Reflections on SBC Lisbon

Now that the dust has settled on what was a busy, and hopefully for everyone in attendance a successful SBC Summit in Lisbon last week, it’s a good time to reflect on the event as a whole. Lisbon itself is a cool city; beautiful and quirky, with a laidback vibe. I loved the historic old town, and those old trams are very cool as well.

With this being a new city and a new venue, the first dilemma was where to stay. Do you opt for the city centre with the expectation that this is where the networking events and parties will be, or do you base yourself close to the venue? I went for the latter, just a short walk from the venue, which given all the stories about lengthy morning commutes, heavy traffic and overcrowded metro carriages seems to have been the right call. A slow opening morning told its own story, with plenty struggling to get to a venue that isn’t the easiest to access. A 45-minute taxi ride seemed to be the norm.

Speaking of the venue; I thought the four separate halls, colour coded to reflect each zone and help with navigation worked really well. It felt like a vast area but equally, because it was spread out it never really felt as manic as some other events. Once you get your head around the layout it was easy to find your way around, even if it meant crossing all four halls between meetings. No issues with getting your steps in at this one.

I thought the outdoor areas connecting each of the halls were cool, both because they were great networking areas but literally to cool down. Maybe it’s just because I’m from the Isle of Man and not used to it, but my God it was warm! Hall 2, which is where the Isle of Man stand was located seemed to be more stifling that the others, not sure how they achieved that.

This show was huge. Which seems to be the measure of success these days. More exhibitors, more sessions, more speakers, anything you can put a large number on. Oh, and stands with celebrity appearances. Digitain usually have Luis Figo, but SOFTSWISS brought F1 legend Rubens Barrichello and SmartSoft doubled up, bringing former Argentina international Javier Mascherano and Georgian all-time leading goal scorer Shota Arveladze. Unfortunately, I missed the keynote speech by legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, did I miss much?

The question is, can it continue? With so many shows coming thick and fast, each one promising to be bigger and better, can brands afford to do it all? Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2024 is next week, SBC Latino America three weeks later, SiGMA World in Malta a couple of weeks after that. The list goes on. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see some exhibitors making decisions about which events they do, and perhaps more importantly, don’t participate in. There’s only so much marketing budget after all.

Business for the Isle of Man was good. With regulatory uncertainty elsewhere, we’re seeing more and more operators choosing the stability and security of a trusted jurisdiction where things remain consistent. It has been interesting to see the rise of quick and easy offshore licensing jurisdictions, positioning themselves as alternatives to Curacao, the latest of which were on show in Lisbon.

It remains to be seen who the winners and losers in this space will be and I suppose it will come down to whether you can get banking and payments, or if anyone will accept your licence. There’s little value if all the money is stuck in some island oasis, or if no one will do business with you. Judging by the volume of leads from last week, the Isle of Man remains the jurisdiction of choice for many operators.

What I’ve also noticed, is a significant rise in B2B providers opting for the credibility and market access that the Isle of Man provides. Although it’s not a mandatory requirement here, I am seeing a shift, with increasing industry demand for games developers, platform providers and aggregators to obtain a licence. Recent announcements about Evolution and Ezugi securing licences here show an upward trajectory and the esteem the industry has for the Isle of Man. Based on the conversations that we had at SBC, I can only see this continuing.

All in all, my personal view is that Lisbon was a success. I loved the city, loved the venue and look forward to the inevitable improvements next year. Just make sure you book early and get a hotel near the venue rather than the city centre.