Industry keen to reconnect at gaming summits post COVID

Recapping the first industry gathering post-pandemic in Manila, Ken Jolly, VP, and MD Asia, Light & Wonder stated that “we are hearing around the world after COVID that people are wanting to go back to shows and get back to summits. You have proven it here” – at the ASEAN Gaming Summit 2022.

As we continue with the indepth coverage of the findings gathered at ASEAN 2022, we bring you the overwhelming feedback from industry stakeholders: Ken Jolly, VP, and MD Asia, Light & Wonder; Peter Williams, MD Asia, Continent 8; Jane Guan, CCO, Pinnacle; and Bhavesh Parthi, MD, 48 Pacific.

Ken Jolly, VP & MD Asia, Light & Wonder, Gaming, Industry
Ken Jolly, VP & MD Asia, Light & Wonder

Ken Jolly, VP, and MD Asia, Light & Wonder commented: “When came to the show I was wondering whether there be strong attendance and I think that’s been the biggest shock for me, the number of people that were here. 

“I guess that’s a sign. We are hearing around the world after COVID that people are wanting to go back to shows and get back to summits. You have proven it here,” Ken Jolly underlined.

The MD Asia for Light & Wonder reiterated: “Great attendance, and good quality people, young people who have come from overseas, from all sorts of regions, and all sorts of backgrounds.”

Industry keen to reconnect at gaming summits post COVID
Peter Williams, MD Asia, Continent 8

Peter Williams, MD Asia, Continent 8, commented: “Today’s discussion we thought was really, really useful. I noticed that you had a full auditorium, a packed suite, with people standing at the back even as well, which I thought was fantastic.

Lots of interaction at the end from the audience and a few questions. Harmen was a fantastic moderator. 

“I think, we opened up the eyes of the audience to a few key points in terms of risk in the industry and risks to businesses and companies, and especially for online gaming, which is, you know, all facing ecommerce,” the cybersecurity executive added.

Jane Guan, Pinnacle, summits, post covid
Jane Guan, CCO, Pinnacle

Jane Guan, CCO, Pinnacle, commented: “I think there’s definitely a lot of interest in terms of people coming to Asia.

They want to know more about the market space, where they can be located, and how the regulation is going. There’s definitely a lot of interest. So that was definitely good to see.”

Bhavesh Parthi, 48 Pacific, Gaming, industry
Bhavesh Parthi, MD, 48 Pacific

Bhavesh Parthi, MD, 48 Pacific commented: I think it is, by far, the best event I’ve been through this year. And I think everyone should really consider coming because I met a lot of new people. And I was able to reconnect with a lot of old networks as well.”

“Guerilla Marketing and affiliate marketing: I found that panel really interesting because I was able to share a lot of my experiences and give out some tips as well,” the online operator added.

Light & Wonder’s Ken Jolly panel discussed the future of IR’s: “That’s interesting. There was a bit of discussion about your future like how what a consumer might look like to me, and also from the other guys. But then also the metaverse came into if somehow.” 

Peter Williams, MD Asia, Continent 8 commented: We are all of the same opinion at Continent 8: way, way better than we expected it would be. Pure and simply, we didn’t know who would make the effort to come to Manila. We weren’t sure about how many people here were still even around. So we were just so pleased. All our feedback internally at Continent 8 is going to be: Fantastic event, one of the better ones that we’ve done.”

The report is part of an ASEAN 2022 Industry Findings Series, bringing you discussions around the industry’s challenges and opportunities at the in-person event in Manila. Tune on Monday for the discussion on Affiliates, Guerrilla Marketing and Asian Market Penetration!