Future of games retail under scrutiny at September conference

Experts in PC games, virtual reality, market data and digital content round out the first wave of speakers for September’s new video games conference Games Retail 2020.

We’re hard a work building the first ever UK event dedicated to the future of selling games and today have taken the wraps off our first phase of content.

Confirmed talks from companies including Green Man Gaming, FIGURE Digital, Juniper Research and Powatag will offer insight into…

– Market data tracking and forecasting the games business up to the year 2020
– Virtual reality and what it really means for retail
– How mobile technology like QR codes can aid the retail experience
– Why the PC games market is so important and where it’s going next

Details on each talk can be found below. You can book your tickets here.

Games Retail 2020 takes place on September 16th at BAFTA on Piccadilly in London. It’s an all day conference kicking off at 10am – attendance include access to the conference and networking areas, lunch plus an expo.

Games Retail 2020 is organised by MCV and its parent Intent Media, responsible for other events include the MCV Awards, Games Media Awards and the London Games Conference.

More speakers will be announced very shortly, including talks and panel discussions covering selling games through social media, games merchandise, the toys to life category, augmented reality in-store, pop-up shops, the future of specialist retailers and selling digital content.

We’ve dipped into MCV’s extensive contact book – and had a glimpse in our crystal ball – when building the first Games Retail 2020 conference,” said Chris Dring, editor MCV.

This is the first major event that will flesh out what the future holds for how games are sold to customers. Forget your prejudices and leave your assumptions about the death of the High Street at door – our first line-up of experts are examining hot areas like virtual reality, mobile and PC. And our next wave of confirmed speakers will take that to the next level.”

Tickets are available now for Games Retail 2020 – with a 33% discount available for retailers (contact the MCV team direct for the discount code). Contact Sara.Mather@intentmedia.co.uk or call her on 020 7354 6001 to find out more about attending.

Games Retail 2020 is supported by event partner Xbox One. To find out more about sponsorship, email Conor.Tallon@intentmedia.co.uk or Alex.Boucher@intentmedia.co.uk call them on 01992 535 646

Check www.gamesretail2020.com for more information.

GAMES RETAIL 2020: THE FIRST SPEAKERS

The PC Keynote You Never Get To See at E3

Leading UK retailer Green Man Gaming gives Games Retail 2020 attendees a look at why PC remains the fastest growing platform for games on the planet. Why is it so popular? What is the impact of digital downloads? And how can retail get involved in the PC opportunity? Using its data-driven insight into the market via both digital distribution and online physical sales, and through delving deep into player’s in-game behaviour, Green Man Gaming’s Darren Cairns has the answers.

Speaker: Darren Cairn, Green Man Gaming

Mobile: Uniting Digital And High Street Strategy

Dan Wagner, CEO and founder of Powa Technologies, the company behind mobile commerce app PowaTag, discusses how the games industry can use mobile technology to keep high street sales alive in the face of digital purchases and meet the needs of an increasingly demanding consumer group. This includes bridging the gap between traditional and online retail strategy with mobile commerce, and using mobile and Bluetooth technology to gain the same level of insight into customer behaviour as eCommerce.

Speaker: Dan Wagner, Chairman and CEO of Powa

Virtual Reality: What Does It Really Mean For Retail?

The hype around Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus may well be justified – but until these are real products in the marketplace, how can retail benefit from virtual reality? And will retail be able to sell its experience via virtual worlds? London agency Figure Digital explores these questions, referring to its work on virtual reality retail spaces for the likes of Tesco.

Speaker: Ben Paterson, FIGURE Digital

The Road To 2020 in Numbers

Juniper Research offers a look at what the future holds for the games market, drawing on its extensive research and forecasting ahead until the year 2019. With annual global games revenues predicted at $41bn in the next five years, what does that mean for sales of console and PC games? When is the next round of games hardware due to arrive and what boost will that provide?

Speaker: Eva Hunyadi, Juniper Research