2022's Top 10 Mobile Events For Monetization Professionals

As the industry continues to grow, it seems that another mobile event pops up each week. To make sure you're not wasting your time (and money), it's helpful to take these steps ahead of the event.

• Define your goals
• Plan your conference itinerary with that goal in mind

If your main goal is to learn about new tools and technologies used by industry leaders, make sure that the event's tech agenda is up-to-date and relevant to you. If your main goal is networking, make sure the conference has a strong showing from your peers and industry role-models.

If you're focusing on skill development and professional growth, make sure that the agenda is not all keynotes and buzzwords. Look for workshops and sessions relevant to your day-to-day workflows. If you're focusing on business development and vendor selection, make sure that the attendee and sponsor lists are consistent with that. If you're just trying to have fun or get some much-needed R&R, make sure the venue, accommodations, and timing all serve that purpose.

If you're looking for a combination of the above, make sure the event checks all the relevant boxes - with each category given the appropriate weight for your needs.

Once you've ensured that the event is indeed worth your time, you should begin working to maximize that time. That means creating a rough plan for how you intend to spend each day of the conference.

Make note of any speakers you want to hear from, any people you want to (re)connect with, any workshops you want to attend, any technology vendors you want to evaluate, any possible partners you want to pitch, etc. 

How To Choose The Best Mobile Events To Attend In 2022?

In an industry with near-constant innovation and upheaval, it pays to be on top of the latest technologies, trends, and business models. Often, industry events can be a great resource to that effect.

But with so many different conferences – each having their own unique focuses and specialties – it can be difficult to figure out which, if any, are worthy of your time and attention. It's with that in mind that I've compiled this list – highlighting the best mobile events for app professionals on the business side of the operation.

Organized by Informa Tech, Game Developers Conference is a five-day event where industry professionals come together to exchange ideas and learn about new gaming media, technologies, and trends. The event will pay particular attention to emerging game development tools and services – showcasing the latest offerings from companies like such as Amazon, Google, Nvidia, and Sony.

At this year's conference, there will be a dedicated community space for attendees to mingle and relax. The space will be outfitted with retro and indie gaming systems – serving as joint social and professional foils for conversation.

All five days of the conference are jam-packed with content and it won't be possible to participate in everything; which makes it all the more important that you plan ahead – circling your high-priority sessions.

To assist in that effort, programming is organized according to a number of different core themes, with attendees deciding which sessions and workshops to participate in according to their interests. 

It's not a rigid track-system like some of the more intense mobile events, but the added context does make it easier to set your daily itinerary/agenda.

Registration costs:

• $349 for a Standard Expo Pass
  • Floor access + online event access + special programming
• $399 for an Expo Plus Pass 
  • Expo Pass + access to sponsored content sessions
• $1,149 for a Summit Sessions Pass
  • Expo Plus + Mon-Tues access to summit sessions
• $1,749 for a Core Concepts Sessions Pass
  • Expo Plus + Weds- Fri access to the summit sessions
• $2,199 for an All Access Pass
  • Expo Plus + Mon-Fri access to summit sessions + access to all event media, including audio

For your convenience, we've included a link to the event's registration page here.

Organized by the Mobile Growth Association and held in Las Vegas, MGS22 provides a friendly environment for app Marketing, Product Development, and Monetization teams to get out, exchange professional insights, and have some fun.

This year's agenda devoted to UA, Monetization, Retention & Engagement, and Product Development. Expect the different corners of the app business ecosystem to come together for a week of growth, learning, and professional cross-pollination at MGS22.

If lectures, panels, and networking opportunities bring a smile to your face – MGS22 is the thing for you!

Registration costs:

• $199 for an Online Pass
• $499 for an All Access Pass (for publishers)
• $2,000 for a Supporter Pass (for vendors)
• $2,500 for a VIP Supporter Pass (for vendors)

  • Includes full access to VIP areas, VIP dining, and premium swag

To register, sign up here.

