GMB - How do you prepare for FADJA 2019? What are the main novelties for this new edition?
José Aníbal Aguirre - We prepare ourselves by attending to the specific needs of each company. Offering facilities for the assembly of the stands and the accommodation of visitors. Fine-tuning the schedule of conferences and panels during the two days of the fair; This is a novelty that we are sure will have great acceptance. We also work in the production and organization of an area to broadcast the event, via streaming.
We know the importance of the moment the industry is living. The balance between the online gaming sector and the developments of traditional games will be visible and measurable in the diversity of exhibitors that will occupy the pavilions 18 to 23 of Corferias.
What does FADJA offer this year in terms of conferences and networking with the addition of the Affiliate Summit Latam?
The conferences will focus on the first day of the show in the evolution, trends, most requested products, learning of the European model, methodology to implement affiliate marketing and much more. Leading companies will participate in panels on retail vs. online, regulation and responsible gaming, among others. Samantha Asensi, Juan Camilo Montaño, Gustavo Sanchez, Sebastian Perrier, Juan Camilo Carrasco, Tomás Enrique García, Paola Arciniegas Vargas, Benedicte Dintimille, Miguel Angel Guarín, Victor Arias, Victor Espinosa, Marcelo Ruíz, Kelly Muriel, Christian Gómez, Sergio Segovia and Juan Pablo Barahona, will be the speakers of this training.
On Thursday, the topics to be discussed will be related to the future of online gaming in Colombia and Latin America, how to transform physical gaming into online gaming through onmichannel strategy, gaining loyalty and player retention, data-driven marketing for operators, virtual games in regulated markets, and to the experience of the platforms approved in Colombia. We have a very prominent list of speakers, among others, Ilana Klein, Mario Benito, Cristian Acuna, Georges Didier, Julio Duque, Camilo Millón, Ricardo Magri, Julio César Tamayo, Lina Gallego, Rodrigo Afanador and Evert Montero.
The networking will take place at night from 7 pm, with the Opening Reception whose Sponsor is Playtech. There will be music and a special mapping show. The second night will be enlivened by a famous Colombian DJ and Art 3D Mapping.
In recent years, Colombia has positioned itself as one of the most important markets in the continent, regulating the sector and pioneering the legalization of online gambling. What is your vision of the current situation of the sector in the country and how does it help an event of years of trajectory like FADJA?
I believe that the recognition and position of FADJA in the world concert of events of the gaming industry is a reality and the reward for many years of effort. FADJA is must attend event for all the players in the industry, authorities and associations. Colombia offers an integral scenario for difficult approaches to achieve in an area with companies located in all latitudes of the globe.
How do you think the rise of online gaming and sports betting in the country will affect this edition of FADJA? What can visitors to the show see about this sector in constant growth?There are already 17 platforms authorized to operate sports betting in Colombia. These platforms have been born from the hand and by the union of Colombian and foreign companies that have reached agreements to complement knowledge and technology and adapt to the needs of Colombian players and the recently established regulations. In Colombia, the interest in virtual betting has been reawakened. Many international platforms have confirmed their presence as exhibitors and visitors to initiate or seal commercial relationships by contributing their technology and knowledge to this nascent market.
The sector is experiencing opportunities and challenges that it has never had in the past but it has a huge market to explore and build loyalty both in traditional games and new games that will surely arrive in a few years.
As a pioneer in the regulation and opening of the online gaming sector in the continent, do you think that Colombia can be a model to be followed by other countries with the intention of opening the market such as Brazil, Argentina and Peru? What should they copy from Colombia?
Indeed, the model regulator of Internet betting in Colombia has caused a furor in the sector, since, in large volumes of bets, it will be very profitable for authorized platforms. In addition, the State may better comply with its social purposes through the taxes collected. The maturation of the item is perceived in the legal projection towards new games, the increase of small businesses that operate sports betting throughout the national territory and the incessant fight against illegality by the authorities.
There is very good communication between regulators in Latin America. In fact, concrete results are expected in the coming days in Peru, where with a different format from that of Colombia, sports bets have been operating. Brazil is already on the right ground. It is official the regulation of online sports betting in the province of Buenos Aires and that is another achievement to add. Obviously, each country generates its own regulation and those who come to operate in the territories, must adapt to the regulations that are issued. Each country must live its maturation process, there are no immutable laws if there is agreement and dialogue within the framework of a democratic government.
As a renowned entrepreneur in of the gaming sector in the continent with so many years organizing FADJA, have you followed closely the process of gaming legalization in Brazil? How do you see that market in the future? Do you think that in some way it will affect FADJA being a neighboring country?
That market is huge and it is taking its first steps, which makes us very happy. We are not the European Union, where cities and capitals are very close from country to country. Here we are separated by geography, the rainforest, the distribution of population centers in the two nations and although we are all Latin Americans, we speak different languages. I do not think that the legalization of the sector in Brazil will affect our fair.
Will Brazil have a presence in 2019 edition of FADJA, either with exhibitors, confirmed visitors or participants in the conferences and sessions?
In the registration of our www.fadja.com website, we have counted approximately 30 people representing companies from Brazil that will come to FADJA as visitors.
Source: Exclusive GMB
