As organizers, Which are your expectations for the upcoming show, which will be virtual for the second year in a row?

We have had a very good reception when 6 months ago we presented the project to our sponsors, making an attractive and innovative virtual event is a great challenge now that people do not want to know about one more zoom! We had to design a captivating proposal to focus on the topic of the moment, carefully develop the content of the panels, choose more carefully the Executives who would participate, without neglecting the business verticals and the actors in their different degrees of participation. Our expectation was fulfilled reflected in the records that we have at the moment, 10 days before the event. Over 800 international gaming executives have signed up and responsibly responded to registration process surveys.

We know that we all run away from what seems tedious. The #CGSLatam in its virtual edition (Second Year) will be launched on its own platform that allows us permanent updates, to keep updating videos and concepts, to incorporate new modules according to the suggestion of our clients and that will allow us to participate in an entertaining and virtual world. highly predictive, facilitating 24/7 market participation in 2 languages, English and Spanish.

Can you comment on the details about the innovative format and presentation? Is there a difference from last year's event?

All digital ventures and developments are linked to the technology and security offered by internet providers in the country where you work. Although our team is multibase (Miami, Lima and Santiago de Chile), we had to make sure that the recordings and streaming were done from a safe location and with stable internet. Chile gives us that peace of mind and that is why we have been able to count on better storage services and dedicated line speeds than in a pandemic world, 1000% dependent on the internet to carry out day-to-day tasks (schools, jobs, shopping) is usually a challenge. Even so, certain panelists in different parts of the world have still suffered from connection failures, signal lag, etc. The platform will remain in the cloud for 6 months and therefore we will update regularly. The platform this year presents different modules and accesses, linked to the selected language. The sophisticated UBX Match software generates "matches" between participants to be able to meet in the same place at the time of the network. The platform is a mix of JavaS, Unity, Maya, Html5, and even Phaser and Python, and additional commercial-type integrations, developed in a video game framework which allows a real and highly predictive 3-D experience.

Engine programmers, communication with operating systems, mobile and pc version, memory management, resources and strings, etc. This fully customizable and scalable platform will be the basis for the next hybrid event.

Due to the pandemic, how has the company reinvented the concept of the show?

The situation that we lived through 2 years ago and that may have Latin America in slow motion for another 2 years, forced us to make quick decisions and within the scope of knowledge that all the members of the company have (12 people). I am a Systems Analyst, specialized in Marketing, and although I worked for a very short time as I made my way more in the commercial and business field, I have the training to see the challenges logically. We analyzed the global trend, we investigated the supplier market, and we saw the feasibility of opening a division specialized in digitizing events with added value and a step further. We are one of the few Latin American companies developing this type of product, and shortly being suppliers to other industries and other event organizers to mobilize industries to the next step of digitization. A virtual event must be motivating, entertaining, captivating and playful. Otherwise the chances of success are minimal. All of 2020 we spend watching zooms, meets, webex and we keep naming.

The impact was minimal and the boredom too great. We had to break the paradigm and do things differently. The careers of the members of the company, helped to understand the concept and develop all its verticals, designers, programmers, specialists in marketing and advertising, in networks and digital transformation. We had all the skills at home to put together a good project and the missing engineers were hired to finish the gear. As I said before, this undertaking is the basis for our next hybrid projects, as health issues have not been normalized nor will they be in the next 2 years. Physical events need a virtual vertical. That's the new normal.

In your opinion, what are the main trends for the gaming sector in 2021?

This year we are going to follow 2 dynamics. In the first place, the physical market with mergers and sales of operations, with short openings of physical rooms and abrupt closings, totally dependent on, one: capital, experience and business strength and two: on health issues that make it unfeasible to return physically to 100% in a prudent period of time. With this instability and being an industry not very appreciated in most of the jurisdictions of Latin America, the situation is very difficult for the traditional Operation. Secondly, the uncontrolled and confused growth of the online market, where there is a lot of ignorance on the one hand and fear on the other. Too many providers, little information, too much supply, limited or no regulation, contexts that do not offer any security to invest. Those who had already been operating online casino and sports betting platforms had a great opportunity to consolidate and grow. There is talk of a growth of 300% only in the last year. Those who never entered are left out of the race because to gain a space in the market when there are already good competitors, is to play with cards against and at this time you have to play to the winner, there is no other choice. Political, health and regulatory issues make the development of new ventures disastrous and in this industry, entrepreneurship is not cheap. They are investments of many thousands or millions. The only way out is knowledge, understand how the industry works, what are the bases and minimum conditions, what can be expected and in what time, what is the level of investment, is the staff that I have or should I look for new ones, I start alone Or better, I'm going to play it safe with a Turn Key Agreement. Only by understanding the business can good decisions be made to follow the trend, which is to digitize our businesses.

What will be the main topics that will be covered in the conferences?

This question has practically been answered throughout the interview. The purpose of this edition is to help spread concepts and successful experiences related to the online gaming industry, a BILLIONAIRE industry that generates astronomical figures compared to what we traditionally know very well, those of us who come from the Physical Casino industry. A selection has been made of the best suppliers in the industry, leaving many large companies that offer tailored and very successful solutions due to deadlines and the ability to accommodate them. The essence of CGSLatam 2021 is to make known in depth the secrets of the online gaming industry. From here onwards, there is an individual investigation or advisory work to help the companies recover quickly. If someone intends to run a successful online operation, under no point of view should they use traditional industry concepts. It may be that your audience is not the same, you have to generate new databases and affiliates. We cannot have the same marketing or operations staff, we must look for specialized personnel in networks, cyber security, digital means of payment, bonuses, analysis of preference for games and bets, statistics. There are companies that have extensive knowledge and offer the complete process with guaranteed support, there are large companies that offer successful products from A to Z in easy-to-operate and customizable platforms. It is a different world, yes, it is a highly profitable world, but it has its secrets and like any new product, it must be well understood before launching without the proper guidance. There are topics of great interest from the hands of experts, in a relaxed and friendly language.

Participating providers have offers for all budgets and are specialized in different jurisdictions. The invited Operators have revealed secrets and tips to help colleagues in the Latin American industry understand the steps, the keys, and the possibilities. In summary, CGSLatam offers the best content in the industry, on the theme chosen for this year: the transition from the physical industry to the online industry.

What's next for CGS?

The step is imminent. From now on hybrid events in jurisdictions where sanitary conditions guarantee that we can come together to bump a "fist" - not yet a hug - there is no time for it. CGSLatam already has a house for 2022. The Caribbean will also see a hybrid event towards the end of the year. Most industry executives have already agreed to a vaccine. We all hope that great fairs such as G2E and ICE can take place. But let's remember that the world population is going to be subject to a health passport (vaccination confirmation) before being able to board a plane, to medical insurance that covers Covid care, possibly to quarantines for travelers, new outbreaks and strains, openings and closings of cities; in short, the degree of uncertainty is still quite high. The cities that are more organized will give the guarantees to be able to meet safely. Only time, government efforts and public awareness will help us end this kind of nightmare in which we are where many of us have lost friends, family, colleagues, businesses and we have been filled with fears and broken dreams. I wish all Soloazar readers a good future and a speedy recovery in every aspect.