Joonas Karhu, Chief Business Officer at Bojoko.com, says this year’s SiGMA event moved too far away from its roots to be truly valuable to online gambling affiliates. 

The headline numbers for SiGMA Europe 2019 were impressive to say the least with 12,500 delegates attending the Malta iGaming industry’s flagship conference. 

Among the thousands of attendees coming from more than 80 countries were 2,500 affiliates and 400 exhibitors. During the event, 200 speakers also took to the stage. 

It was a conference I was very much looking forward to attending, having previously visited SiGMA and found the event to be of tremendous value to Bojoko and myself. 

Previously, the event had primarily focused on allowing operators and affiliates to network with a secondary purpose of allowing operators and providers to meet and discuss potential partnerships. This, combined with insightful presentations and panels from thought leaders across the industry, meant that I was keen to return once again. 

But as soon as I walked into the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in November, I realised that the event was going to be very different than the previous conferences I had enjoyed so much. 

Instead of prioritising operators and affiliates as had previously been the case, SiGMA 2019 was all about payments solutions and online casino white-label platform providers. 

As I walked around the convention centre, I also noticed stands for printer sellers, office acoustic specialists and other businesses whose products were of little relevance to operators and affiliates. 

For the first time in SiGMA’s five-year history I felt the conference organisers had shifted their focus to other industry stakeholders, in particular suppliers looking to get in with operators. 

Bojoko is based in Malta but if it wasn’t and I had travelled to the event – as many delegates had – I would have been tremendously disappointed and would certainly not return in 2020.

I do not believe I’m the only affiliate that feels this way and I would like to take this opportunity to ask SiGMA organisers to consider taking the conference back to its roots next year. 

I understand the need for the conference to make money, but if affiliates stop attending operators and other exhibitors will see less value in paying to attend themselves. There are so many industry conferences each year that most operators and affiliates have to choose which ones to attend. If an expo does not add value, visitor numbers will simply drop. 

It would be a shame if that were to happen to SiGMA because the previous conferences had provided affiliates and operators so much value and had been such a big success.

So, what would I suggest the SiGMA organisers do to take the conference back to the original format that made it such a hit? 

Here are a few thoughts. First, engage with small or new online gambling brands. One of the most valuable parts of previous SiGMA events was the range of operators in attendance. As an affiliate, it was the perfect environment to make new connections and partnerships. 

To ensure the number of operators in attendance remains high, organisers should engage with small and new brands and offer them a reduced rate to exhibit. This may seem counter intuitive – I am sure the law firms and payment providers are happy to pay a higher rate – but it will ensure the success of SiGMA in the long-term. 

By bringing more operators to the show, affiliates will continue to attend and find the expo valuable and worth the expense of travelling to and staying in Malta if they are based elsewhere. Of course, as these small and new online gambling brands grow their business, SiGMA can charge the full rate for them to attend the event in the future. 

I would also suggest an overhaul of the badging system. For those who have not attended SiGMA, delegates are given a different coloured badge based on their business – verified affiliates are yellow and verified operators are red. But with delegates and exhibitors now coming from other business categories, I would suggest introducing a third badge that clearly marks them out. This is to prevent affiliates and operators engaging in conversation with someone without properly understanding the type of business they work for. 

Of course, I understand SiGMA organisers want to grow the conference and to maximise profits from the event but to do that delegates must see value in attending. I also understand that the event, as most are, is not just for operators and affiliates but this year the balance was weighted too much towards providers and suppliers. 

I really hope SiGMA organisers read this and at least consider the points I have raised – SiGMA really was one of the best events on the calendar for affiliates and operators. If they are able to shift the balance more in favour of affiliates and operators, I think SiGMA can regain its position as one of the must-attend expos on the iGaming calendar. If not, they run the risk of SiGMA 2020 seeing a significant drop in numbers, particularly among online gambling affiliates and publishers. I know I for one will not be attending.