Every quarter, there are about a dozen, if not more, conferences that fall under the umbrella of mobile gaming / marketing / growth / data / analytics. Each conference tends to have a focal point, anywhere from growth, blockchain, indie gaming, monetization, retention and the list goes. Hopefully we will answer help answer “Which gaming conference should I attend / is the best?” by breaking down some of the top mobile gaming conferences out there.
The first question you should be asking yourself is, “What are my goals for the conference?”. A conference can be a great place to brainstorm ideas from peers, network, grow your client base, learn from speakers and lectures, play the upcoming games for 8 hours straight (I’m guilty of that) and of course connect with other people in your industry.
There is a pretty straightforward 10 point criteria system that should be looked at when choosing a conference:
- Goals
- Cost
- Location
- Who’s Going?
- Who’s Speaking?
- Topics / Tracks Offered
- Number of Relevant Topics / Sessions
- Conference Format
- Timeline
- Networking Opportunities
While I am sure none of those 10 criteria above are anything new to anybody who has contemplated whether or not to attend a conference, I do want to bring something new to the table here and give some insight how SOOMLA chooses which to attend.
First, let’s look at some of the conferences / events in the mobile gaming industry:
Game Industry Analytics Forum
Delta DNA’s Games Industry Analytics Forum is a series of events targeted at all industry professionals who seeks to make their games better through analytics. They bring a large mix of industry experts who speak on a variety of topics.
| Name | Games Industry Analytics Forum |
|---|---|
| Locations | San Francisco and London |
| Avg. Companies | NA |
| Avg. Attendees | NA |
| Cost | Free |
| Focus | Analytics |
Pocket Gamer Connects
Pocket Gamer’s Global Mobile Game Conference is held three times a year in various locations. The main focus tends to be on global game publishing strategies, opportunities in various markets. They have several (12 or so) content tracks each with a focus such as Monetization, Marketing, eSports, Growth and more.
| Name | Pocket Gamer Connects |
|---|---|
| Locations | 3 per year: London, Helsinki, San Francisco |
| Avg. Companies | 600+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 1200+ |
| Cost | Varies from several hundred $ to thousand + |
| Focus | Mobile Gaming Industry |
Casual Connect
Casual Connects hosts several conferences across the globe, each with its own particular focus. Anywhere from developers, game design, east meets west, and game tech innovation.
| Name | Casual Connect |
|---|---|
| Locations | 4 per year: USA, Europe, Asia, Eastern Europe |
| Avg. Companies | 600+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 800-2000+ |
| Cost | Varies from several hundred $ to thousand+ |
| Focus | Mobile Gaming Industry |
White Nights
White Nights is considered to be a business conference for the gaming industry. They are focused on all aspects of the gaming industry, including mobile, PC, console, web, AR and VR.
| Name | White Nights |
|---|---|
| Locations | 4 per year: Prague, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Berlin |
| Avg. Companies | 800+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 1600+ |
| Cost | Several hundred $ |
| Focus | Business of Games |
Mobile Growth Summit
Mobile Growth Summit is a non-vendor conference targeted at those who work in the mobile growth industry. The conference aims to bring mobile growth and marketing professionals together to connect and learn from one another in areas such as UA, monetization, retention and eCommerce.
| Name | Mobile Growth Summit |
|---|---|
| Locations | 4 per year: Prague, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Berlin |
| Avg. Companies | 300+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 600+ |
| Cost | Varies from several hundred $ to thousand + |
| Focus | Mobile Growth / Marketing |
Mobile Games Forum
Mobile Games Forum brings together gaming industry decision makers to discuss the direction of the industry and potential strategies. The larger portion of attendees tends to be C level, senior managers and directors.
| Name | Mobile Games Forum |
|---|---|
| Locations | 2 per year: London and Seattle |
| Avg. Companies | 300+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 600+ |
| Cost | Several hundred $ |
| Focus | Upper Management / Decision Makers |
Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference is a 5 day event that attracts thousands of attendees from all over the world. They have a wide variety of tracks / sessions on just about every topic from blockchain to VR to monetization. Many up and coming publishers use the conference as a great opportunity to show off their upcoming games.
| Name | Game Developer Conference |
|---|---|
| Locations | San Francisco |
| Avg. Companies | 700+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 3000+ |
| Cost | Depends on type of ticket: from free to several hundred. |
| Focus | All things gaming |
Game Connection
Game Connection is a business convention for the game industry where publishers, developers, service providers and distributors come to find new partners and/or new clients. Considered to be the go-to conference for business.
| Name | Game Connection |
|---|---|
| Locations | Paris and San Francisco |
| Avg. Companies | 1500+ |
| Avg. Attendees | 2700+ |
| Cost | Several hundred $ |
| Focus | Business Creation for Game Industry |
As you can see, each conference does have it own focus, and depending on what you are looking to achieve, one of the above conferences should meet your goals.
Criteria # 11 – The Meeting System
One of the topics that we did not cover however is the meeting systems that is made available to the attendees. Depending on the purpose of attending the conference, this could be irrelevant to you, but if you do plan to attend for networking purposes, a good meeting system can dramatically improve the success of your trip. Here are a few of the meeting systems we’ve encountered at SOOMLA:
| Feature | Pitch&Match | MeetToMatch | Let's Meet | Bizzabo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profile Creation | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Search Filters | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Internal Messaging | Y | Y | ||
| Mobile App | Y | |||
| Block Meeting Time Slots | Y | Y | Y | |
| Agenda Export | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| “Smart” Scheduling System* | Y |
Smart System* refers to the meeting system’s method of organizing meetings. Let’s Meet is the only system that allows you to request a meeting without a set time before the event. Generally about a week before the event, all the meetings that have been accepted are automatically filled into your calendar based on a mutual time slot being available. This is significantly different and advantageous compared to the other meeting systems that require you to set a time, limiting your ability to be flexible.
Conclusion
While each conference has its own focus, you are bound to find a mobile gaming conference that meets your criteria. If you think there are any more that are worth mentioning, let us know in the comments below!
