National and trade journalists to take part in gaming conference

Innovation Birmingham Campus the venue for games conference.

The annual Meet the Games Press & Marketing Professionals conference is being held at the Innovation Birmingham Campus on Friday 16th May, as part of the LAUNCH event series for digital gaming and mobile app developers.

The unique one-day conference enables digital gaming entrepreneurs to come face to face with leading influential journalists and marketing gurus. The event is being hosted by Guy Cocker, Technology and Video Games Expert for BBC, Sky News, Wired and BAFTA.

Will Freeman, Video games journalist for the Observer and the Guardian, and Develop Magazine Contributing Editor is delivering a presentation. Also speaking is Keith Andrew, Editor of PocketGamer.biz; Angus Morrison, writer for PC Gamer; Matt Kamen, games and tech journalist for Wired UK and The Observer and Empire; and Joseph Barron, games journalist and Community Manager for PocketGamer.biz and GameSpot.

Over 80 digital gaming professionals are registered to attend the conference, which will feature panel sessions, presentations and one-to-one sessions. The event is designed to enable games studios and developers to learn how to get their game or application in front of the press and out to market.

Will Freeman said: “Too many games developers haven’t had a chance to learn how to engage with journalists and how the press has adapted with the explosion of online and digital media platforms. This event in Birmingham provides developers with an ideal opportunity to quiz the press, and gives the media a chance to give feedback to newcomers to the digital gaming industry.”

Pia Pearson, Digital Marketing Manager and Head of LAUNCH at the Innovation Birmingham Campus said: “Our annual Meet the Games Press & Marketing Professionals’ conference builds on Innovation Birmingham’s reputation for delivering the UK’s most active event programme for the burgeoning digital games industry. Each event in the LAUNCH series is focused around the key milestones for new digital businesses; launch, develop and grow.”

The marketing professionals speaking at the event include Rich Eddy, Director of Communications at Codemasters; Robbie Cooke, Marketing and PR Coordinator for Rebellion; Jamin Smith, Community and Media Manager for Born Ready Games; and Natalie Griffith, founder of Press Space PR.

Pia Pearson added: “24 start-up gaming companies have been born in our Entrepreneurs for the Future business incubation centre, which illustrates the continued importance of this sector to the local economy and the success it is continuing to enjoy. We want to encourage more entrepreneurs to apply to be enrolled onto e4f, to add to the 95 businesses that have been through the programme so far, which offers six months free mentoring, advice, access to finance, networking events, office space, IT and telecoms connections.”

Find out more about Innovation Birmingham’s ‘Meet the Games Press & Marketing Professionals’ event by visiting the LAUNCH website.