Come on… Vancouver in June. We could simply mention the fact that there are few places on this planet that can rival that combo and leave it at that.
But if you're like us you, keen to mix your enjoyment with your employment, then you'll be equally eager to hear what we have planned for our Pocket Gamer Connects Vancouver on June 28-29.
Like all of our PGCs, our first conference in Canada aims to be an essential show for anyone involved in the mobile gaming business. And like all of our PGCs, that starts with the quality of the speakers.
Let's announce the first batch, then (in alphabetical order so there's no bickering):
- Chris Akhavan, Glu Mobile
- Sebastien Borget, Pixowl
- Oscar Clark, Unity Technologies
- Ville Heijari, Rovio Entertainment
- Philip Hickey, Seriously
- Mike Inglehart, Hothead Games
- Shintaro Kanaoya, Chorus Worldwide
- Alexis Kennedy, Failbetter Games
- Nicholas Pezarro, Pocket Gems
- David Phan, Relic Entertainment
- Devin Radford, Fox Digital Entertainment
- Kevin Robertson, GameSparks
- Shum Singh, Agnitio Capital
- And more…
Fine names as they are, they are just the start.
We'll be unveiling regular updates about the conference over the coming weeks so that by the time we're done you should expect a programme featuring 7 tracks, 80+ sessions, 100+ speakers and, perhaps most crucially, an agenda that rightly focuses on the areas that will mostly benefit the audience.
Want the track listing?
For now, we can give you a decent breakdown of what we're aiming at:
- East Meets West: Going Global – our beloved core track returns more in tune than Celine Dion and includes insight into trends in Asia, LatAm, and emerging markets, as well as a focus on eSports and, of course, brands
- Indie Futures – this should be the destination of every indie developer attending PGC, where they'll get the lowdown on the strategies, tools, and techniques needed to thrive in today's mobile games market without a hint of irony (note: Alanis Morissette fans may struggle)
- Monetize, Retain, Acquire – not an analysis of Avril Lavigne manager's strategy for the singer's career, rather the lowdown on how to establish a model that will keep your players returning and spending before you have to dish out the UA dollars
- Mobile Games University – want wisdom to rival that of Neil Young? MGU offers a carefully curated curriculum very much focused on practical advice on how to succeed as a mobile games developer
- Show Me The Money – Justin Bieber's likely favourite track isn't as crass as its title suggests, and should teach you how to locate and select the investment avenue that could transform your business
- Future Visions – from pinpoint the real size of the VR opportunity to deciding what other technologies and trends should be on your radar, Future Visions aims to give your business Michael Bublé-like lastability
- Made In Vancouver – Coming to Canada and not taking time to celebrate the best in gaming from BC? You may as well pretend Leonard Cohen doesn't exist
And even while those are on we kick off with the encore, with plenty more happening throughout the event:
- The Very Big Indie Pitch – massively popular indie developer competition
- 20/20 SpeedMatch – An exclusive session enabling shortlisted developers and publishers to make initial contact during a dedicated 2-hour stint of speed-date style meetings
- I Love Indie Showcase – an exlusive expo area within the conference dedicated to indie developers and their games
- PG Party – come now, no PGC is complete without a little dancing and plenty of schmoozing
- Bespoke meeting system – our dedicated Pitch & Match system for all registered delegates to use in order to connect during the conference
We've still got space for speakers, so do step up to the mic if you have something to share.
Got stage fright? Then an audience seat is what you need.
