SIGMA Europe: Where gaming meets innovation

SiGMA Group has a long-standing reputation for pulling off excellent networking events in the leading hub for digital innovation and business, the island of Malta

This article is written by John Bamidale, founder of gbc.ng, a leading digital news portal on gaming in Africa. Well-versed and experienced in Africa gaming, John has been a journalist for two decades working in Print and electronic media, writing on Sport, Marketing, Marketing Communication, Tourism, and Politics.

At last, the stage is set for the biggest in-person event in the gaming industry. Tagged, “mother of all gaming events”, SiGMA Europe has lived up its name because of how the event has grown since its inception in 2014. Taking place from November 15 to 19 at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Center, SiGMA Group will present its four leading shows together: the Gaming Conference, Affiliate Grand Slam, Al, and Blockchain Summit, and Med-Tech world. Covid-19 pandemic forced the organisers to postpone the physical event and was replaced with a virtual one but the online event didn’t cut it.

SiGMA Europe has further proved that Malta is the headquarters of gaming in the world. A leading hub for digital innovation and business, the island of Malta has a long-standing reputation for pulling off excellent networking events. The English-speaking island is also blessed with rich cultural history and entertainment choices.

Also known as ‘the world’s gaming festival’, SiGMA Europe provides a platform for a perfect festival feel against which to forge lucrative deals. Thousands of gaming and tech-savvy executives the world over will once again have the opportunity to network and seal business deals during the biggest iGaming expo. Also, the seventh edition promises to be a great opportunity to gather again with friends and colleagues and to also talk about the recovery and evolution which has taken place in the gaming industry in the past two years. The in-person event in the gaming industry was either canceled or postponed due to the devastating effects of the pandemic.

The two years hiatus caused by the pandemic led to the creation of new innovations in the gambling and tech industry on one hand while esports remain the biggest beneficiary in the gaming industry on the other. This resulted in the increase witnessed in the global video game market which is now worth $159 billion as of 2020 four times box office revenue ($43 billion in 2019) and almost three times music industry revenue ($57 billion in 2019). Lots of people turned to esports to cure boredom because sporting events were canceled all over the world, fans were barred from entering the stadium to reduce physical contact to curb the spread of the disease, offices were closed and people resorted to working at home.

All physical events were canceled and event organizers resorted to organizing online events and webinars. SiGMA Europe has become one of the leading gaming industry events on the calendar bringing together operators, suppliers, affiliates, regulators, tech companies, and other industry stakeholders. The event agenda is packed with panels comprising gaming experts, presentations, and workshop also with notable speakers and exhibitors which includes Betsson Group Affiliates, iGaming Colombia, FBMDS, GG Poker, Play’n Go, soft2bet, platform, and Utraplay, and many more global gambling brands. One of the things that separate SiGMA Europe from the rest of the pack is its deep content that always speaks to the latest trend in the iGaming industry. This year’s event is packed with great sessions and speakers that will do justice to the topics to be discussed.

Not short of notable speakers, this year’s SiGMA Europe has the likes of Carl Brincat CEO MGA, Grant Johnson Esports Entertainment Group, Jason Foster Head IGaming Chalkline Sports, Jeremy Kleiman Gaming Attorney SaibeR LLC, Jesper Svensson CEO Betsson Group, Justin Mifsund Founder/CEO World Pro Racing, Lee-Ann Johnstone Founder Affiliate insider and Levgenia Derbal Chief Legal officer Parimatch. Part of the guests and other various VIP speakers that will also grace the expo floor at SiGMA Europe this November will be singer, songwriter, and record producer Akon and football star turned DJ Djibril Cisse. Honorable Minister Silvio Schembri who is a Member of Parliament alongside Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Christopher Fearne is part of the high-profile list of attendees that will attend the event.

NETWORKING

The event kicks off with a football event sponsored by All-in Global after registration which can somehow be stressful due to the number of delegates attending the event. This football event was carefully and cleverly crafted as a networking platform by the organizers before business dealings. One fundamental thing about SiGMA events worldwide is the avenue for networking. Right from the first to the last day, organizers have made sure that quality time is set aside for networking each day. SiGMA Europe presents the ideal opportunity for networking and connections.

Organizers fully understand that networking is an avenue of being seen and noticed. Understandably, these two are critical in recruitment and also vital to growing your business. The event presents the ideal opportunity to network, strike connections, and also close deals. This year, delegates have a solid 35 hours to network. No other gaming event provides this high level of networking opportunities for its delegates and attendees. Getting noticed, being visible, and networking with appropriate individuals help increase the profile among colleagues. In a nutshell, nothing beats SiGMA’s networking.

