PG Connects’ first event in the magnificent Middle Eastern metropolis of Dubai was an even bigger success than anticipated, and officially marks our biggest debut to date in any new territory. Taking place over two incredible days in this dynamic, innovative city the GameExpo Summit saw over 1,300 games industry professionals representing over 800 companies from more than 60 countries all around the world sharing insights, learnings and expanding their network. A massive thank you to all our attendees for joining us this week and making our debut event in Dubai such a formidable success. It was truly a pleasure, and we can’t wait to be back next year.

As we approach our ten year anniversary of delivering B2B event experiences for the games industry in 2024, the opportunity to bring the PG Connects experience to the MENA region (the group of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa), the fastest growing domestic market in the world, was an opportunity not to be missed, especially following on from our successful PG Connects Jordan event in 2022.

This time, we partnered with the fantastic team at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, marking our first event in the city. It took place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai as part of the larger Dubai Esports and Games Festival. Of the numerous attendees we welcomed during the Summit many were local and from the surrounding MENA region but many visited from the US, Europe, Asia and beyond making this event a true representation of the international industry.

Hearing from some of the games industry’s top authorities representing leading MENA-based and brands such as Global Game Jam, Nine66, Xsolla, Maysalward, Tencent, Reality+, Super Evil Megacorp and many, many more brought the PG Connects experience to games industry professionals spanning all across the globe. They graced our stage across 16 diverse topic tracks and shared their wealth of expertise and brilliant cutting-edge insights with us over the course of two insights-filled days.

The expo area was busy and bustling with a number of brands showcasing their goods and services with our attendees. There were pavilions representing the Pakistan, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia games industries, as well as a buzzing indie zone.

This event was a formidable success by all metrics that couldn’t have happened without our amazing attendees, our expert speakers, our fantastic partners over at The DMCC Gaming Centre and our incredible sponsors. Thank you for your support.

Two insights-filled days to remember

Our two days in Dubai were packed full of forward-gazing expert insights, and we were thrilled to bring all the same networking, matchmaking and learning opportunities from our usual PG Connects conferences to the attendees in Dubai at an event which was one of our most diverse to date.

Over 100 industry authorities including David Fernandez of Sandsoft Games, Kay Greuenwoldt from Nine66 and Leonid Blinov front he TikTok MENA team shared their insights, predictions and case studies with us across 16 varied topic tracks covering everything from trends in the MENA region, artificial intelligence, web3, esports, the metaverse, NFTs, user acquisition, monetisation and much, much more. For a full rundown of all the discussions and subjects check out our editorial coverage on the event here.

A massive thank you to our associates for your support

The incredible magnitude and success of this show wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our partners, associates and sponsors. The show was made possible thanks to our ecosystem partner, the DMCC Gaming Centre. It’s a comprehensive ecosystem that provides everything gaming and esport businesses need to scale their operations globally. It’s the ideal launchpad in the region for gaming and esports businesses, and we could not be happier to get the opportunity to collaborate with them to bring the Dubai GameExpo Summit to life and help pave the way forward for more opportunities for the games industry in the region.

A massive thank you to our gold level sponsors Nine66 and the Jordan Gaming Lab and our silver level sponsors Xsolla and Pakistan Games, this event wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Thank you to every other brand that supported us in making this event possible – the incredible success of our first event in Dubai wouldn’t have been possible without you.

Our biggest and most successful debut to date

Steel Media CEO Chris James expressed appreciation for the fantastic turnout and emphasised PG Connects’ commitment to supporting the growing games industry in the region. “Over the last decade we’ve been lucky enough to run events all around the world from Helsinki to Hong Kong, but right now it’s harder to find a more exciting location for the games business than the MENA market, and clearly Dubai will be one of the leading hubs.

This is our first event in the city (and we hope the first of many) and we were delighted to welcome so many professionals from across the region and around the world with over 1,300 delegates from 60 countries to connect, discuss the latest market trends and continue to drive the business forward.”

What’s next for PG Connects?

Here’s what you won’t want to miss coming up in the PG Connects event calendar! We have all the details for you of our upcoming opportunities for you to get involved with our globally loved live events. We have several events coming up all across the globe, giving you the opportunity once more to invest in yourself and take your business to the next level. If you’re looking for high-value opportunities to be around leading industry brands, top industry experts and hundreds of games professionals from all over the globe, look no further than our upcoming events…

If you were unable to make it to Dubai we’ve got another show right around the corner that you won’t want to miss. PG Connects is coming back to Toronto just next month on July 19-20! After an immensely successful first-ever show in the city last year, we’re returning to this vibrant, dynamic city where we will connect, inform and entertain the local and international games industry community. We currently have a limited time Mid-Term offer available that can save you up to CA$240 – don’t wait any longer, make the most of this fantastic discount while you still can and book your ticket to the show today!

Get ready to break into Europe at our biggest conference in Finland to date. This September 12-13, the leading mobile games industry conference, Pocket Gamer Connects is returning to Helsinki bigger and better than ever. Taking place at an all-new venue, Wanha Satama, we are welcoming more than 1,700 delegates for two days to hear from 200 of the world’s leading authorities from the mobile gaming industry. Book your ticket today to this fantastic event, we have an Early Bird offer available that can save you up to £330!

Here’s how to get involved

There is no better place than Pocket Gamer Connects events to share your wealth of knowledge with the games community at large, and we would like to extend the invitation for renowned producers, developers, executives and leaders in the space to lead a session on a topic they’re passionate about and have expertise in at our upcoming shows. If you think you might be a fit and this sounds like something you’d love to do at our upcoming events, complete our speaker submission form or get in touch with aneta.mrozek@steelmedianetwork.com direct to discuss further!

Additionally, if you’re looking to put your brand in front of the global mobile games industry, you can discuss our varied sponsorship opportunities or other ways to get involved with our b2b sales team. Please contact lisa.bisset@steelmedianetwork.com or chris@steelmedia.co.uk for more details.