EiG 2014: Bumper attendance, funky venue, lively debates

Berlin, 28 October 2014 – A record number of international visitors and gaming operators to this year’s EiG in Berlin enjoyed an inspiring venue in the heart of the capital’s start-up hub as well as lively debates with global thought-leaders from inside and outside the industry.

Last week’s EiG 2014 at the Arena Berlin delivered a packed schedule of unmissable sessions and networking that were enjoyed by more than 1,500 gaming professionals from around the world. This year Clarion Events decided to implement significant changes to the show format with great results.

The show was moved to an ‘edgier’ venue to reflect the theme of disruption and innovation plus the debate was moved right into the middle of the exhibition place creating an inclusive space for debate and networking. “EiG was really good. There were lots of relevant companies in attendance that were interested in our start up product and we received lots of good feedback from operators”, confirmed Jeffrey Lande, Founder, Lucky VR.

The new format was a hit with exhibitors with many finding it a great space to meet and engage. Tatyana Mykhalchenko from Yandex said: “The event went extremely well and was run very smoothly. We got lots of new leads and are very happy. The layout of the exhibition floor was very effective and we enjoyed every minute of the show!”

In the centre of the exhibition floor attendees were treated to absorbing sessions under the ‘Outside-In’ agenda, which offered fresh perspectives in fields such as customer retention, behaviour and engagement. Clive Humby, the chief architect of the Tesco Clubcard, urged EiG 2014 attendees to embrace customer loyalty programmes and make the most of the “passion” in the gaming industry.

In entertaining presentations that touched on corporate social responsibility, social engagement and technological developments attendees also heard from leading figures including former Portman Group Chairman Chris Searle, global gaming guru Don Daglow and Atari CEO Frederic Chesnais.

Digital advertising company Fresh8 Gaming was crowned the winner of the EiG 2014 Start-Up LaunchPad at Arena Berlin after what the judges called the “strongest set of presentations” in the history of the competition. Fresh8 convinced with its proven technology that helps drive quality leads through personalised advertising. Runners-up were DiscountIF, Lucky VR, Asylum Labs and Betify.

The Pitch also returned for its second year and there was a great turnout to listen to presentations from eleven wide-ranging entrants, with the trading platform LevBet being announced the winners on Thursday.

Meanwhile there were numerous opportunities to network during the Speed Meet sessions, the drinks receptions or at the Official Party provided by PlayTech and SafeCharge. There was also a Bavarian breakfast provided by Bet IT Best serving Weißwurst, Pretzels and Weißbier all of which had been flown in from Munich.

Throughout the event attendees could follow the show on Clarion’s live blog on Tumblr (http://totallygaming.tumblr.com), which also attracted a record audience outside the show. The blog included feature articles, photo galleries, video round-ups and live reactions from Twitter and other social platforms. A full wrap-up of the conference’s main stories can be found on TotallyGaming’s scoop.it page: http://www.scoop.it/t/eig14-by-totallygaming.