Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019 will take place on October 1st to October 2nd. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

For more details on PGC Helsinki and to book a ticket, head to the website here.

In today's speaker spotlight we're talking to Simo Piispanen from Sulake, the Product Owner of Hotel Hideaway.

During his five years working on the product, he's designed and created Hideaway’s in-game economy, before more recently moving to a managerial role. With a huge interest in analytics, monetization, in-game economies, and bouldering, Simo is able to enjoy three quarters of his passions while at work.

At PG Helsinki he'll be part of a panel discussion titled Is This the Era of Hybrid Monetisation.

Pocketgamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about Sulake?

Simo Piispanen: Founded in 2000 by a small team of passionate people, Sulake is a social entertainment company focused on providing a safe and fun online service for self-expression through its products, Habbo and Hotel Hideaway.

What does your role at the company entail?

I'm responsible for Hotel Hideaway as a whole. Roadmapping, UA, monetisation etc.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I have always been a passionate gamer. Since I was young I created excel sheets about my games to min-max my progress. I found my professional calling in game balancing and economy creation. This shifted quickly to monetisation which I find especially interesting.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into the industry?

If you are good at something and you also really like doing it - don't fear obstacles. You'll make it.

What are your thoughts on the industry over the last 12 months?

I love the fact that the industry has still been growing so fast.

What major trends do you predict we'll see in the next 12 months?

Since the growth in the past has been so fast I expect some steadiness from the next 12 months. This should be a good thing for the industry. It definitely will keep on growing. It'll be interesting to see what happens to monetisation in the long run, but I expect little to no changes in mainstream mobile game monetisation in the next year.

Which part of Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki are you most looking forward to and why?

The Monetiser track. I always find myself in the place where they show the numbers.