Europe’s biggest B2B expo and conference for the mobile games industry returns to the UK to kickstart a year of international events with Pocket Gamer Connects London on January 21st to 22nd 2019.
An incredible 16-track conference schedule across both days will once more feature the biggest speakers exploring the most crucial issues affecting games developers, publishers and any professional working in the sector worldwide.
We’ve already revealed Rovio, Supercell, CCP, Hutch and Space Ape Games speaking at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 - see here and here for more on that.
But now we’d like to share more of the speakers that will take to the stage in January.
Get investment for your studio.
Want to get investment for your studio? Then don’t miss Alexis Bonte of Atomico and eRepublik Labs, as the venture partner reveals how to pitch your company to Angel or Venture Capital investors.
Having been both sides of the table - looking for funding and offering it - Bonte will put his experience to good use and explain exactly how angel investors and VCs think about an investment opportunity. He’lI share the metrics and numbers you need, team composition and more to help you get the funding you’re looking for.
What kind of funding is right for you?
Don’t know what kind of funding is right for you? Ella Romanos of Fundamentally Games will explain the different sources of capital for indie devs.
And if you want to learn more about how to balance equity with funding, there’s a whole panel discussion on that very subject. Bossa Studios CEO, Henrique Olifiers will be joined by founders Dino Patti of Jumpship, Interior Night’s Caroline Marchal and Alexis Garavaryan of Kowloon Nights - as well as Michael Cheung, a partner at Makers Fund.
And we’re excited to hear what Unity founder David Helgason and director Paul Heydon have to say in the ‘Super Angels’ panel.
How much should you spend to acquire players and which channels are the most effective?
LTV forecasts, advertising, ROI and growth
Any campaign to secure investment will need to include a business plan with revenue forecasts. To help with that, devtodev’s lead analyst Vera Karpova will explain how to predict your game’s revenue, particularly looking at the lifetime value of your players.
And from there, Karpova will continue to discuss how much you should spend to acquire them and which channels are the most effective.
On the same theme, Mobvista’s Gregor Smith will consider whether direct response ads are the be-all and end-all of user acquisition.
Tara Brannigan, client service manager and community lead at 5CA will set the scene for how to prepare for engagement from your game community - and more importantly, how to demonstrate a return on investment.
And if you get all that right, you’ll need to know how to avoid the growing pains of moving from a handful of entrepreneurs to building an entire company. Luckily, that’s exactly what Dodreams CEO Erik Pöntiskoski will cover in his talk.
The bigger business picture
For a broader look at the business side of games, we’ll consider industry consolidation in a fireside chat with John Peterson, director for corporate development at Jam City, and RocketJump Games founder Louis-René Auclair.
Joining Supercell’s Jaakko Harlas and Wargaming’s Sean Lee on the Strategics Panel will be Mark Stevens of Fenwick & West as moderator, plus Drew Boortz, managing vice president at Nexon America, and Jurgen Post, president of international partnerships (Europe) at Tencent.
A truly global conference for thousands of industry professionals from around the world.
Global opportunities
Pocket Gamer Connects events are attended by delegates from more than 50 countries on average. It’s a truly global conference for thousands of industry professionals from around the world.
One of the hottest territories is Asia, with its growing appetite for games.
The Japanese mobile market in particular presents an exciting opportunity for game developers. From 2014 to 2017, the growth of the Japanese mobile market has surpassed that of the US market three years in a row.
Japan’s government is trying to open the country up to the rest of the world and welcome games from the West. But it’s a notoriously tricky market to navigate, which is why Molly Heady-Carroll, co-founder at Arcane Circus, will present a Westerner's guide to the Japanese games market.
Based on months of research in Japan this year, Heady-Carroll will share tips and tricks - as well as things to avoid - for Western developers targeting the Japanese games market.
And for a look into an even bigger - and potentially more complex - Asian market, NetEase vice president, Ken Li, will go into detail on publishing games in China. His seminar sets out the market scenario and what values a local publisher can provide, as well as regulatory and essential knowledge to publish a game in China.
Also focused on the Chinese market, FunPlus CMO Heaven Wu will explore how casual games can succeed.
The differences between oriental and occidental monetisation, as well as how the two territories are changing the way games are made for each other.
Gamers of different nations respond to different games and gameplay mechanics, so Jorge Castaño, CEO at Amazing Soul Games Studio, will look at the differences between oriental and occidental monetisation, as well as how the two territories are changing the way games are made for each other.
You’ll get an insight into publishing in the Asian markets with a panel featuring JoyPac’s Jeppe Bisbjerg; Harry Holmwood, Co-founder at The Secret Police; and Shintaro Kanaoya, CEO Chorus Worldwide.
Holmwood and Kanaoya will also talk separately about taking a hit PC game over to mobile, and porting to console, respectively.
An emerging market for the games industry is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It’s expected to become a $2.3 billion industry in 2022 with Saudi Arabia in the lead. One of the key factors of unlocking the potential of the market is to fully localise a game to become culturally relevant for users. And that’s exactly what Tamatem’s Hanin Suradi will cover.
Going beyond translation, this seminar will also check off areas that will need attention to detail, covering the in's and out's of localising UI/UX for the MENA and Arabic speaking users.
Pocket Gamer, PC and Blockhain Gamer Connects London - your ticket gets you into all three shows and all 25 conference tracks.
About Pocket Gamer Connects London
Part of an international series of B2B events for the games industry, Pocket Gamer Connects was first held in London in 2014 and is now the biggest exhibition and conference of its type in Europe.
The show will attract over 2,500 delegates from all around the world, including Europe, Asia and America. Away from the show floor, the conference schedule features 12 tracks of seminars from 300 of the industry’s finest, covering mobile games, handheld consoles, and VR and AR.
PC and blockchain side events
Making a welcome return for 2019, PC Connects London brings a further five seminar tracks, while Blockchain Gamer Connects makes its UK debut with four more tracks.
Your ticket will get you into all three shows and all 25 conference tracks.
Book now!
Kick off your 2019 conference season in style and join us for Pocket Gamer, PC and Blockchain Gamer Connects London at The Brewery on January 21st to 22nd.
Get your 20 per cent discount with our Early Bird prices and book now!