Please note that despite the name MGS22, the Vegas summit will not be the only MGS event in 2022. There will also be a summer event, MGS LATAM, held on June 24 in Miami.

The App Growth Summit NYC is the biggest show in AGS's yearly world tour. The tour boasts multiple stops across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia – hosting a new summit every two months.

In addition to its reputation for high production value, brilliantly organized, big draw summits, AGS also stands out for how carefully they manage vendor participation in their events. While other conferences prioritize booth fees and sponsorships over quality content and the attendee experience, AGS events always put app growth professionals first.

If you're sick of mobile events that cast you as prey in a cage to be hunted by vendor salespeople, App Growth Summit NYC offers a decidedly different experience.

This year's App Growth Summit NYC will showcase 30 expert speakers participating in 17 different sessions. Speakers include top executives from powerful brands like Disney, Activision, and the NBA. Though the event doesn't have a formal theme, one begins to emerge when you look through the agenda. And it's all about data – data privacy, data generation, data collection, data silos, data headaches, data analytics, data opportunities, etc. 

The summit is free to attend, but admission is restricted to invited guests only. If you're not already on the invite list, don't worry, you can request an invitation here.

If you can't make it to New York, but still want to check out App Growth Summit, you can look over the AGS event list to find another time and place that suits your schedule.

Put together by Steel Media Ltd., Pocket Gamer Connects – billed as "The Mobile Games Industry Conference" – has 5 yearly conferences, spanning 3 different continents. This year's US conference, Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle (PGCS), is expected to attract more than 1,000 industry professionals for a two-day event.

The event breaks into 12 tracks, each having its own sponsor-free programming and content built for its specific subject matter. The tracks are:

If you're reading this, you'll probably find the most value in the Growth Track (all about UA), Ad Insights (all about in-game ad monetization), and Global Trends (all about the latest industry trends and the facts and figures behind them).

The event will also have sponsored presentations on the following topics:

• New market monetizer
• Mapping the Metaverse
• Building on blockchain
• NFT know-how

• $99 for an Independent Developer Ticket
• $425 for a Developer Ticket 
• $750 for a Standard Professional Ticket (for non-developers)
• $1,000 for a VIP Conference Ticket

  • Includes access to VIP lunches, Exclusive Speakers Reception, and VIP areas

Ticket sales end May 10, 2022 until which point they can be purchased here.

If PGCS doesn't square will your schedule, you might want to consider Pocket Gamer Connects' other events in July, September, and November.

App Promotion Summit NYC (APS NYC) is part of a series of international conferences put together by Soko Media. As the name App Promotion Summit implies, these events are devoted to mobile growth marketing. This year's APS NYC will be divided to two parts: in-person and online events. The in-person event will take place on May 19th and the online program will take place on the 24th-26th.

APS NYC 2022 is expected to draw more than 2,000 app marketers and 50+ speakers. The event agenda covers topics such as app store optimization, user acquisition, analytics, engagement, retention and CRM best practices.

While a wide range of issues will be covered at the conference, it should be noted that matters of monetization will not take center stage. Instead, the summit floor will be divided into distinct zones for App Growth, ASO, UA, and Product & Engagement.

Each zone will delve into the challenges and best practices of relevant hot-button issues. Zone sessions can be advisory, instructional, or collaborative in nature and cover topics such as:

Registration is:

• Free for a Digital Ticket
• $650 for an Early Bird Ticket 
• $950 for an Early Bird Pro Ticket

  • Includes view access and scheduling access to the event's meeting platform.

If the NYC summit doesn't fit your fancy, consider the Berlin summit.

The annual MAU Vegas (Mobile Apps Unlocked) summit is a product of the Grow.com community and brings together the leading minds in mobile for two full days of learning and conversation (plus a happy hour kickoff on the evening of June 6th). 

