Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki is gearing up to be our biggest event in the city yet, and we couldn’t be more excited to share with you all that we have in store! It’s going to be a magnificent two day event packed with endless opportunities to learn, scale and most importantly, connect. Today, we’re continuing our series spotlighting just some of the amazing speakers that will be gracing the stage at our Helsinki show this September. They have been generous enough to share a few of their insights and expertise with us ahead of time, and you won’t want to miss them!
If you haven’t heard, we’re bringing back Europe’s favourite games industry conference to the spiritual home of mobile gaming for the first time in two years. On September 27 to 28, over 1,200 games industry professionals from around the globe will descend upon Helsinki for two days full of networking, matchmaking opportunities and hours of wisdom from over 200 thought leaders from all over the world. We are currently highlighting some of the most highly anticipated speakers we have joining us at the conference this September – keep checking back every day for more brilliant insights from our superstar speakers.
The [game industry's] collaborative, let’s do this together attitude has always been an inspiration for me.Marja Konttinen
Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Marketing Director of Decentraland Foundation, Marja Konttinen. Marja Konttinen is the Marketing Director of Decentraland Foundation, the first fully decentralized virtual world that is built, governed, and owned by its users. Marja has over 15 years professional experience in mobile games and brand marketing. She is passionate about developing metaverse solutions for the community from edutainment to gamified experiences.
PocketGamer.biz: Tell us your thoughts on the metaverse.
Marja Konttinen: I imagine the metaverse as a fun, engaging, social aspect of being online - an immersive 3D visual world, experienced with others. It’s not based on technology as such, not VR, not blockchain as it’s way bigger than that, but I’m hoping a lot of the web3 elements will be part of it, from the status as open source public good to the role of the user as an active contributor rather than a passive consumer.
What do you enjoy most about working in the mobile games industry?
The collaborative, let’s do this together attitude has always been an inspiration for me.
What was your first-ever mobile phone?
Nokia 3310, like most of us. I had an epic ring tone too...
What sessions/speakers (apart from your own) are you planning to attend?
What I love about PG Connects Helsinki is the lack of sales pitches as most talks are about sharing learnings and comparing notes. And then there’s the 2020 Sessions that one cannot miss out on…
Who’s the best speaker you’ve heard at an industry event?
I’m a sucker for inspirational speakers. People on a mission, like Linda Liukas talking about coding for kids, gets me in tears. A good speaker has a personality and is able to capture the audience through storytelling.
In Web3, there are no existing playbooks so being brave and daring to go to the unknown is more of a requirement.Marja Konttinen
How do you define innovation?
I’ve always been curious about how the entertainment industry has impacted science and technology. From kids reading Conan and later becoming astronomers, to Boba Fett helmet design inspiring NASA when designing the ISS robot, to Snowcrash and Ready Player One inspiring metaverse design. It’s hard to imagine the unimaginable, and I think innovation means being able to draw fresh ideas from various sources, and daring to try new things.
How do you encourage innovation in your organisation?
In Web3, there are no existing playbooks so being brave and daring to go to the unknown is more of a requirement. Being confident in doing new things is possible - it helps to have earlier experience and professional knowledge to base the experiments on, and knowing the long term objectives to steer the decisions to the right direction.
Connect with our stellar speakers
Expand your network with the likes of Marja Konttinen and many, many more brilliant minds at this year’s Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki conference. There is no better place to connect with the biggest and most inspiring industry players and take your business to the next level. You can still take advantage of our Mid-term offer for a limited time. Head over to our website and buy your ticket today, you can save up to a whopping £150 if you act fast.
