Over two years after the beginning of the global pandemic, offline events are more important than ever in the iGaming niche.
The Head of Marketing at Uplatform, Maria Bashkevich, has told GBC Time about her team’s experience at one of the biggest iGaming events of this fall – SBC Summit 2022.
Uplatfrom attended the SBC Summit for the second year in a row last month. Could you tell our readers about your experience at the event?
This year’s SBC Summit in Barcelona was a huge success for us. We were only delegates last year, but we wanted to come in full force in 2022 to showcase our solutions and form new partnerships. Uplatform performed incredibly well, and we are confident that visitors to our stand had the most engaging and productive experience possible.
But the most thrilling part came after the show when we were awarded the Rising Star in Sports Betting Software Award. It was a huge accomplishment and an honor for us. We are grateful to the judges who mentioned and appreciated our client-centered approach and the high effectiveness of our solutions.
How has the conference changed since last year, in your opinion?
With great pleasure and enthusiasm, I would like to point out that the SBC Summit has become bigger and busier and has attracted more participants and attendees. This is what distinguishes this year’s event from the previous one. I would like to commend the organizers for a job well done.
I think it is a tremendous achievement for SBC to have grown so much in two years; it is a great trend; therefore, I hope that next year it will attract guests not only from Europe but also from other regions so that the industry will have one more international event.
What kinds of products did the company showcase during the event?
We showcased our flagship award-winning Sportsbook API, developed to be efficient, adaptable, and reliable and has the widest sports and esports coverage, including low-tier leagues, local, and even amateur championships.
The other was our Turnkey solution, the platform, which features the largest sportsbook, the most comprehensive casino collection, and all needed tools and services like CRM, risk management, agent scheme, etc.
But the main discussion with partners was on localization and how we could help them in different markets. So, we have shown them our localization options like – regionalized content, local languages, tailored sportsbook, local payment methods, multi-device compatibility, and so on.
How would you summarize the conference’s results? How beneficial are these events for B2B marketing promotion in the iGaming niche?
It was a great time for us. However, when discussing exhibitions from a marketing standpoint, it is important to keep the context in mind. We are a young, dynamic brand in the early stages of our growth. As a result, it serves as an effective communication channel for us with partners and the industry as a whole.
Also, offline events help enormously with networking, especially after the pandemic. Sure, the pandemic helped us see new channels and opportunities, accelerating the digitalization of businesses and marketing communications. Still, very few things can replace a friendly chat over a cup of coffee. Let us not forget that our industry is about people. And I believe that face-to-face communication is essential for mutual trust and fruitful cooperation.
What kind of trends would you name iGaming aggregation’s highlights for 2023?
I believe that the trend is still the same, as it comes from the needs of players and the challenges of clients. And those challenges have not changed since 2022 – localization, player acquisition, and transition to online and mobile. And if we are talking from a B2B perspective – flexibility and customization.
Due to the expansion of new markets, a lot of localized content has been developed. Therefore, I think offering the exclusive and unique content other aggregators do not have will be vital for keeping up on top in 2023. Every year, the players become pickier and pickier, so focusing on providing exclusive content will be one of the possibilities to win them over.
I have already mentioned localization, so to succeed in new markets, game providers, aggregators, and operators need to integrate content with local appeal and have deep knowledge about the regions.
Also, focusing on delivering faster, more flexible integration services with the latest technologies is necessary.
From your point of view, what are the main challenges iGaming providers will face next year?
iGaming is a very competitive industry. More studios and platform providers appear yearly, but the market is consolidated, and everyone has to fight for the spotlight.
In my honest opinion, there are numerous obstacles. Beginning with regulations and pricing, as numerous brands are dumping the market, and ending with personalization and improvement of the player experience. All of this, along with typical challenges such as the global economy and political climate, turns it into a bumpy ride for enterprises. However, has there ever been a time when expanding the business was easy and smooth? 🙂
Every year brings new challenges to the business, and it is just a matter of professionalism in how any company will expand and overcome challenges. If we are talking about us, from what I see from our numbers, we are on the right way, so we will proceed to grow in any circumstances.