This mobile event is expected to attract more than 2,500 attendees, representing both app growth teams and the brands that serve them. While there'll be no shortage social activities and networking, programming will mostly revolve around professional process refinement, evolving growth practices, and smart tooling.

Attendees will explore new and time-tested retention strategies, industry insights, and best practices touching on everything from Product to UA to Engagement to Revenue. 

Between the different panels, case studies, and workshops, we expect the following sessions to stand out:

• Tackling Data Chaos
• Changing the Monetization Strategy on Live Products
• Growth Marketing for New Games

Registration is subject to an application process. Only after your application is reviewed will you know the exact pricing. But generally publishers and first-party brands attend for free while agencies and vendors pay around $1,500 for a ticket.

WN Conference Istanbul'22 is one of the many White Nights events put together by WN Media Group throughout the year. White Nights conferences are known for their quality programming, easy-going settings, fun, and flair.

In an effort to maximize turnout in these not quite post-COVID times, this year's conference will take place both online and in person.

All told, the event is expected to bring in some 2,500 people from over 800 mobile game publishers.

Looking over the agenda for Instanbul'22, it's not hard to understand why WN conferences have become such a fixture of the industry. Our picks for must-see sessions include:

• Exploring the mobile Gaming Trends
• Learning how to Choose the Best UA Channels for Your Game
• Designing Games for Maximum Monetization

This year's conference stands out from prior years in a number of ways – not least of which is the WN Dev Contest'22 and the introduction of the Metaverse Track.

The WN Dev Contest will give participants the chance to gain recognition and resources for their upstart games. Contestants will evaluated by a panel of industry experts, publishers and investors. All participants will receive prizes and grants will be awarded to the best games.

The Metaverse Track will explore emerging trends in immersive gaming and the business/technology ecosystems that surround them. Hot topics will include play-to-earn models, NFTs, blockchain, and of course the Metaverse.

Registration costs:

• €150 for an Indie Pass

  • Includes digital event access + on-site access + swag bag.
• €200 for a Standard Pass

  • Includes Indie Pass entitlements + access to digital chat and meeting platform + pre-party.
• €300 for a Premium Pass

  • Includes Standard Pass entitlements + main party.

Vendors can register for Standard or Premium admission for 2x the publisher rate. To register, click here. 

FYI: We're going to be at this event and we'd love to connect. You can click here to schedule a meeting with one of our representatives.

If you can't make it to this event, check out their other events.

Gamesforum Berlin is of the 4 conferences that Gamesforum holds every year. The other conferences take place in Barcelona, London, and Seattle. Gamesforum conferences stand out from the crowd due to the depth of their content and their laser focus on practical professional empowerment.

Gamesforum is not the case of an event organizer business that happens to include mobile game developers among its vertical; it's a known app industry presence that decided to organize events.

As such, Gamesforum events don't have celebrity keynotes or 20-minute long presentations about "building business synergies". Instead, every strategic discussion is grounded in operational know-how and tactical advice.

At Gamesforum Berlin, you'll find none of the hot air and puffery that dominate other events.

The smaller (around 100 participants typically), more intimate meetup is all about brass tacks.

While the conference agenda has not been announced yet, you can be sure that it will include thoughtful examinations of current UA practices, data operationalization, in-game advertising trends, LTV optimization, and future-proofing strategies.

Registration costs:

• $269 for a Publisher Ticket
• $979 for a Solution Provider Ticket

For registration, click here. 

FYI: oolo will be attending this conference, so if you're planning on going, please make sure we get a chance to connect.

If you can't make it to this event, Gamesforum is holding additional events in September and October.

After 2 years of virtual events, the Israel Mobile Summit is coming back for its 10th annual in-person conference. The Tel Aviv event, among the most prominent events in the EMEA region, is expected to draw a crowd of around 2,000 – representing companies from ever corner of the app industry.

