iGaming Super Show?

[TheGamblingGuru]

What's the point, the agenda of the iGaming Super Show?

What serious industry topics will be discussed there other than where the best party is for the evening, or how to do your SEO better or how to market better?

What are the platforms set up there for the serious topic discussions?

Who are the speakers that will be discussing ridding the industry of the likes of the "Virtual Group" and other industry pariahs that have plagued this industry for so long?
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[mojo]

I have tried to fight this battle. I lost. There is a lot to these HUGE money shows.

Got this today.

Gambling Wages Are you attending the Prague iGaming Super Show?

For those of you attending the iGaming Super Show we would like to meet you.
Please respond to this email with your contact info so that we can set up a time to meet!

 

[TheGamblingGuru]

So no 'Super Show' boys here to answer a few valid questions?
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[Guard Dog]

I 'pinged' Alex, hopefully he will be along soon.

 

[bonustreak]

Alex is in transit to the conference I am sure he will not be able to respond with a quickness on this one guys. But I believe this debate took place on GPWA right before Budapest last year.

 

[alexpratt]

:emoticon-0157-sunon't worry not ignoring just very busy - Its our last day in the office before we fly out to Prague and with over 100 exhibitors and 2,000 delegates there is a fair amount of work to do...

So the grand old question why should you attend the Super Show - Well I could list reasons that go on forever as I and others have in a bunch of other threads but I won't bore you or patronise you with obvious answers - Personally below is why I would attend an event:

1) Relationship building - Not just with AM's but with other affiliates. You can't put a price on this imo - If you can sit down with an AM face to face and discuss each others strategy, objectives aims etc you can 100% grow you business better. I will drop a name, Webcaz who you all know said to be that because of his meetings at LAC he increased his income well over the cost of the event itself without even taking in the other advantages.
With affiliates again you can pick up new tips and advice that you just wouldn't get on msn or in a forum, create joint ventures together, find out in advance with regards to certain trends, gain additional links etc. etc

2) Education - The speakers we hire are really split into two camps, firstly industry speakers to update us on the sector, opportunities etc. Secondly speakers that will help you to make more money whether this is land page optimisation, SEO, social marketing, link building, email acquisition etc. These are all free of charge and they are on the whole (we sometimes make a mistake) are experts in their fields that provide actual take home advice that will genuinely make a difference to your business.

3) Renew motivation - I know this one sounds odd but it is definitely something we get in feed back all the time - The majority of affiliates work by themselves and its is very hard to motivate yourself to keep going sometimes and what I find is that after an event you have lots of new ideas, knowledge, leads etc and you go home excited and motivated to get going straight away. Of course if you are disciplined you may not need this but many people really work a lot harder after an event

4) Industry Platform - Many affiliates like events because it creates a place where everyone will be at one time and as such many industry problems can be sorted whether this is a rogue program, unpaid earnings, T&C's - Just look at how many T&C's have been changed after an event. A good example Mojo is when Christine got your money from Playshare Partners by having that opportunity to sit down face to face with them.

5) Get a deal - I know this is a hotly debated one and I am sure some of you can get the very best CPA's etc from your AM's but many people tell me they get the best deals and often bespoke deals at events. I don't think this is because they only do the deals at the events but I think its because its far easier for them to work out a unique deal face to face with someone as its easier for the AM to understand what they are buying into from the person behind the site to the concept and ideas behind the site.

I could go on but please see below some testimonials from delegates at London:

"It was my first experience at a confrence like this and i can advise all affiliates, small and big to attend one of these as it gives the perfect oportunity to get together with people that have the same intrests and passions! The atmosphere was realy fantastic, the perfect mix between work and pleasure!" Flanders Poker

"The event was a great platform to meet our existing clients and create new and long-term partnerships. Attending the iGB conference no doubt enhances our business." UEFA Champions League | IIHF World Championship | Sports Betting Odds | BetBrain.com :

"The IGB events are extremely usefully for the entire industry. I am sure that we all gain a lot from these events. Great job guys." Poker Shop - Poker Chips, Accesorii Poker, Set-uri jetoane, Mese

"We enjoyed the conference, exhibition and parties a lot. It was a great way to meet people we work with." iMarketing Factory Ltd.

