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.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108
