Attending events without agenda
Game Conference Guide Insights - May 2025
One of the common questions asked at events is: where do you go next? Which is your next event? It is returning like a boomerang and through the answers we get to learn about new events we have never been to.
And it was asked over and over at last month’s Reboot Develop. One of my friends told me: come to Dubai, there is something going on and you will like it. At that time I was deciding between two other trips, but since I do not have any real agenda at the moment (I am still looking for opportunities), I opted to go to a place where I had never been before.
The opportunity to explore, get to learn about the region and meet locals was very enticing. And I wanted to try something out: going to an event without too much preparation or meetings booked.
This is going against the notion and mantra preached by everyone including me to newcomers, that you have to have goals, otherwise you are up for disappointment.
So I went to Dubai and this is what happened.
PARTNER OF THE MONTH
Amber is a global game development service provider led by industry veterans with teams in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bucharest, Botosani, Guadalajara, Bogota, Montreal, Kyiv, and Manila, offering a variety of world-class creative and technical solutions for the game industry. The agency offers a full range of turn-key product development solutions, including concept-to-delivery game production, live operations, co-development, and studio services.
Amber is structured as a network of studios with different specializations, which retains over 850 staff around the world. Established in 2013, the agency earned the trust of some of the most important players in the games space, such as Amazon, Disney, Warner Media, King, Roblox, Rovio, Netflix, and Riot Games. Its portfolio includes titles like Tetris Beat, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs, Super Spy Ryan, PositronX, and Link Twin, as well as contributions to successful games such as Sky: Children of the Light, Gotham Knights, and Stumble Guys.
The anxiety was off the charts, I have to tell you. There are no KPI’s to hit, nor expected ROI after you return back, I was telling myself. The trip was a little bit easier, as two of my close friends decided to join as well. At least we will burn in the hot sun together.
You may have already seen and probably read report about the MENA 3 region (Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia), how it is booming and also how crazily fast it is growing. The analytics firm Niko Partners is saying it is the second fastest growing region by number of players and revenue they track. The region itself is very much alive, while Dubai is mobile centric with a wide variety of companies tinkering with esports platforms, web3 & AI.
There was one thing missing - community, as Mohamed El Sheakh pointed out. That is why they launched Game Majlis, an umbrella body bringing the key players together and strengthening the whole ecosystem. They started with 20 members first, and they plan to expand. For this region specifically it is crucial to be a little bit louder. They do have immense governmental support already seeing gaming as one of the growth pillars.
Game Majlis was the main reason for my travels, an intimate mixer for a selected few, to mingle and get to know each other. And it was amazing. I wish there was more time to talk to everyone, as the evening went by very quickly.
During my visit, Pocket Gamer was hosting their conference as part of the Dubai GameExpo kicking off the region's public gaming event attracting 25,000+ visitors. During the Zero day reserved for the schools, more than 7,000 of them visited the public part.
I don't want to go too deep into the offering, as the conference part was professionally organized, the showfloor was spread out nicely, and it was busy during the whole day. There was a little bit of sound bleed from the main stage sitting next to the meeting area, but this is a general issue of all events having everything in one massive hall. The conference was lively, full of interesting people and indies exhibiting their games.
One of the surprising things was the asking price for a standard conference pass: 77€. You could opt in for VIP (including refreshment throughout the day and access to the lounge), but the standard one got you covered. Speaking of the budget, the whole trip, including flight (direct with FlyDubai), accommodation (4 nights) and a conference pass was under 1,000€. Not bad.
Now, how about the experiment?
Despite not having booked anything prior (except two meetings I didn't want to miss), there was always someone to talk to, at the coffee stations, around the meeting area, or at the mixers organized by various partners. As there were no goals to hit, there was no pressure to deliver. There was no backlash afterwards, even though me being me, I was comparing and evaluating after I returned back home.
The main learning is you won’t be able to grasp the whole ecosystem with just one visit. And you won't have high quality relationships with the locals immediately. It takes time. One trip can give you an overview of what is going on and potentially bring back insights and make a decision if to visit again, or recommend the event / region to your peers. The two of my friends I have mentioned, they will be back 100%.
Going to an event unprepared or not having anything booked is freeing you from the typical meeting spots. You can flow around and because of this you can extend the conversations, and keep the dialogue going beyond the typical 30 minutes slot. The organic meeting and your friends introducing you to others, makes it even more perfect. This is why Reboot Develop is hard to crack for newcomers. With each visit, you will feel more comfortable and more confident to go there without massive preparations. And with each visit, your network will expand. And in return it will help you to connect.
Should you go to events unprepared?
It depends. Again, if your goals align with just discovery, networking and exploration, give yourself more freedom to be reactive to lunch invites, quick change of plans and unplanned meetings & events happening during the day. It is worth it to just go with the flow, making new friends, finding time to sit down and play some demos. If you are attending on a company's dime, preparations are highly recommended and shouldn’t be omitted.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Will I go next time?
I am thinking about it, while I would prolong the stay and visit Abu Dhabi or Riyadh, as these offer completely different communities.
The scene is alive, it will take time to mature, but things are already happening and it was great being part of it.
Massive thanks to Ali Farha, Mohamed El Sheakh and the whole Pocket Gamer Crew for having me. It was a blast.
🏆New Deadlines on the horizon
Selected Indie 80 @ Tokyo Game Show
Deadline: 16 May, on-site showcase, entry: freeBrilliant Indie Treasures
Deadline: 26 May, on-site showcase, entry: freeChinaJoy x Game Connection GAME Awards
Deadline: 31 May, on-site awards, entry: freeIndie Showcase @ Devcom
Deadline: 31 May, on-site showcase, Steam event, entry: freeIndieCade Festival
Deadline: 2 Jun, virtual showcase, Steam events, entry: $75 - $125Courage Cologne
Deadline: 4 Jun, on-site showcase, entry: 200€ after acceptancePitchYaGame
Deadline: 6 Jun, virtual pitching, entry: freeGame Devs of Color Expo Direct & Steam Event
Deadline: 13 Jun, showcase + Steam Event, entry: free
Get all deadlines here.
And that is it for this month.
As we are entering the nonE3 showcase period, be prepared for avalanche of trailers, announcements and side-events surrounding Summer Game Fest & The Game Business happening in June.
In the next issue we will be looking at the packed schedule and on top I will bring one old feature back.
See you all next month.
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Pavol Buday, curator @ GCG