SiGMA Group Is Postponing Its Physical Expositions – But There Will Be a Digital Conference

17.04.2020, 15:38

SiGMA Group has made the decision to postpone its AIBC and SiGMA Manila expositions until 2021. Originally, the conferences were supposed to occur from June 8th-9th of 2020. The new dates will be May 27th – 28th of 2021. The decision was made in order to protect the safety and health of the Group’s partners, staff, presenters, and attendees. A representative for SiGMA Group has stated that taking the time to reorganize and defer the launch of the event is the sole possible way to ensure the safety of its 10,000 prospective attendees. 

The Digital SiGMA Conference

SiGMA remains committed to creating and fostering business relationships for key members of the gaming and tech industries. Any willing participant will still be able to attend a newly created digital conference, which will be held from June 8th – 10th of 2020. 

“ICE-SiGMA Asia DIGITAL” is a three-day event that is free of charge, and it will contain several virtual workshops and showcases. The digital conference is geared towards uniting businesses and other industry stakeholders that have been impacted by COVID-19. Anybody who signs up to attend the event will also receive a complimentary standard-level ticket for entry to the postponed Manila physical conference.

The virtual experience will feature top speakers who will discuss the projected future of the gaming industry and the latest tech innovations. Attendees will be able to receive expert insights despite having to stay at home due to many countries’ states of lockdown. 

Kate Chambers, who is the Managing Director of Clarion Gaming (the company that is hosting the event), has stated that she is empathetic to the gaming community’s plight. She understands that the coronavirus is having a severe negative impact on supply chains and businesses worldwide. She sent her best wishes to the Asian gaming community during these turbulent times. 

The CEO of Clarion, Eman Pulis, also weighed in on the situation. Pulis acknowledged that the current state of affairs within the gaming and tech industries is uncertain due to the evolving nature of COVIID-19. However, he ensured stakeholders that Clarion is fully committed to its Asia-based sectors.

Pulis revealed that he and his whole family had moved to Asia last year for the good of the company. This shows how committed he is to ICE Asia, and that he is determined to make sure that the events still happen. Pulis will continue to fight for a postponement, rather than a cancellation, of the physical event and will make sure that it is a “dynamite” show. He believes that the postponement will be to the event’s benefit, as organizers will have enough time to regroup and make sure that the show is the best that it can be. 

Yabo Serena, who is Yabo Group’s Head of Marketing, recently gave a comment on the deferral of the SiGMA and AIBC Manila showcases. Serena gave her approval of the decision to reschedule the conference and stated that she is looking forward to next year’s inaugural show. 

Because SiGMA has so much extra time to prepare, the company has decided to increase the amount of floor space used during the conference. Pulis believes that iGaming activity will increase even further by the time May 2021 comes around. Therefore, the shows will be even bigger and better than ever. SiGMA will remain in constant communication with its partners and plans to publicize any further changes to the events over the next several weeks. 

The Digital Agenda

The SiGMA Group is marketing its virtual conference as three days of debate and expert opinions. The agenda kicks off on June 8th, at 5:30 p.m. JST (Japan Standard Time). For the purposes of this guide, all times mentioned will be in JST. 

June 8th

During the first presentation, the outlook on gaming within Asia is going to be covered in great detail. Speakers will debate over their expectations of when the gaming market will stabilize. Furthermore, there will be a closer look at industry developments within Japan, Macau, Singapore, and the Philippines. 

This same presentation will also go over the Integrated Resorts roadmap for various Asian countries and Pan-Asian regulation development. 

June 9th

On June 9th, at 5:30 p.m., Eman Pulis is going to give the opening speech. The rest of the presentation will go over regulatory updates for iGaming across Asia. 

Then, at 6:15 p.m., there will be a panel on how the gaming industry has been changing in order to adapt to the coronavirus. Experts will discuss which regulators have been quick to change their practices, and which ones are lagging behind. There will also be a conversation on how the sports betting industry is being affected by the current public health crisis and on the ride of eSports betting. 

At 7 p.m., there will be an official discussion about sports and eSports, in addition to peer-to-peer gaming. Experts are going to examine new regulations on live betting and discuss how players’ experiences could be enhanced.

The final panel on June 9th will occur at 7:45 p.m. and will cover how companies can make changes in order to better serve their Asian customers. 

June 10th

At 5:30 p.m., there will be a discussion on new technology from 2019. The speakers will also give their predictions on what new technological innovations will be released during the rest of 2020. Some of the tech topics will include VR, robotics, smart cities, and augmented reality.

Afterward, at 6:15 p.m., there will be a panel on regulatory updates with the main focus on decentralized casino models for online gaming. 

At 7 p.m., people who are trying to find investors may pitch their start-up ideas and new products.

When that is over, at 7:45 p.m., there will be a discussion on how technology is developing during the current pandemic. Experts in the field will discuss how COVID-19 is impacting cryptocurrencies and data tracking. 

The final panel will occur at 8:30 p.m. and will look at cryptocurrencies in greater detail.