It’s no exaggeration to say that Scandinavia is enjoying a games development boom. The territory has already produced games studios such as Rovio, King and Supercell that have gone on to become household names.

They contributed to triple-digit growth for the sector year-on-year and attracted billions of dollars in international investment from global megacorps including Activision and Tencent.

A hotbed of innovation

What are they putting in the water over there? Well, government support at an institutional level can’t hurt, encouraging start-ups to look outside the domestic market for export business.

And you can’t overlook the region’s early lead in mobile tech that can still be felt today with what has been called The Nokia Effect.

Combine this history as a hotbed of innovation for mobile technology and gaming with international renown for excellence and design - doesn’t everyone own Ikea furniture now? - and it starts to add up.

The gateway to the territory

It’s no wonder that international investors, publishers and studios are targeting the territory, but where to start?

That’s where we come in. It’s no coincidence that we’ve returned to Helsinki every year since 2014 for the last leg of our annual international tour with the Pocket Gamer Connects conference and exhibition.

Finland’s capital city has a broad reach beyond its national borders and is the gateway to the whole Scandinavian territory, including Norway, Denmark and Sweden, as well as neighbouring Eastern Europe and Russia.

Our events represent a genuinely international client base, with delegates typically attending from more than 40 countries, whether we are hosting in the UK, USA or Asia. Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki is notable for its unique demographic that connects our global audience with the amazing breadth and depth of talent in the region.

More content than you can handle

Pocket Gamer Connects isn’t just the biggest B2B games event in the country; it’s also the biggest for the mobile games industry in Europe. And yes, it’ll be even bigger when it returns to Helsinki this September 11th to 12th.

For starters, the conference schedule features no fewer than 12 tracks of seminars from 120 of the games industry’s most inspirational and influential companies such as King, Unity, Epic Games, Gameloft and Shipyard Games. As well as mobile gaming, seminars also feature PC, VR, AR and handheld consoles. 

For more information about this year's speakers, see here and here.

Networking is at the heart of any conference, so our online meeting planner is free to all 1,200 delegates, helping you to make contact and do business by the sea.

That’s if you can tear yourself away from the expo space; Big Indie Zone; Big Indie Pitches; game jam; workshops; matchmaking; and PechaKucha-style presentations. Of course, the networking doesn’t even end as night falls, thanks to our infamous Global Connects party.

There’s also a whole other event entirely dedicated to games and the blockchain. Blockchain Gamer Connects features four further conference tracks and you can read about just some of the speakers here.

Your ticket gets you into both shows.

Finding a foothold and untapped talent

We pack a lot into two days - see here for more on that. So much in fact, that delegates regularly attend from the USA for the opportunity to dip their toes in the bracing water this side of the pond and in the heart of this amazing area.

There’s so much untapped talent in the territory, but it can be hard to get a foothold here, which is exactly why we come back for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki every year. This is our fifth year by the beautiful Gulf of Finland - and we’re still amazed by the creativity and entrepreneurship we see every year.

We’d like to extend a very warm welcome if you’re interested in expanding your business in the area. Whether you’re a regular visitor or this is your first foray, we’re sure that the two packed days of networking, seminars, demos and deals will be worth the trip. 

Tickets are available now at discounted Mid-Term rates.