Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
A pleasure sitting for this interview, only a week away from my very first event outside of our comfort zone, Malta. I consider myself as a start-up romantic with a passion for connecting people. I’ve been organising events for fifteen years but only four years ago decided to shift focus from concerts to iGaming shows. Love the industry, love the people behind all the magic.
Can you tell us more about SiGMA? How and when did the idea for the conference emerge?
As an event organiser, I couldn’t help thinking why nobody was organising any gaming events in Malta. With 300 gaming companies and some 12,000 people working in gaming within a five mile radius, it was so obvious that demand was insane. So I decided to take the plunge, despite the lack of knowledge in gaming and organise the first show.
SiGMA today has become the fastest growing show in the world, with 6,000 delegates, 200 sponsors and exhibitors and around 150 speakers. The show is not merely an expo, but includes nine conferences, a start-up pitch, a careers convention for those wanting to explore a new career in Gaming in Malta, as well as countless dinners and related networking events. SiGMA forms part of the Malta Gaming Week and is endorsed by the government, Gaming Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority as well as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
Why did you choose Malta as home of the gaming show?
Born and raised in Malta, it was important for the success of the venture that I organise the first gaming show in a territory where I feel confident, which I know very well. Malta was an obvious choice and, truth be told, I can’t see SiGMA being as popular anywhere else in the world. Let’s face it, Malta lends itself quite well, with so many gaming companies, great hotels and weather all year round.
It is also the simple things that make a difference. For instance, prices in Malta are relatively cheap so a company sending, say, five of its management, will pay less for hotel, meals and related. In addition, transfers are easy. From the minute you land, it will take you some half hour to land in your hotel room. In other major cities it takes you an entire three hours from the time the plane lands until you drop your luggage in your hotel room. This all adds up to the overall experience. When people are more relaxed, business flourishes!
Currently, SiGMA is considered the largest gaming show held in Malta, and organising an event of such a scale is never an easy task. Would you please give us more details about the organisation? How long does the process take?
We spend an entire year working on the event, from signing agreements, promoting the event and making sure that the right audience attends to please all our exhibitors and sponsors. We are very careful on whom to attract to the show, so we engage a lot on building relationships with C level executives and affiliates. For instance, we are flying 200 affiliates to Tallinn on an all-inclusive treat this month, then we are also flying a thousand C level executive to SiGMA.
And how about the team involved in the conference’s organisation?
The team for me is everything – love them all! When I started, I brought in four Danish partners from PMG who knew a lot about Gaming and made some nice introductions. It was a good move for SiGMA to catch the necessary wind to sail free. From then on we recruited young individuals with a lot of fire as well as experienced people. The show has become global, so two of our sales team is based outside Malta, in UK.
The SiGMA gaming show may be relatively new, but it has already gained momentum over other events. In your opinion, which is the main driver of your success?
This is very flattering, thank you. I think what has made SiGMA what it is today is the amount of energy we put on one single show all year round. We also do not mind spending a lot of money on wining and dining as well as VIP flights for the right crowd to attend the show. We’ve kept payroll at SiGMA relatively slim so we can afford to splurge a little more on hospitality.
In what way is the SiGMA gaming show different from the events held in London in Amsterdam?
SiGMA has a lot of differences and similarities to other shows. I think SiGMA is truly becoming a 360 degree showcase for the online gaming industry: we attract not only affiliates and operators, but also B2B, regulators, start-ups, investors and, unlike any other show worldwide, HR. In fact, the SiGMA doors are open to anyone from any other industry to polish their CVs and head to SiGMA to seek a new exciting career in Gaming. Demand for developers, for instance, is instance, so we try and attract developers from other industries to give gaming a try. Wages are better and the environment is more relaxed in Gaming.
Can you, please, tell us more about your sponsors and exhibitors?
They are our blood line and we go the extra mile with them. We’re flying a thousand people to SiGMA and we promised our exhibitors that we would make all the necessary introductions before the show so they can lock meetings on their booths before the show even starts.
The Malta Gaming Authority is constantly at the forefront with new regulation: for instance the MGA has recently introduced new license for games of skill. Today we have several B2B and operators for Daily Fantasy Sports relocating to Malta. Brexit too has caused some movement, with more operators seeking relocation to Malta. Finally, the Maltese government is mulling the idea of becoming the first European country to embrace blockchain.
All these regulatory updates are making it more relevant for operators from every corner of the world to take part in SiGMA, be it with a booth, a sponsor or a speaking opportunity at one of our conferences.
And what about the attendees?
We shoot like snipers! We’ve learnt what makes C level executives and the best affiliates interested in attending the show – this is the secret sauce of our formula of course! But, in essence, we try and facilitate business by making the necessary introductions all throu ghout.
Your Startup Pitch was first introduced in 2016. Would you give us more details about it?
Catch them young! This is our mantra – there is so much talent out there that is craving a good platform to showcase a product, a proof of concept. We spend a whole year finding these start-ups as well as grizzled investors and we bring them all under one roof in a Dragons’ Den-like environment. The plan for this year is to attract the best fifty start-ups and give each and every participating start-up 20,000 Euros worth of freebies.
What are the opportunities provided to the startups that choose to join the Startup Pitch?
We are giving a lot to each successful startup that applies to take part, including:
- Booth: A free 2m booth at SiGMA17, including cost of printing and furniture.
- Presentation: Startup Pitch presentation for eight finalists – meet the investors on stage.
- Networking: Invitation to premium networking events during SiGMA.
- PR: SiGMA PR – magazines, website, email newsletters, interviews.
- Office: Free office space in Gaming Hub, Msida Skatepark, Malta to use for meetings, relocation of offices.
- Consultancy: Free consultancy and potential leads from leading industry veterans.
All start-ups from last year have managed to close either a monetary deal or some solid consultancy. Which is why this year we decided to invest a lot more in this.
One final question. How do you see the future of SiGMA for the years to come?
I see a bright future with a lot more growth for this show. This year we are focusing on making sure that the shift in a bigger, proper venue, will run as smooth as possible. Moving forward, we have some amazing plans to make this one of the world’s best, most exciting iGaming shows.
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