the buzz word this year and really gaining momentum lately with the launch of Unikrn. We have a panel session that I’m really excited about which will be exploring the wealth of opportunity that the rapidly growing eSports industry has to offer. Rahul Sood, CEO of Unikrn, Wouter Sleijffers CEO of Fnatic, Jens Hilgers Chairman of ESL (Electronic Sports League) and Marco Blume from Pinnacle Sports will all be on hand to lead this discussion at EiG.

SBC: Your team has highlighted industry ‘reputation matters’ as a core subject matter. Why is this a hot and important topic for operators, and how can they benefit from discussions on this broad subject matter?

Jo: The industry’s continued success puts more and more emphasis on gambling and in-turn increases the risk for tightening and overbearing regulation. Our keynote speaker this year, Gareth Davis, former CEO of Imperial Tobacco and current Chairman of William Hill,  will share his knowledge and insight on communicating with key stakeholders effectively in a controversial industry, empowering operators to take control of their reputation and use it to their advantage.

SBC: EiG places a high emphasis on bringing outside industry thought and strategy to gaming industry delegates. Why has this become a key element of EiG and what can gambling/iGaming learn from other industries?

Curtis: At EiG we recognise that true innovation comes from looking outside the box. In order to bring true value to our sessions we want to provide our delegates with content that they’re unlikely to come across anywhere else which can be practically applied to their own operations. Traditionally, the gambling/iGaming industry has mostly focused on acquiring and growing customer base through special offers and a large catalogue of games however in this new digital, highly competitive age we can learn from other industries such as retail, media and telecoms the importance of the multi-channel customer experience, the key aspects of acquiring and retaining customers through digital platforms. Speakers such as Jason Mills, Head of Digital for itv news and Andreas Hofmann, Senior Director at Samsung and Steven Pimblett, former Head of Data from Money Supermarket (now at Betsson) will be just some of the great outside industry influencers on hand to provide real game-changing, both strategic and operational, insight.

SBC: Finally as EIG organisers, what do you want delegates to take away from this year EIG Conference?

Curtis/Jo: Put very simply, new ways to grow and thrive within a limited market!

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308076_EiG04a_250x250px_2015_web (2)  clarion

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