INDUSTRY INSIDER: MARK MCGUINNESS


deals being whispered, laughter ringing from one stand to another. It’s messy, loud, and sometimes overwhelming. But it’s real, sometimes without any filter or mute button! That energy can’t be bottled. It can’t be replicated in a Teams call. It’s the collective momentum of thousands of people exchanging ideas, showing ambition, and just as importantly, listening.


In that environment, collaboration becomes contagious. Someone shares a product innovation, and suddenly it sparks an idea for your own roadmap. A competitor talks about regulation in a market you hadn’t considered, and it makes you rethink strategy. You can walk away from a single show with six months’ worth of ideation. Try doing that from behind a desk.


PERSONAL BRAND AND CORPORATE BRAND ALIKE It’s not only companies that benefit. Individuals do too. I sometimes hear C-levels dismiss events as “for the sales teams” or “for marketing.” But in my experience, they’re one of the best stages to build your own personal brand.


Why? Because visibility in this industry isn’t just about logos on banners. It’s about people seeing you, hearing your perspective, and associating your name with expertise, reliability, and vision. Speaking on panels, contributing to debates, or even just networking with humility positions you and by extension your company as credible and committed.


Think of it as reputation compounding. Every event you attend adds a little more equity to your personal brand, and that brand equity often outlasts job titles.


THE PROBLEM OF DISTANCE Of course, there’s a counterargument: travel is expensive, time-consuming, and disruptive. Isn’t it more efficient to stay home and manage from HQ? Here’s the problem with that mindset: distance dilutes influence. When you skip events, you remove yourself from the conversations shaping the industry. Decisions are being made, alliances are being formed, and opportunities are being seeded and all in rooms you’re not in. By the time the news reaches your inbox, the moment has already passed. Gone in the ether of time. It’s like trying to play poker while only watching the final hand. You miss the tells, the table talk, the shifting dynamics that give context to the outcome.


BEYOND BUSINESS: PURPOSE AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT Events also serve a deeper purpose. They remind us why we’re in this business in the first place. Yes, it’s commercial, But it’s also cultural. We’re shaping how millions of people experience entertainment, risk, and reward. That’s not a small thing.


When you’re immersed in the industry’s collective energy, it sharpens your own sense of purpose. It pushes you to think bigger about your role, your company’s role, and the legacy you want to leave. And it feeds your own self-development and for me personally, learning from peers, seeing what’s possible, and sometimes being challenged by perspectives you hadn’t considered.


THE FUTURE OF EVENTS Will events evolve? Of course. Hybrid formats will continue to play a role. Data-driven matchmaking will get smarter. But the essence will remain the same: humans meeting humans to do business. That will never go out of fashion.


So next time the question comes — “Do we really need to attend this?” — I’d challenge you to flip it. Can you really afford not to?


FINAL THOUGHTS


In the end, events aren’t about the stand design, the lanyards, or the after-parties. They’re about conversations that become


About the author


Mark McGuinness is an ‘architect of high-impact iGaming marketing.’ He is currently fractional CMO at Devilfish.com and brings over 24 years of elite digital marketing leadership to the role, advising top-tier iGaming operators across diverse regulated landscapes. He translates deep analytical power, honed from his scientific background, into breakthrough strategies for affiliate marketing, Web3, social poker, and casino gaming. McGuinness champions the game-changing integration of neuroscience and behavioural economics to skyrocket customer engagement and conversion.


relationships, relationships that build trust, and trust that drives business forward. And trust me, no amount of video conferencing can replace that.


GIO SEPTEMBER 2025 43


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