With the purpose of accelerating online, mobile and console game industries’ growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the MENA Games 2015 conference & exhibition will be held on 26-27 March in Beirut, Lebanon, under the patronage of H.E. Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb.
This pioneering event will host representatives from 40 international and local companies as well as 50 speakers from 30 countries. MENA Games 2015 is organised by International Fairs and Promotions (IFP) with the official support of Alfa, and will be held at Beirut’s historic Mar Mikhael train station.
The event will focus on building bridges between the countries within MENA region and the rest of the gaming world. A broad range of subjects relating to that agenda will be covered, including the development of games for local Arabic audiences, expansion and investment opportunities for international companies and the value of strong, collaborative relationships between MENA companies and those from other parts of the world.
The speaker schedule features some of the most prominent game companies based in and serving the MENA region, including Falafel Games, Game Power 7, Play 3arabi, Game Cooks, Wixel Studios and many more. The speakers’ list features some of the most renowned leaders in the global gaming industry today, with big names like Carsten van Husen from Gameforge 4D (Germany), Baris Ozistek from Netmarble EMEA (Turkey), Sten Selander from Media Evolution (Sweden), Kate Edwards from IGDA (USA) and Fredrik Wester from Paradox Interactive (Sweden) taking center-stage.
Importantly, investors and representatives from business incubators dedicated to supporting emerging digital start-ups will also participate in this year’s event, providing Arab entrepreneurs with a promising and unique opportunity to present their ideas in their early stages, and allowing emerging companies to seek the support they need to progress professionally.
Over the last few of years Beirut has also witnessed the founding of specialised incubators for the digital business, like Berytech and Berytech Fund, who are participating in MENA Games 2015 as gold sponsors, as well as Beirut Digital District, a silver sponsor. Industry partners include the International Games Developers Association (IGDA) and regional developers associations from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and others.
Nordic Game Community members are encouraged to attend, and will enjoy a 20 per cent discount on MENA Games 2015 passes. For more information and to register, visit www.menagames.com.
