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A Successful Launch
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Lavrenty Gubin, Managing Director of Plasma 8, the organiser of the Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023
Lavrenty Gubin, Managing Director of Plasma 8, the organiser of the Batumi Gaming Fest 2022 talks with Peter White
ongratulations on hosting such a
Csuccessful exhibition and conference.
You and your team must be delighted with the numbers of attended the inaugural event.
Yes, we are pretty satisfied with the number of attendees. We had more people than expected both on the conference day and taking part in the masterclasses. These people were mainly the representatives of the local and international gamingrelated business. However, we see the areas where we should put more effort: in attracting those who are making the first steps in the industry – regular entry-level employees or those who are just thinking of getting into gaming.
Having a busy show does create a very good atmosphere, which as a media sponsor and speaker in attendance at the show, I can say was apparent.
That was our intention to make a special atmosphere of combined business and leisure, especially considering the fact that we all are working in the industry, which is providing entertainment to people. Thus we all feel thankful when someone else is striving for our comfort. We all appreciate it. So we have tried our best and we’ve got a corresponding feedback.
What role does the Gaming Fest event in Georgia look to accomplish in the region?
There was no regular gaming event in Georgia before ours and this is a rapidly growing market. Georgia has everything to become the regional center of gaming tourism: It has clear and established legislation and a constantly growing market. Thus such an event, where the industry representatives can meet and exchange their experiences, is simply required. As soon as I was working here for more than 10 years in casino marketing, I decided to organize the Gaming Fest with the help of my agency — Plasma 8. Our goal is
George Mamulaishvili, Head of Administration, Georgian Gambling Commission
to become a regular trade show and conference in Georgia in the field of gaming and casino business, and to get into the world gaming calendar as a mustvisit event.
Next year it will be Tbilisi Gaming Fest. What can you tell us about the venue and the plans for the event in the Georgian capital?
Right, the next Georgian Gaming Fest will be held in the capital – Tbilisi. Unfortunately, there is no proper expo area in Batumi yet big enough to expand our event. Also, the exhibitors and delegates expressed their interest in having the next show in Tbilisi. So we decided to run the next gaming festival at Expo Georgia. We already booked one of the biggest expo pavilions there. By the way, your media will be the first to announce this – Tbilisi Gaming Fest will be held on September, 2023 in Tbilisi, Expo Georgia. More exhibitors, more delegates, more visitors and brighter after-parties – all of it to be seen here in Georgia next year.
For those who want to know more about what is happening in the gaming industry in the region regarding the land-based and online casino industry in Georgia, and surrounding countries, what advice do you have to them as to why they need to attend Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023?
The industry is rapidly growing in this region: In Georgia itself and in the surrounding countries, like Armenia and Kazakhstan, some states will introduce a legal casino business, such as Kyrgyzstan, and possibly Azerbaijan. We see also online business rapidly developing here, including live casino studios, due to favourable legislation and taxation here in Georgia. There are many reasons you need to visit Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023 if you are involved or would
like to get involved into gaming business to look for the new business opportunities, products and technologies; to find new partners and to meet your existing ones; to learn and expand your awareness of the latest trends during our conference and masterclasses; to look for new team members; to find a job in a new company; to socialize with people of the same interests as yours.
What is your message to casino operators in the region, and to manufacturers and suppliers of casino slot machines, tables, and associated systems and equipment as to why they should attend, exhibit, and sponsor Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023?
If we see each other and speak to each other more, we all, the whole industry will just benefit. It is the time in Georgia to move the local gaming business to the next step in terms of its social image, international presence and integrity. By having such events, we not only expand our businesses (this is the main goal, of course, and most of our exhibitors made new deals or found new partners), but we become closer to each other, we demonstrate to society that we are a usual, modern business, the same as all the others, and I think this is quite important. Also, Georgia is a great place to spend a few days.
How is Tbilisi Gaming Fest going to address many of their issues and concerns affecting the landbased and online casino industry in the region?
We are in partnership relations with the major local associations and we are visited by the state representatives. During our conference, one of the major parts are the panel discussions, during which we raise the most actual issues, discuss them and look for possible solutions. Of course there are always problems which need to be addressed, and we do our best to attract the attention of corresponding people.
What do you expect will be amongst the main topics on the conference schedule of Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023?
Competition, marketing, player development, new products and technologies, social responsibility, and responsible gaming.
Responsible gaming has had an increasing level of coverage in mainstream media worldwide over the last to 18 months. What is Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023 providing to the industry on the exhibition floor and in the conference schedule?
We know that responsible gaming is important for the balanced and natural development of the industry. Thus we started the first event in Batumi with a reasonable part of the conference devoted to this topic. The festival in Tbilisi will continue the
established trend of promoting social responsibility among local operators and reducing social risks for gamblers.
The e-Sports sector is growing. Do you see that aspect of the exhibition, along with sports betting, continue to grow so will we see a greater representation in future years?
In this part of the world we see that there is a great space for growth in the sports-betting sector, so of course we expect vast representation of corresponding businesses during the show in Tbilisi. For example, Armenia, our neighbouring country, has big sports-betting platform providers and operators, and some of them already exhibited or visited the show in Batumi. As for e-Sports, most importantly, this is the age of the “e-sportsmen,” as there are strict limits in the local legislation for participation of Georgian citizens in gambling and betting – the minimum legal age is 25. As e-Sports is still the area of young people, I’m not sure whether there are no legal limits to make it within our gambling-oriented event.
The Batumi Gaming Fest 2022 website is very well designed and easy to navigate. Has it been a continued work in progress as this industry continues to expand?
Thank you, it is nice to hear, as the website was designed by our agency — Plasma 8. We really put much effort into our websites and now we are in the process of developing the other one for Tbilisi Gaming Fest 2023 (together with a couple other websites for the local casinos). Our agency specialises in marketing for casino and gaming operations, and has many years of industry-related experience. We focus on how to promote gambling websites, and how to deliver information to the potential client, partner or guest correctly and clearly.