POWERFUL CONTENT

One thing that can make or mare any event aside from providing an avenue for networking is the agenda. People gravitate toward any event if it has great content that is highly informative and provides for in-person learning. One critical thing that delegates look out for in any event, is conferences and workshops. SiGMA Group has taken note of this and the more reason why the Malta-based company focuses on-in person learning through workshops that invite experts, and industry leaders from all the lengths and breadth of the globe to share their expertise with attendants. Their conference topics are carefully curated to provide in-house learning so that attendees have a complete in-person learning experience.

FOCUS AFRICA

For the first time in the history of the event, a session will be dedicated to Africa. Christened “Focus Africa”, panelists will thoroughly discuss crypto adoption in Africa. Africa is regarded as the next frontier in gaming and the use of crypto is gaining serious attention in the continent. Cryptocurrency adoption in Africa grew 1200% between July 2020 and June 2021 making it the fastest adoption rate in the world. Africa’s crypto market has grown by $105 billion in the past year. This new payment innovation will therefore be the center of discussion by the panelist who has been carefully selected. The speakers are; Yahaya Maikori principal partner Law Allianz, Tayo Atoloye Country Manager Nigeria-Marathonbet, Kunle Adeniji-Betbonanza, John Kamau Kungu Co-Founder Betconsult Africa and Luke Adeniyi Business Development Banking, Capital International Group. Markets like Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania have some of the highest grass-roots adoptions in the world and are ranked in the top 20 Global Crypto Adoption Index.

NORTH AMERICA MASTERCLASS

On day 3 of the event, a Masterclass that focuses primarily on North America will be on the menu. The Masterclass which will take place at the workshop stage will address gaming in North America. Investors wanting to have an offshore investment in North America need to attend this workshop because the first part of this highly informative and educative workshop gives a broad overview of the major markets in the region. The North American industry, principally talking of the United States of America and Canada is predicted to grow to $83.70 billion by 2026 from $42.83 billion which is its current worth.

Market access and taxation will be the focal point of discussion while licensing will also be tabled for discussion in a workshop specifically tailored to the American market. Learned and erudite Susan Hensel, Co-Founder& Partner at Hensel Grad P.C will be the presenter. Loretta Tuell, Partner at Tuell Law will also be at the Masterclass to educate attendees on the differences between tribal and commercial casinos. Tribal gambling started among Indians in the 1970s to raise funds for tribal government activities. This Masterclass is important because the tribal gaming sector of the United States Casino gaming industry generates 45 percent of all its gaming revenue.

Since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, tribal gaming has grown from a $121 million segment to a $32 billion segment in 28 states in the United States. The legalisation of single-event sports betting in Canada this year will allow Canadians to wager online on sportsbooks and casinos for the first time. Paul Burns, President &CEO Canadian Gaming Association will take delegates through the pros and cons of the new legislation and opportunities therein. Canada made some significant changes to its gaming industry law recently which attracted the attention of major international gaming brands.

AFFILIATE GRAND SLAM

Affiliate Grand Slam aims to bring together all the industry’s newly emerging and affiliate communities. Organizers feel the need for information sharing, development of commercial partnerships as well as networking among industry professionals. Therefore, this segment of the event brings together like minds in content marketing, media buying, affiliates, influencers, and SEO Gurus. The benefits of attending AGS according to the organizers are to have the entire experience of meeting new prospects, catching up with clients, and getting inspiration from fellow industry leaders.

AIBC

AIBC has grown into one of the world’s premier gatherings for blockchain, cryptocurrency, AI, and new technologies. Its purpose is to connect blockchain technology with artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, big data, and the internet of things. This year’s AIBC promises to be incisive and thought-provoking as speakers drive the discussion with a plan of interesting featured panels. This event has become successful with the constant efforts of gathering the delegates from each sector, policymakers, and leaders who can ignite the ideas among the attendees from across the globe.

The event evolved in 2018 and since then, it has become one of the leading events for blockchain and emerging tech. To celebrate excellence in the tech industry, AIBC Awards will be held on the 16th of November, 2021 at the Hilton Conference Center. This event brings together the big wigs in the industry for an evening of recognition and celebration of achievement.

Malta Week – Save the dates:

For the first time ever SiGMA Group is bringing its 4 leading shows together for the mother of all conferences. From the 15th to 19th November, SiGMA, alongside AGS and AIBC will bring the best in the business to a first-class meeting point at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC). Malta Week is a chance for investors to leverage the significant crossover potential for multi-faceted business deals and to double down on opportunities to connect with some of the leading affiliates, policymakers, thought leaders, suppliers, and operators in the industry. Register now!