"The conferences are an essential tool that allows you work face to face with companies from all over the world in order to improve your business. It allows you to keep up with industry events, network with likeminded individuals and resolve any issues that may have arisen between conferences. It is also a fantastic opportunity to create strong business relationships - not just between Affiliate and Operator, but also Affiliate and Affiliate." www.Sohorocks.com

"LAC was a well organised and enjoyable event. I managed to meet and see more people that ever before. Like every event there are things that can be improved on but overall the LAC was an excellant event and I achieved a lot from it because of it being well organised." Mad4OnlineGaming - Poker, Casino, Bingo and Betting | The Mad4 Company

"I thought it was a fantastic event. The size of space and the amount of people made for a fantastic atmosphere for an affiliate conference" Website
Backroom Gaming

"Loved it. Had a ball and achieved all business objectives." Bingo - £180 Play Free Bingo Online at BingoPort.co.uk

"It was my first gambling conference and it gave me some good insights in the industry that help me prioritize the development of PlayersBay. Despite going rather unprepared, there was still a lot f value in talking in real life with affiliate managers about your site's business model and marketing strategy. If my commissions allow it (or if I win the Prague invitation), I will be back!" Gambling Deposit Auctions - Signup & Reload Bonus | PlayersBay.com

"Excellent. A fantastic networking event and a lot of fun." Playhard

"It was a long way to get at LAC conference. I was glad for every second spent there. It was my wide experience of dialogue with people in affiliate industry. I have a lot of new ideas, friends and business contacts. Thanks organizers, I will visit whenever possible everyone events such." upstreak

I have about 50 more like this if you want me to post them

 

[TheGamblingGuru]

Alex is in transit to the conference I am sure he will not be able to respond with a quickness on this one guys. But I believe this debate took place on GPWA right before Budapest last year.

Do you have a link to that discussion Streak?
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[TheGamblingGuru]

:emoticon-0157-sunon't worry not ignoring just very busy - Its our last day in the office before we fly out to Prague and with over 100 exhibitors and 2,000 delegates there is a fair amount of work to do...

I can only imagine, Alex and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to come here and respond to at least a couple of my questions. I know that that 4th question there in my original post would be a hard one for you to tackle since I specifically named a group but if we are going to be truly honest with one another here then you have to know of this groups shady past and present reputation in this industry.

You are an industry veteran Alex, so lets at least try and talk frank with one another when we speak and not play the PC game. I'm sure you being the astute businessman that you are can agree with that. There's a twist to all of this that I will get to below in my example that I'm sure many affiliates have not even thought of, but once many of them read it they will start to see the light of the impact that it can have on us affiliates and more-so on our previously converted players.

So what I have done below is to present you with an idea for a serious discussion platform for your next conference/show. The example itself is what I would like for you to pay close attention to as it certainly has a larger impact on us affiliates than it does for you or your business simply because of the difference in source of the revenue stream that we both receive. What I mean by that is that you do not have to worry about losing a good depositing customer because of the actions of a Rogue Operator whereas you and your business can still continue to profit from the PR Release dollars that you can receive from that Rogue Operator that ripped off one of our customers.

Even thought that customer did not sign-up to the Rogue Operator thru me they will still be just as guy shy to continue to deposit with one of the good casinos that I turned them on to.

So the grand old question why should you attend the Super Show - Well I could list reasons that go on forever as I and others have in a bunch of other threads but I won't bore you or patronise you with obvious answers - Personally below is why I would attend an event:

All of those reasons are good and valid ones Alex, for sure. Along with all of the Conference sessions on the list there, several of them look very interesting and I wouldn't mind attending a few of those myself.

What I would also like to attend at one of your conferences or at least see that it was available for others to attend would be:

A panel session or two that is strictly set up to discuss in all civility the impact that the Rogue Operators and Programs cause on the average online casino player and how that action causes serious ramifications on the affiliate.

e.g.

Problem: Casino Customer gets or has been burned really bad at present or in the past from Rogue Casino Operator.

Effect: Customer is now gun shy and what was once a good conversion customer is now lost because of the Rogue Casino's actions.

Solution: Open for discussion....

Many, many other examples are available, just thought I would use one that everyone can relate too that concerns $$$$

That would be the easiest way to garner most affiliates attention, and that is not meant as sarcasm but the cold hard truth of the matter!

