An unrivalled speaker line-up of industry veterans will gather at SBC Summit Barcelona between 20-22 September to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the modern gambling industry, drawing on their experiences leading some of the top betting and iGaming companies. 

The ‘Leaders‘ track at the Big Stage will host ten top-level sessions delivered by C-level decision-makers. The panels comprise highly experienced company leaders who have played a big part in shaping the industry as we know it today. 

The keynote session, ‘Navigating the opportunities and growing pains of global transformation,’ will see top-level speakers such as Jesper Svensson (CEO, Betsson Group), Paris Smith (CEO, Pinnacle), Alexander Stevendahl (CEO, Videoslots) and David Flynn (CEO, Glitnor Group). The leaders will discuss global transformation and its impact on the industry, the arising opportunities, and their strategies for dealing with the growing pains that come with the intense mergers and acquisitions activity, market expansion and the influx of disruptive technologies. 

The ‘Omnichannel leaders – physical customers in a digital world’ session will explore whether retail gambling operators have been slowly returning to their old habits or whether the new reality played its part in modernising their businesses. The panellists will discuss how retail operators can use automation more effectively and the work done by the operators in bridging the gap between retail and online. 

The panel comprises Alexander Martin (CEO, SKS363), Darko Živanov (CEO, MaxBet Group), Corey Plummer (Chairman and CEO, Olympic Entertainment Group) and Eric Olders (CEO, JVH Gaming / JOI Gaming). Cecilia Paolino-Uboldi, (Director of International Strategic Partnerships, Carnival Corporation) will moderate the panel.

The ‘Marketing leaders – competition in traditional and emerging markets’ session discusses how international operators navigate the challenges of local advertising and licensing requirements and compete with the local brands while also adhering to their centralised marketing strategy. Panellists include Elen Barber (CMO, Kindred Group), Carmelo Mazza (CEO, Betaland/Enjoybet), Carla Maree Vella (CMO, betPawa), Alvaro González Carel (CMO, RETAbet). Huw Owen Thomas (SVP, Group CMO, OpenBet) will moderate the panel. 

Another panel labelled ‘The Innovators panel – growing your business in a competitive market’ comprises Dersim Sylwan (CEO, Whitezip), Cristoffer Fröberg (Group CEO, QP Games) and Allan Auning-Hansen (CEO, CEGO & Spilnu.dk). Company CEOs discuss how the agility and a looser corporate structure of the less established companies help them challenge their more dominant competitors in mature markets. 

Wednesday’s ‘Leaders’ conference track will also feature discussions on topics such as ensuring diversity and inclusion in workplaces and how the high standards of national and state-owned lotteries play out for them in the modern competitive market that favours risk-takers. 

This year’s SBC Summit Barcelona is expected to be the biggest ever SBC conference and exhibition, hosting 6,000+ delegates, 200 exhibitors and 350 speakers. 

The exhibition floor boasts five separate zones, each representing an industry vertical, including the Sports Betting, Casino & iGaming, Payments & Compliance, Affiliate, Marketing & Media and Emerging Tech, Blockchain and Metaverse zones. 

Visit the SBC Summit Barcelona website to book Early Bird passes at €350, a saving of €145 on the standard price of the Full Access Pass.