Navigating the Future of iGaming Event Marketing: Insights and Strategies from Industry Expert, Ms. Arnidou

1. From your perspective as an Event Marketing Coordinator at Hipther Agency, what key elements do you believe are essential for the success of iGaming summits?

Success in the events industry, and especially for the iGaming sector, is based on multiple factors and is multifaceted. It is a matter of industry knowledge, good organisation, caring, open communication, and marketing communications as well. An iGaming summit organiser and their team certainly need to have good knowledge of the industry: its verticals and the relationships between them, its key players, established products as well as innovations and trends, and the role and importance of compliance. This knowledge is the foundation and the source of the vision for a successful iGaming summit, considering that to succeed, it needs to be attractive, relevant, and useful to your audience, offering tangible benefits as it brings people from the entire iGaming spectrum together to promote business and professional growth.

This is the base on which the event organiser will build the summit, with constructive “building blocks” such as insightful discussion panels with industry experts and networking opportunities.

The “glue” for that is relationships, which brings us to caring and open communication. You need to care for what you are building, the people who are helping you bring this to fruition, the attendees and everyone investing time and money in your endeavour. You need to be considerate of everything and everyone and stay on top of things so that they get the best experience possible.

Marketing communications are the means to not only “spread the word” about your event’s details and vision, but also differentiate your company from the competition, and more importantly, to connect people around it, elevate your participants, and nurture these invaluable relationships. I consider myself very lucky to have joined Hipther in my journey in the events industry because they have valuable experience and meaningful connections in the iGaming and Tech industry, they are well-respected and genuinely human-centric.

2. During your time at FSI - Fantasy Sports Interactive - how did you integrate product marketing and brand management into your event marketing strategies?

The short answer is, gradually and in stages. FSI was a fantasy sports startup company that started as a fantasy operator and turned into a B2B in 2018. When we first joined the industry, we knew no one and nobody knew us. I threw myself into research to learn as much as I could about the overall iGaming / betting industry and the optimal PR and communication channels. Back then (even though it was just 5 years ago!), LinkedIn was not what it is today. It wasn’t as popular, people were much more “stiff” and guarded, communication was not as open, and believe it or not, B2B advertising campaigns were not really “a thing” in the industry. (This could be a matter of compliance; I can’t say). Also, LinkedIn didn’t have all the tools that we enjoy today – newsletters, campaign options, polls, CTA buttons, etc.

So, the best option for B2B brand awareness, networking and content in iGaming was event marketing. Industry-focused media buying and advertising was also an option, but the opportunity to meet industry players and prospects face-to-face and “talk” FSI into the iGaming industry was my primary goal before further (expensive) online exposure.

My original event marketing approach was about corporate branding and the promotion of FSI as a whole. It was people-centric, with me and/or management attending events (that’s how I met the #hipthers!), followed up with strategic brand exposure.

Product marketing came later on, in early 2019 and 2020, and we went all out, exhibiting at ICE London. With the company’s flagship product prototype now complete, I focused on product features and pushed via dedicated videos on-site and online, aiming for audience education as well as hype; we had branded walkthrough/advertising brochures, playable prototypes, and a media buying plan promoting the product and our presence throughout the Show.

As the company grew and we passed this “awkward” awareness stage, I focused my strategy on maintaining exposure and credibility through event participation and speaker roles. I strived to make product branding and marketing more exciting and driven before introducing it to in-person events, as my goal was to spark that B2C kind of enthusiasm among B2B professionals.

3. Reflecting on your diverse experience, how do you see event marketing in the iGaming sector evolving in the next few years?

The main trend in our industry is certainly the increasing plethora of event marketing opportunities on every level. Depending on the agenda, in-person events already bring a variety of marketing opportunities, from on-site branding/advertising to exhibiting options, speaker slots, and networking. As the number of in-person events keeps increasing, in a boom that is both understandable and unfathomable for a post-pandemic era, the volume of event marketing options will increase as well.

The trend that is already here and I see expanding in the future, is the establishment of professional speakers, as “influencers” of the industry, and brand ambassadors of their companies or personal brands. This will also help in the continuity of the current expanded iGaming events industry.

I believe that there is a risk of “fatigue” at some point from the companies’ side – financially and logistically - if iGaming events expand uncontrollably. The need for more targeted, clever, and informed event marketing strategies will arise.

I have been considering this market trajectory since my days in FSI, and one of the reasons I was happy to join Hipther is that they have been building event marketing value by focusing on fostering lasting relationships through learning and networking while “keeping it real”. There is a balance between panel discussions, chill networking and fun activities, leading to a balanced but extended event marketing mix offered as well.

Ultimately, I feel that iGaming event marketing will keep expanding more, instead of evolving, and that companies and organisers will be faced with the challenge of balancing quality and quantity for mutual growth.

4. How has the digital transformation, accelerated by recent global events, influenced your approach to iGaming event marketing?

One thing is that virtual events came to stay, offering additional online marketing opportunities, mostly involving social media and online exposure, experts as brand ambassadors and credibility building. As mentioned, I utilised this in my former capacity as head of marketing of an iGaming company. As an Event Marketing Coordinator offering iGaming event marketing options now, virtual events enable my Team and I to provide these wonderful opportunities to our sponsors and partners.

I think that online events are hugely important for all sides: event organisers can reach companies and speakers worldwide without physical limitations – which is great marketing for them, their partners and their network. But also, online events built this “bridge” in-between in-person events, allowing people to keep in touch and stay up to date with industry news and trends.

Increased online engagement is another thing that came to stay after the lockdowns and digital transformation combo, allowing for more and smarter content marketing and digital PR.

5. What is the one piece of advice you would give to those who are just starting in iGaming?

I think that people just starting in iGaming are bound to either be excited, or scared 😊 Stay fearless, throw yourself to industry research, and start networking on LinkedIn. Be professional, but open to building relationships. The iGaming industry is pretty much like the world: huge, but small. And tight-knit.

Ms. Arnidou, thank you for sharing your valuable insights and experiences in event marketing within the iGaming industry. Your expertise and innovative approaches offer a rich perspective on this dynamic and evolving field. We greatly appreciate your time and wish you continued success in your future ventures.

And for all our dear readers, we sincerely hope that these words of wisdom were as helpful to you as they were to our team! We wish you all the best in all your endeavours, and be sure to keep an eye out for more pieces of information we will surely share on our platform in the future!