iGaming Exchange Virtual Meetup Recap

Alright folks, let’s talk about what just happened. We had a virtual meetup about iGaming events, but let’s be honest—what we really did was dissect the madness that is large-scale gaming conferences, argue about the future of hybrid events, and collectively decide that walking and texting at expos should be a crime.

I was joined by:

• Sarah Blackburn - GameOn
• Tereza Melicharkova - Elantil
• Yoni Sidi - Wiztech Group
• John Chyriwsky - Fincore Ltd
• Gian Carlo Ferrini – BGaming

ICE Barcelona: The Good, the Bad, and the AI Overlords

First, we tackled ICE Barcelona. Now, ICE moving to Barcelona was kind of like when your favorite restaurant changes locations. You’re skeptical. You say, “I don’t know, the old place had charm, the tables were just right, the waiters knew me.” But then you go, and suddenly, the food is better, the drinks are fancier, and—whoa—there’s actual space to walk without bumping into five people you half-know but don’t want to talk to.

Sarah Blackburn said she had doubts, but in the end? Great event.

• Organization? ?
• Logistics? ?
• Networking? ?
• Free from stress? ? No conference is ever stress-free. It’s a rule.

John pointed out that booths are getting bigger and bigger every year. Pretty soon, they’ll have two-story stands with VIP penthouses and valet parking. Meanwhile, Tereza was pleasantly surprised that the WiFi actually worked. That’s right, folks, a massive event with working WiFi—this is what counts as groundbreaking in our industry.

Hybrid Events: The Future or Just More Emails?

Then we talked hybrid events. Because let’s face it, in-person events are great, but virtual panels let you show up in pajama bottoms and still look professional. The question is: Do hybrid events add value, or are we just inventing more Zoom calls?

Yoni said these hybrid events should be "curated"—translation: If you try to shove iGaming, fintech, blockchain, and AI all into one event, people are going to get lost. Imagine walking into a session on responsible gambling, only to realize you’re actually in a talk about the future of NFTs in AI-driven metaverse casinos.

The conclusion? Hybrid events can work, but only if organizers don’t try to cram the entire internet into one conference.

Networking: The Art of Pretending You Remember People

We also tackled the great networking debate. The big expos like ICE are fantastic for networking—but only if you have the stamina of an Olympic athlete. There are 30,000 people at these events. You think you’ll get to everyone? No. You’ll find yourself in a random hallway conversation about compliance in Sweden and suddenly realize you've missed your next three meetings.

Meanwhile, smaller events give you actual conversations. You meet people who aren’t just there for the swag bags. But the real question is: How do we stop networking from becoming a game of “do I remember this person’s name or do I just call them ‘buddy’?”

Solution: Bar settings. Nothing levels the playing field like discussing business over a beer.

Event Planning in 2025: Less Chaos, More Sanity

We finished up with what event organizers need to fix. Here’s what we decided:

? More curated panels – No one wants five different panels repeating the same buzzwords.

? AI-powered scheduling – Help us get to meetings before they end.

? Less noise pollution – If your booth is louder than a rock concert, calm down.

? No walking and texting – Seriously. If you block a hallway because you’re texting your boss, you should be ejected from the conference.

Final thoughts? Smaller events might be the future. People want quality conversations, not just a sea of booths. But let’s be honest—we’ll still show up to the big ones. Why? Because we love the chaos.

You can watch the recording in our iGaming Knowledge Hub found on EuropeanGaming.eu: https://europeangaming.eu/portal/igaming-knowledge-hub/

See you all at the next one (Wed, Feb 26, 2025) which will exclusively focus on the US Market with our excellent experts friends Jeremy Kleiman , Bill Pascrell, III (BP3) and Martin Lycka .

More details here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/events/igamingexchange-virtualmeetupby7288572684391620608/theater/