I survived my first event in the gaming industry, I loved every minute of this year’s BIG Festival, I met a lot of people and, although it was a business trip, I had a lot of fun. I am here to bring you some tips if you are thinking of attending an event, how to prepare, what to expect and what to do afterward.
Start early
Just like any other event, anticipation can be your best friend, first of all, make a calendar with the events that happen in the industry, it can be international and national and so you can have a visualization of when and where they will happen and decide which are the most interesting for your company.
Once you have decided which events your company will participate in, now it is time to look for tickets, lodging, and travel, and if your company is from Brazil, some public notices can help you cover part of the costs (it is good to always keep an eye on, but here’s a hint, the Apex program along with ABRAGAMES, Brazil Games helps to fund part of some events, including international ones, you can find out more by clicking here).
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Another tip that I think is very important is to be physically fit, in some events, you will need to walk a lot to get to the desired location within the pavilion where it is happening, at BIG we needed to walk a few minutes at night to catch the uber at the main exit of the Expo São Paulo, with the accumulated fatigue of the meetings this walk helped, even more, the feet throbbing.
Keeping a good diet before, during, and after the event, and fighting sedentary lifestyles will help you a lot to not get sick after the event and get the most out of it, including having the courage to go to the parties after, and these parties are important for networking and relaxing as well. Anyway, it is always good to carry that little bag full of dipyrone and vitamin C, and little snacks for anything.
Last but not least, the things that depend on a certain amount of time to be ready need some attention too, will you take business cards? Gifts? Presentation of your company/game? These things need to be ready at least a week in advance.
During the event
If you are traveling to the event I suggest you pack a light suitcase, both to make your life easier when choosing clothes for the event and to have room for gifts you can get during the event, even though this is not the focus, gifts are always welcome, and gaming people know how to make a good gift. Back to your suitcase, comfortable pants, a good pair of walking shoes, and blouses according to the climate of the place (always check the weather).
If the venue is too big, have a map nearby for the first few days (or until you get used to the environment) so you don’t get lost, if your goal is to hold meetings, google calendar can be your best friend. BIG had some problems with the match-making tool, some meetings that were confirmed didn’t enjoy a table or had two meetings at the same table, but google calendar can help you to keep on track and double-check so you don’t miss the meetings.
And remember to always write down the post-meeting stuff, who did you meet, which company, what they are looking for, and what feedback you got? These notes will help you to keep an empty mind during the event, you won’t get confused about what was discussed in each meeting, and sending follow-up emails will be much easier.
If you are going to exhibit a game, it is good to arrive early on the first day to check if everything is ok and if you need something you will have time to solve it. Write down all the feedback too, and after the event, you can sort them in order of priority.
Post-event
At the end (finally) of the event, meetings done, games exhibited, gifts and cards delivered, and parties enjoyed, what to do now? Rest. Get a good night’s sleep and recover your energy to get back to work as before and deal with the post-event demands.
You have had meetings and more business meetings, but they do not end at the event. You now need to strengthen the relationships created and go after potential contracts, send personalized emails and follow up according to the pipeline that works best for your business.
Presented your game? Time to look at the feedback together with the production team, understand what makes sense or not, and apply and improve it to achieve the goal you decided. And why not send some personal emails to the publishers or potential investors you have collected your feedback, these relations are good if you want to send your game again for a second look.
Well, for sure there must be many more things to do before, during, and after an event, there is a whole marketing approach that I didn’t cover, and I didn’t get too caught up in the parties, which is great because I can bring it up in part two later on. Do you have anything specific that you like to do at events? Comment here below!
