Clarion will be applying its knowledge and experience gained working in the international gaming space with the launch of Gaming Africa, a free-to-attend two-day conference taking place in Johannesburg across 24 and 25 October. The decision to launch Gaming Africa follows requests from major industry players for a quality business-to-business event dedicated to meet the specific gaming needs of the continent. The Clarion organising team has experience working with the market having staged a highly successful World Regulatory Briefing (WrB) in Kenya earlier this year, which was preceded by WrB Nigeria in 2015.  
 
Explaining her expectations for gaming’s latest brand, Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, said: “Wherever we operate in the world we do so at the request of the market. I would draw parallels with the development of Juegos Miami, which was launched following requests from operators who wanted us to develop a bespoke event. This is exactly what we are doing with Gaming Africa and will assess the response and the market dynamics before confirming our plans for 2018.
 
“Any similarities with ICE will be based around the standards of organisation, of content and of professionalism that we are bringing to this new event. Whilst there is huge growth in Africa, it takes many decades of nurturing to develop an event anywhere close to the scale of ICE, which in 2017 comprised over 500 exhibitors occupying 42,000 sqm of stand space. Gaming Africa will be an event where operators and regulators can meet, share knowledge and move forwards in a strategic and sustainable manner.”
 
She added: “We know from the many conversations that we’ve had with the market, not just in Africa but also throughout the gaming world, how important training is in terms of raising standards and creating a professional and sustainable industry. To satisfy this, we will be bringing the highly acclaimed ‘Totally Gaming Academy' master classes to Gaming Africa, offering full training streams covering online, land based, sports betting and affiliate sectors."
 
 
The Gaming Africa agenda has been designed specifically with operators and regulators in mind, providing a line-up of expert speakers to help identify the opportunities for business growth. Topics being debated at Gaming Africa include: Africa’s Growing Economy – what sort of influence the dynamics of the economy might have on the gaming industry; Payments: is Cash Still King? – learn how to replicate the success of the Kenyan market’s use of Mpesa and unlock the full potential of digital gaming in Africa; Does Being Responsible Pay? – explore the argument and uncover examples of how this has worked successfully in other jurisdictions; Anti-Money Laundering and Sports Integrity – discover key solutions to one of the largest inhibitors of progress for the African gaming industry; Moving Forward with External Investment – explore the international perspective on African market entry, the operational needs of the market and the domestic view on foreign partnerships, and Best Ways to Manage Public Relations – determine how the gaming industry can work together to change  perceptions and better communicate the social benefits of a thriving, sustainable market. Gaming Africa will also feature a series of Regional Roundtables covering East, West and South Africa, and where the emphasis will be on the sharing of ideas, challenges and market opportunities.
 
For more information on how to build relationships with the industry's best at Gaming Africa 2017, visit: www.gamingafrica.za.com. Entry is free to operators and regulators.