Each year, global leaders in sports betting and iGaming gather at the SBC Summit Barcelona conference and exhibition to talk about the future of the industry, share information, and forge significant connections.
Hoping to learn more about the event and feel SBC's pre-event atmosphere, we talked to Dennis Algreen, Marketing Director at SBC.
Dennis, we know you are super busy now that SBC Barcelona is getting closer by the day, so thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. How are you feeling about the SBC Summit Barcelona organisation? Are you where you hoped you'd be?
Always a pleasure!
SBC Summit Barcelona is our biggest-to-date exhibition and conference, so things have indeed been very busy lately.
For this year's edition, we have doubled the exhibition floor and have seven separate stages running with just under 400 industry professionals sharing their experiences and insights with the event audience.
All of this comes with a lot of behind-the-scenes work — we have to make sure that our exhibitors are all set, that the conference topics have been sorted, and that the sponsors are getting the value they expect out of this event. On top of the 'practical' side of things, we always look to dedicate enough time to think about how we can create an unforgettable event for the attendees — a high-quality experience is part of SBC's DNA.
Our team is growing day by day, and this makes things a lot easier. We now have a shaped-up Customer Success team taking care of our sponsors and exhibitors and a Relationships team that works closely with operators and affiliates by helping them make the best out of their SBC Summit Barcelona experience.
So yes, things have been quite hectic, but our expanded team is doing a great job keeping up despite the pressure. I couldn't be happier with the way things are progressing internally, and we are even managing to stay ahead of the schedule. Everyone's work ethic is truly admirable and a big part of SBC's overall success.
Seeing the event come to fruition is the biggest reward in the entire process.
How many attendees do you expect at this year's summit? We heard there are 6,000 senior executives anticipated to attend.
Indeed. As mentioned, we have doubled the exhibition floor, and there will be over 200 companies showcasing their products and innovations at the event. This, however, is not where our ambitions stop.
SBC Summit Barcelona is our flagship show, and it has a global nature, which means that it is not restricted by physical borders and welcomes everyone from the sports betting and iGaming industry, as well as the companies working with clients from our sphere.
Moreover, unlike some of the more 'themed' events in our portfolio, like CasinoBeats or Betting on Sports Europe, SBC Summit Barcelona is about each and every vertical in the industry. We will have sports betting and casino operators, affiliates, game providers, sportsbook providers, CRM solutions, marketing professionals, media outlets, payment gurus, and compliance specialists — everyone is going to be there.
Not being restricted by borders or industry verticals allows us to think in broader terms and create an event that includes the entire industry. Therefore, this time around, and with no COVID-related restrictions in place, we are expecting around 6,000 delegates to join us in Barcelona.
Each SBC event is nothing short of spectacular, and we expect nothing less this year. What are your overall expectations of the event and the attendees?
The SBC community is honestly amazing. They are there to do business first and foremost, but everyone's always up for some fun — that's why our networking events are always so packed.
It is also great to see that the industry cares about educating itself. Our conference rooms are always bustling with people looking for some tips or inspiration that will help them elevate their business.
This is what I expect to see this time around as well — just bigger and better, as we always strive to beat our own standards.
We did our best to create an unforgettable experience. We have some incredible guests adding some stardust to the event, like the poker legend Molly Bloom who will be there to deliver a keynote and host an exclusive invitational poker tournament for the industry's C-levels. We will also have the former football star Gaizka Mendieta joining us for the SBC Football Championship and the SBC Awards Ceremony. And, of course, we will have Matthew Ball, hailed by many as THE metaverse guru.
The event is full of highlights, networking gatherings, educational opportunities and business prospects, and we look forward to finally seeing everyone in Barcelona.
You've divided the space into zones, giving everyone from Sports Betting and Casino & iGaming, to Payments & Compliance, Affiliate, Marketing & Media, and Emerging Tech, and others their own conference stage, exhibition floor, and networking areas. Why such division?
The main goal is to make things effortless and facilitate meaningful face-to-face interactions. The zone concept is perfect for that. It makes it easier for the attending delegates to navigate the space, especially given the size of the exhibition floor (18,000 sqm).
Everyone comes to the industry events with a certain agenda, and as the event organiser, we are here to help. Our attendees are looking to meet operators, affiliates, suppliers, and the media. With the zones splitting the exhibition floor into themed sections, people will not waste their time wandering around, and will instead approach the companies that could prove beneficial to their business, whatever it is that they're looking for.
Each zone is also equipped with a separate bar and a networking lounge — SBC Summit Barcelona is all about creating the perfect environment to do business.
As SBC's Marketing Director, we'll assume you carry much responsibility to help this event get the traction it deserves. How are you handling it all?
The job has its challenges, can't deny it. There are a lot of dedicated industry events out there, and you constantly have to step up your game to convince people that your event should not be missed. The marketing team plays a huge role in this overall effort.
Despite the challenges, we have a fantastic product, which makes things considerably easier for us. We have great educational content to market, brilliant speakers, and leading companies sharing their innovations with our audience on the exhibition floor — therefore, there's always a lot to cover.
The biggest challenge is to select the information we push to our attendees not to overwhelm them. We certainly don't want to land in their spam folder. Making things personal is what tends to work the best for us. We segment our audience and spend a lot of time trying to understand what they're looking for. Affiliates, for instance, want to meet operators. This is something we need to take into consideration every time we do a campaign.
One great thing is that our conference team really know their stuff. They always stay on top of the topics that will truly educate the industry, making it much easier for us to distribute our news to the best industry media outlets and achieve high engagement levels on our social media channels.
I always tell my team that creativity is key. Marketing can be automated, but it should never lack creativity. Otherwise, we'll fall into the trap of delivering the same product every single time. And that's definitely not the goal. The goal is to always get better.
Is there someone special you, personally, are looking forward to networking with?
Dealing with SBC's media and strategic partners is a big part of my job.
Naturally, I look forward to welcoming them to SBC Summit Barcelona and chatting about the countless opportunities and campaigns we can work on together.
I also look forward to meeting the startups competing at the inaugural SBC Summit Barcelona First Pitch competition. These people are problem solvers, have fresh ideas, and think out of the box. They are the leaders of tomorrow.
We also have a brand-new 'Emerging Tech, Blockchain and Metaverse Zone' at this year's event, and I am eager to discover and discuss how the metaverse will affect our industry.
