PREVIEW: SBC SUMMIT
same people every year because you know your friends and you see them all the time, actually a lot of the audience is new.
So, we’ve done first timer speed networking, we’ve done ones for different jurisdictions, so you can go and meet and talk about different areas, we’ve done ones for maybe safer gambling, things like that, so there’s different ones to bring the right communities together, to meet the right people. We’ve got show tours now, so if you’re interested in AI, you can go on an AI show tour, if you want to learn about crash games, you can go on a crash games tour, so there’s different show tours for different types of the audience, and that helps us drive the right people to the exhibitors, but also again, you’re in a group on a tour with like-minded people, you’re going to be encouraged to network with each other while you’re going around in this tour, you’re going to swap business cards, you’re going to swap numbers, you’re going to make new connections as you go, so it’s all about those connections and creating those environments.
Cool thing we’ve got is a partnership with the, with the IAGR, the International Association of Gaming Regulators, which has helped us put together a series of regulatory gaming meetups, which, again, acknowledging how important the regulators are to the industry, making sure they’re at the event, and giving them a platform, and the operators a platform to meet with them, and suppliers as well. It’s even got its own lounge area in the centre of the show, where these meetups will take place.
The other key part of networking we’re really working on is the SBC Connect, which is our networking app, it’s, it’s had more development all the time, this is an in-house app and the focus has been on creating more opportunities around curated meetings, so we’ve got a whole SBC Connect lounge, which was a conference stage last year, right in the centre of the show, set up for meetings, so we can host thousands of meetings over the course of the three days within that lounge.
The tech academies are key, the education part is key, for the first time, we’ve got the CPD accreditation, (Continuous Personal Development) so anyone, and that’s for the whole conference programme, and the tech academies, anyone who attends a conference, we capture that, we scan them in at the door, so if they want to, we’ll send that list off to the CPD, and then they can get personal credits for their personal development, that’s part of the offering, there’s more on the website about that, but I think that’s a cool thing that I don’t think many other gambling conferences or gaming conferences are doing at the moment.
We’ve got a prediction markets forum as well going on, which is a, again, using what’s around the venue, there’s a five-star hotel right behind the event, right behind the Affiliate Leaders Summit, which we’re using for the African Gaming Forum, and the prediction markets forum, and so that’s two events there that just add to the overall event.
GIO SEPTEMBER 2026 13
GIO: For people that have been before, maybe haven’t been in recent years, or new attendees, have you got three top tips for people going to the show that you think will improve the experience, or help them get the most out of the event? 1. You should plan before you go, so decide who you want to meet, using the SBC Connect app, get some meetings in the diary, look what exhibitors are on the floor, see what products they’re showing. They’re going to be busy as well, of course they’ll always appreciate someone walking up and wanting to do business with them, but to meet the right people, setting up in advance, you’ll get more out of it.
2. The conference agenda is massive, you have to look at that agenda, pick what talks, presentations, keynotes, panels that you want to go to, who you want to see, who you want to hear from.
3. The last one is to leave some space as well in your diary, to walk around, to enjoy the show, take things in, and even just sample some of the food festival, we’ve got around 60 food trucks there, all serving all different kind of food. There’s lots of things to enjoy as well. It is about business, but it’s also about the experience. What I’ve said to the team all the time is that you want people to leave tired and exhausted after a busy event, but then you want to leave them, and they want more, they leave with that fuzzy feeling, they want more. A boss of mine told me, it’s like after your Christmas dinner or a Sunday roast, there’s one roast potato left, should you eat it or not? And you go for it and you eat it, because you just want a little bit more, even though you’re full to the brim, because you’ve had so much fun, you’ve absorbed so much energy, had so many conversations, it all gets too much for you, but you still want more, that’s it.
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