So with this in mind, here’s a run-down of the most notable rescheduled events going ahead in 2021. Although some restrictions remain in place, these showpiece events offer a welcome reminder that some semblance of normality is returning to the industry.
Casino Beats Slots Festival – May 11
The quarterly Casino Beats Slots Festival is fast approaching with the latest iteration scheduled for May 11. This popular virtual event enables gaming studios to showcase some of their latest slots.
Previous exhibitors have included Microgaming, Play’n Go and Scientific Games with major operators such as Leo Vegas, Casumo and GVC also showing interest. More than 100 titles will be made available for play via an interactive gaming lobby.
Casino Beats Summit – July 13 – 15
The Casino Beats Summit has been rescheduled for July and is to be held at the InterContinental Hotel in St Julian’s, Malta. It will be the first physical event in iGaming and more than 700 delegates will be attending.
Live conference sessions and exhibitions will take place over the course of three days allowing attendees to glean useful information about exciting developments and news. The summit culminates with the Game Developer Awards. Those unable to take part in person can access the summit remotely.
The Casino Beats Summit and Festival are of special interest to FTD Digital given that our flagship site BNBS now covers online slots. Needless to say, the team will be in remote attendance for both.
iGB Affiliate Awards – September 30
Originally planned for June, the prestigious iGB Affiliate Awards have been pushed back to September. As ever, the event will be rewarding innovation and hard work within the gaming affiliate sector. In addition to the usual 21 categories, there will also be a publicly-voted Game of the Year prize and a new Affiliate Idol award.
This year, the event will be ‘fully hybrid’, as described on its site – in other worlds those not able to travel to Holland can access the event through digital channels. Although a distinct second best to actually being there, virtual delegates will be able to attend the meetings, watch live-streamed conferences, access on-demand sessions and visit virtual exhibitor booths. Better than nothing we suppose.
The iGB extravaganza has proved a happy hunting ground for FTD Digital – in 2019 Best New Bingo Sites scooped the prize for Best Bingo Website. Considering our recent successes, we’ll be paying very close attention to this year’s ceremony.
SiGMA Europe – November 16 – 18
SiGMA Europe is another major event in the iGaming calendar. Originally pencilled in for April, the 2021 version has now been moved to November, but will allow for in-person attendance. Held in Malta, this huge expo is in essence a giant networking event in which affiliates, operators and suppliers get the chance to meet up, interact and forge new partnerships.
Exhibitions, conferences and workshops dominate the busy agenda as do plenty of networking events. Some of the subjects up for discussion include innovations in slots, gamification and casino game promotion. This year’s event will also focus on emerging technologies with keynote speakers offering their insights into big data, block-chain and Fin-Tech.