The full agenda for the single-day event has not yet been published, but here's what we know:

• The summit will offer plenty of networking opportunities with mixers, pre-scheduled 1x1 meetings, booths, etc.
• The event will feature some 50 expert speakers (with Israel's local app ecosystem disproportionately represented)
  • You can find the list of speakers here
• The event will be broken into 4 distinct tracks. Below is a sampling of each track's content
  • Innovation & Growth
    •  It’s Raining Unicorns  – Will the trend continue and what does it mean for the app companies, big and small? 
    •  Dare You Enter the Metaverse?  – How, if at all, will existing app genres, business models, and AdTech adapt to the Metaverse?
  • Monetization & Games
    •  Hybrid Monetization Models  – How publishers can and should balance IAP, IAA, and subscription revenue models.
    •  From Closed Game Economies to Open NFT / Virtual Goods Marketplaces  – Managing app products in an increasingly interoperable digital economy.
  • Advertising
    •  Creative Solutions For An “Off the Tracks” World  – In a more privacy-protective future, what will apps know about their users and how will their businesses evolve?
    •  Bot vs. Bot: Using AI & ML to Fight Fraud  – How can you harness the power of AI to detect ad fraud and combat the hoards of attacking bots?
  • User Acquisition & Traffic
    •  User Acquisition 360°  – Examining UA as the central pivot connecting all departments, purviews, and data silos for the business. 
    •  The Game is Casual. Hyper Casual.  – What makes a game hyper-casual and how that affects marketing and monetizing strategies.
    •  Influencer Marketing & The Creator Economy  – How influencer clout plays into publishing, advertising, network, and tooling strategies. 

Registration costs:

• $107 for a Regular Ticket
  • Includes access to the conference + expo area
• $150 for a Business Ticket
  • Includes access to the conference + expo area + 1x1 meeting + summit party
• $399 for a VIP Ticket
  • Includes access to the conference + expo area + 1x1 meeting + summit party + featured attendee + VIP dinner

Please note that these prices reflect pre-registration rates. Prices are liable to increase as the summit draws nearer. To buy a ticket, visit Israel Mobile Summit's registration portal. 

This is another mobile event at which oolo will be well represented. So if you're planning on attending, please make sure we get a chance to chat.

The annual Gamescom event is one of the world's largest gaming events, attracting thousands of visitors – representing gamers, developers, and vendors.  

Gamescom offers a decidedly different event experience. More than any of the other mobile events listed here, Gamescom serves the consumer side of the market. For publishers that creates a unique opportunity to interact with their users and better understand their tastes and distastes in the flesh – rather than relying on rough behavioral profiles derived from abstract cohort analytics.

In many ways,  Gamescom is the largest, most engaged focus group you'll ever have access to. And valuable insights are free for the taking by any publisher attendee with an inquisitive and/or observant nature.

In addition to its focus on the gamer, this conference is worth attending simply for how fun and different it is. The conference grounds are split into 7 different areas:

When it comes to content and programming, monetization professionals will probably get the most value from the Gamescom Campus. Having said that, you'll definitely still want to check out the Gamescom Cosplay Village and the Entertainment Area. Be sure to don your niftiest cloak and tell them Shani sent you.

For registration information, click here.

If you're active in the Asian market, you might be interested in Gamescom Asia, which will be held  October 20th-23rd.

Candid Considerations In Post-COVID Conferencing

After more than two years of COVID-19 induced isolation, we're all pretty excited to hit the pavement and get back out there. Still, it's unlikely that you'll be able to attend every single industry event. As you consider which events warrant registration and which might not, it's important to know exactly what each conference offers and how that suits your purposes.

We hope that this article can be a resource for you as you plan 2022 conference calendar. Each event listed offers something unique – whether it's skill-sharpening, market insights, professional connections, trend analysis, process innovation, or business development. 

Of course, if you know of a worthwhile mobile event that we've neglected to include, we want to hear about it. Share your thoughts in the comments.