4) Industry Platform - Many affiliates like events because it creates a place where everyone will be at one time and as such many industry problems can be sorted whether this is a rogue program,

Not on a grand scale though, where it will promote and cause true positive changes regarding the Rogue Operators from within because there is no platform or session set up for that specific purpose. But the platform that I mentioned above could do just that.

I do hope that you will take my suggestion seriously there and give it some dedicated thought. It will happen soon, I can almost guarantee it, whether thru your initiative or Lesnick's, or some place that may even make a larger impact with that type of discussion platform.
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[dominique]

Thius is the latest speaker addition. I wish I was going:

We are delighted to confirm that US Democratic Congressman Joseph Abruzzo will be our Keynote speaker on day two of the iGaming Super Show. Representative Joseph Abruzzo will be presenting on iGaming and the US, he will discuss the potential for regulated iGaming in the US and the introduction of his own "Internet Poker Consumer Protection & Revenue Generation Act of 2010"; which provides for intrastate Internet poker to be provided to the public by cardroom operators through state Internet poker network operated by Internet poker hub operators; also provides for administration & regulation by Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering of DBPR.​

 

[TheGamblingGuru]

Thius is the latest speaker addition. I wish I was going:

Is this a thread derail?

I know Joe and he is a stand up guy for sure. I sent him a few of my ideas last week regarding the consumer protection aspect in this industry and how it is still the wild wild west out here for the most part. I also wrote about how certain operators will need a thorough vetting before being allowed entry into the US market and why some of those I mentioned to him should never be allowed entry until a full accounting by three independent examiners took place.
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[alexpratt]

Hey There - Sorry I didn't actually see your questions - I assumed they were just points re events etc - My bad

So re sessions on rogues etc. I am open to any ideas and am more than happy to accomodate suggestions if people want it and we can get speakers - We did a session in London that was sort of like that - See below

Inside the Player Mind
What do players want? Some of us tend to forget that this industry revolves around players needs and wants. Forget about the money - forget about the bonuses - let's hear what is important to players straight from the players' mouths.

Panelists:
- Max Drayman, Casinomeister
- Vinylweatherman
- Thelawnet
- Slotster
- Chaired by Bryan Bailey, Casinomeister

At the end of the day our job is to provide an event that affiliates want to come to and if this will add to theevent then we will do it - We have always said from the start that we have to prioritise the affiliates needs otherwise we won't be around for the longterm - If we don't have affiliates we won't get exhibitors or sponsors, that is the bottom line.

So - What I suggest is email me alex@igamingbusiness.com the proposed session and any speakers as well (or types of speakers) you would want on the panel and I will bring it up when we do the BAC content in a few weeks.

Cheers am off home now - Sun is shining and I need a beer

 

[dominique]

The thread title is Igaming Super show? And you asked:

What are the platforms set up there for the serious topic discussions?

So I don't see the derailing.

But I just got excited when I saw this announcement. Just figures he's speaking when I am not going.

Didn't mean to derail.

I believe Bryan had a session at the last show with a number of players on a panel discussing what you want discussed?

 

[arkyt]

What's the point, the agenda of the iGaming Super Show?

I've attended many conferences, mostly 04-06 and have since become a huge opponent of all these industry events, which are seemingly taking place every other month these days.

They do little but give cash farms like CAP, GPWA etc an outlet to spend a portion of the money they bilk from our industry. Not surprisingly these groups whole heartedly support the conferences - not necessarily because they benefit the attendees, but IMO, because it gives them a reason to send half a dozen employs to a party.

Those responsible for organizing these events are the ones who are getting rich at the expense of the majority. Other than the networking - these conferences offer very little to the experienced affiliate.

 

[bonustreak]

I am quite sure it is not a derail thread. Sorry Rob I just do not have time to dig at GPWA I have to review some terms before I leave to Prague on Sunday and also attend to my business but if this is still an issue when I return I will be happy to take time out and go find it. I would say around Sept /Oct of last yr it was posted.

 

[mojo]

I would say around Sept /Oct of last yr it was posted.

I started several threads but that was about rogues displaying and paying for booths at conferences and/or attending. Preying on affys. Not sure if that's what you mean?

I think Guru is talking about something totally different so I won't post those links.

The question is about a panel discussions on how affiliates are affected by these rogues and how it effects the trust our players have for us. (I hope I got that right), I don't think I have seen this question posed anywhere. And it's a good one. Rogues not only hurt our pocket but damage our relationships with players.