“We are excited about how Juegos Miami 2017 will shape up”

What is the outcome of the first Juegos Miami, did it meet your expectations and how did attendees react?

A launch such as Juegos Miami is much harder to evaluate compared to a long established event such as ICE, based on the simple fact that you have nothing to measure it against, whether those comparisons are visitor figures, number of exhibitors, floor space or the results of satisfaction surveys. The vision for Juegos Miami, which was described by one of our stakeholders as 'not a trade show, not a conference, not a networking opportunity – but all of these things wrapped in a single package' was based on the outcome of considerable research and dialogue with the industry – essentially it's what the operators in the region asked us to create, so meeting those requirements was really our benchmark.

On balance, this first edition was extremely well received by our supporting companies, by the conference speakers, by attendees as well as by the community of international gaming media, who have been very supportive. It’s obviously very important that we don’t get carried away, because there were issues that did not go as well as we had intended. However, for a launch event, I have been pleased with the outcome and the positive feedback that we have received, confirms this view. It was a very good start and I am extremely grateful to the Latin American and Caribbean industry for having faith in us as organisers and for supporting Juegos Miami with such passion.

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Looking ahead, Juegos Miami will be whatever the industry wants it to be

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What were the high and low points of Juegos Miami?

Launches have their own very specific difficulties and there have been many thousands of events and exhibitions which never get to celebrate a second year. There were some minor low points in the sales and marketing cycle, but that's quite common when you are creating a brand new event. However the high points of seeing the vision become reality and experiencing the energy and the enthusiasm for Juegos Miami justified all of the hard work that the teams at both Clarion and Urban had invested in creating the Juegos Miami brand.

What would you say needs to be improved going forward?

It's clear the dynamics between exhibiting, learning and networking require a fresh approach; I think that's the most high profile requirement. Generally, the approach we adopt with all of our events, is to consult with stakeholders in order to identify what was really good about their experience and what didn't work quite as well as hoped. On the basis of those findings we refine, adapt and refresh accordingly. That process, which also involves discussions about the most advantageous timings and dates, is fully underway and we are all extremely excited about how Juegos Miami 2017 will shape up.

Looking ahead, Juegos Miami will be whatever the industry wants it to be – it's our job to respond to changes in the market and the business needs of our customers. What I can say is that, on the basis of what we have experienced in year one, and with the continued support of the industry, I am certain that Juegos Miami will become a major, must attend event on the industry calendar.