MENA Games Conference & Exhibition (MEGA 2015)
MENA Games Conference & Exhibition (MEGA 2015)
With the purpose of supporting the Online Mobile and console game Industry growth in the Middle East & North Africa region, IFP Group is organizing the MENA Games Conference & Exhibition (MEGA 2015).
MEGA 2015 will be held in Beirut at the Historical Train Station on the 26th and 27th of March 2015.
The Conference & Exhibition will attract representatives from 400 International and local companies serving the gaming industry in all its sectors: “game publishers, developers, infrastructure and mobility providers, mobile payments, analytic and user acquisition services, design to platforms and online advertising companies”
DAY 1:
Registration
Opening Ceremony
Welcome Note:
- Culturalization of game content for international markets
Kate Edwards, Executive Director, International Game Developers Association - USA - Building Ecosystems for Success
Jason Della Rocca , Co-Founder, Execution Labs- Canada - The keys to building a strong game industry based on research, education and development
Samir Abou Samra, CTO, DigiPen- USA - Serious Gaming and scientific representation
George Abou Jaoude, Professor - Laboratoire d'Informatique et de Visualisation - Lausanne - Switzerland - H.E Mr. Boutros Harb, Minister of Telecommunications - Lebanon
Break & Networking Brunch
Session 1: Developing Games for the MENA Region
The panel will gather experienced games publishers to discuss the future of online and mobile gaming in the Mena region
Moderator: Sten Selander - Internationalization Executive Director - Media Evolution - Sweden
Panelists:
- Vince Ghossoub , CEO, Falafel games - China
- Joseph Shomali, CEO, Play 3arabi - Jordan
- Barış Özistek, CEO - Netmarble EMEA (Joygame) - Turkey
- Hussam Hammo, CEO - Tamatem Games - Jordan
Q&A
Session 2: An Insight on Investing in the MENA regions online & mobile Games
The session will explore the role of investors in the growth of the games industry in the MENA region
Moderator: Jawad Abbassi, CEO, Arab Advisors - Jordan
Panelists:
- Issa Aghabi, Head of Investment - Twofour54- UAE
- Walid Mansour, Managing Partner - MEVP - Lebanon/UAE
- Andrew Walker, Partner - GameFounders - USA
- Speaker to be announced
Q&A
Networking Lunch
Session 3: The Lemming Thinking - The F2P Business Model Reviewed
The status of the free-to-play business model with rare insights into free-to-play numbers of games old and new alike on all relevant platforms.
- Carsten van Husen, CEO Gameforge – Germany
Q&A
Session 4: Education and Games
•Ziad Feghali, CE0 Wixel Studios - Lebanon
•Speaker to be announced
Session 5: Getting Ready to Pitch Your Game to Publishers
In this Panel publishers and developers will share their best practices, experience and business opportunities; as well as a game showcase
Moderator: Andrew Walker, Co-Founder - Gamefounders - UK
Panelists:
- Carsten van Husen, CEO Gameforge – Germany
- Fredrik Wester, CEO - Paradox Interactive - Sweden
- Speaker to be announced
Q&A
Session 6: Strating your Game Company
A session for entrepreneurs wishing to start up a game company
- Jason Della Rocca, Co-founder, Execution Labs
- Joseph Shomali, CEO, Play 3arabi - Jordan
Barbecue & Party
DAY 2:
Registration & Networking Brunch
Session 1: The MENA Game Industry: Catshing up with the rest of the World
This session explores the gap Mena gaming companies need to bridge in terms of game production and marketing strategies.
- Daniel Inn, Founder of X-Life Studios, Game Brokers - Germany
- Fadi Mujahid, CEO, Game Power 7 - UAE
- Reine Abbas, Lead Artist and Art Director - Wixel Studio - Lebanon
Q&A
Session 2: The Biggest Trends Impacting the Gaming Market Today
- Tobias Sjorgen, EVP Business Development, Paradox Interactive - Sweden
- Filippo De Rose, Changyou - USA
- Jawad Abbassi, CEO, Arab Advisors - Jordan
Session 3: Working together as MENA Games Developers Associations
In this session the heads of Developers Games Association from the MENA region will present the opportunities and challenges of developing games in their respective countries
Moderator: Matthew Handrahan - GamesIndustry.biz - UK
Panelists:
•Osama Hussain, President of the Moroccan Game Developers Association
•Samer Abbas, President of the Jordanian Game Developers Association
•Ameen Altajer, President of the Bahrain Game Developers Association
•Sten Selander , CEO, Media Evolution - Sweden
Jason Della Rocca, Co-Founder, Execution Labs- Canada
Abdulla Konash, CEO Hako Games - Saudi Arabia
Q&A
Networking Lunch
Session 4: Case Study: Dissecting King’s Saga Games
The session will present the key concepts behind the design of king.com and present their monetization strategies.
Session 5: How to Grow, Distribute and Monetize your App
This session will present the best practices to distribute, advertise and monetize your app
- Ville Heijari , Head of Supply, Europe - Vungle- Germany
- Simon Kendall, Head of Communication - Adjust - Germany
- Speaker from google to be announced
Q&A
Session 6: The Future of Mobile Payment in the MENA Region
How the MENA region is catching up with the rest of the world in Mobile Payments
•Elie Bejjani, CEO, Actel - Lebanon
•Speaker to be announced
Session7: An Overview of New Gaming Markets
This session will explore the opportunities of Gaming Markets in India, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan and their latest developments in online & Mobile Games.
Moderator: Ahmed Alsafar - Play 3arabi - Jordan
Panelists:
• Barış Özistek, CEO - Netmarble EMEA (Joygame) - Turkey
Q&A