Our exclusive interviews The Betting Coach, in BOSCON2019, continue with Martin Hodges – SBC Marketing Manager.
The event scheduled from 17 to 20 September is already sold-out and it is confirmed as an annual B2B appointment essential for many delegates and companies from all over the world.
A success of exhibitions and conferences, expertly prepared by a group, the SBC team, young and ambitious, with highly qualified international experience.
Since January 2018, Martin Hodges is part of the team involved with the “behind the scenes” of SBC products in his role as Marketing Manager, with over ten years of work in the online gaming and sports sector behind him.
Here is our exclusive interview
You like to call yourself an ‘armchair fan’ of sport, following football, rugby, cricket, Formula1, martial arts and boxing. Who is Martin Hodges and how did you come to SBC?
I have been involved in the industry for 10 years working with some of the biggest names in sports and online sports betting. I launched and ran my own sports betting mobile app for a number of years and when the chance came to work with Rasmus (Sojmark) at SBC, it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.
It’s an ambitious, innovative company and I’ve been able to use my marketing and industry knowledge and experience to help grow the business. SBC is right at the heart of the sports betting industry and both our media division (which runs leading news publications such as SBC News, SBC Americas, Payment Expert and CasinoBeats) and events portfolio (including Betting on Sports, Betting on Sports America, Betting on Sports Europe and the brand new event for 2020, the SBC Summit) are expanding rapidly, so it’s an exciting place to work.
Your role, at the centre of the action in all SBC marketing activities. Strategies, announcements, analysis and much more, what is your job and what are the secrets to organizing successful events like Betting on Sports?
The marketing team is responsible for overseeing all the marketing activities for the events, including the branding and positioning of the event, from the website, social channels and press releases to working with media partners, online promotion of event sponsors, speakers and exhibitors to ensure that they continue to be the leading sports betting industry events of the year.
What has made Betting on Sports and all our events so successful are the high-level speakers who give up their time to speak on our panels, covering the most important and relevant topics affecting companies in the sports betting and igaming industries. With over 300 speakers at this year’s event and 55+ track sessions, there is a wealth of knowledge available to those who want to learn. Plus the networking opportunities available both during the events and at our evening networking parties at iconic venues such as the Natural History Museum allow delegates to continue their business conversations into the evening.
Betting on Sports 2019, it is certainly the best edition of these 4 years. A success of presences, speakers and exhibitors destined to improve even more. What has changed since the last edition?
Everyone at SBC is really excited about this year’s Betting on Sports, as it is our biggest event to date, with the strongest and most varied speaker line-up the industry has ever seen. As well as numerous C-level executives from major operators, we have renowned tech, payments, marketing, compliance, integrity and regulation experts ready to share their invaluable insights with the 3,500 delegates.
In addition to content on the issues shaping the future of the sports betting sector, we have the first SBC Safer Gambling Forum, the Payment Expert Forum, the Digital Marketing Forum and the second edition of the leading operator-focused online casino event, CasinoBeats Summit – all at Olympia London and all accessible with the same delegate pass.
And, of course, we have some of our famous evening networking events lined up, which will give delegates the chance to make new contacts in stylish surroundings.
#BOSCON changes the location for 2020, what can we expect for the next editions and how is it possible to improve an event program already at the top?
The first SBC Summit at Fira de Barcelona will be another step up for us, in terms of the size of the agenda, exhibition and delegate list, as well as the quality of the event. We have some exciting new features planned, which we know our audience will enjoy.