Buenas tardes from sunny and warm Madrid, home of the 2nd annual iGB Espana. It’s that magical time between the close of day one and the start of the official day one party, so before everyone gets good and borracho, here’s my summary of what’s happened at the conference so far.
Every single delegate I spoke with on the conference floor today was highly impressed with the turnout at iGB Espana and is a true believer that this is THE place to be if you have anything to do with the Spanish iGaming market. Even though I couldn’t understand 95% of the conversations taking place throughout the conference floor as they were in Spanish, it was obvious that a lot of networking and relationship building was taking place between the Spanish operators and affiliates.
Each session today was packed full of Spanish speaking delegates and speakers complete with English translation for delegates like me who do not speak Spanish. One of today’s most popular sessions was delivered by Spanish Poker Pro Raul Mestre of EducaPoker, a true believer that the operator/affiliate relationship is of upmost importance. Raul pointed out that affiliates can actually “steal” players from operators through valid SEO tactics, but if a good relationship between the operator and affiliate is maintained, such activity is not likely to happen. Raul also emphasized that operators must have long term vision for their brand or else they find themselves left out of the very lucrative Spanish market.
Another highlight from day one was the presence of Victor Chandler himself, a bookmaking legend who was at the conference representing his new Spanish facing brand, Mister Apuestas. I had the opportunity to sit down with Victor and talk with him about his marketing strategies for Mister Apuestas including the six Spanish football club jersey sponsorships he has established, his reason for moving his business to Gibraltar in the 90s, and how the art of bookmaking has changed over the years. Additionally I was able to squeeze a few juicy tips from Victor about the very special Breeders Cup which is taking place this weekend, so be sure to check out the exclusive Breeder’s Cup interview right here at CalvinAyre.com.
Tonight we await the official iGB Espana Day One party at the world famous Pascha nightclub at 11pm, but in the meantime most delegates are networking around the hotel bar while enjoying a cocktail or three after a very rewarding and productive day. Stay tuned for the Party SINdex pictures, review and DAF Award from tonight’s celebration at Pascha, and until then, I’m going downstairs to enjoy a well deserved glass of red!
