Dubai set to host Esports and Games Festival in June

Gamers, get ready for the 2023 edition of the Dubai Esports and Games Festival (DEF) from 21-25 June at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City Dubai.

The festival aims to celebrate the video game industry, provide interactive tech-driven entertainment, and promote Dubai's position as a global hub for esports and gaming.

Dubai Esports & Games Festival launched in 2022, and is set to be bigger and better for its second edition. DEF 2023 will build upon the success of 2022, with a bigger GameExpo space for gamers and an updated GameExpo Summit.

DEF 2023 will feature an array of events, including an interactive consumer show, regional and influencer esports tournaments, influencer challenges, a thought-provoking business conference, and B2B networking event that connects companies from all over the world. The festival will also hold the GameExpo Summit, which will serve as a forum for regional leaders to collaborate on ways to further springboard the strong growth in the gaming industry. The Play Beyond! event is a new addition to DEF 2023, bringing together international influencers into the mix.

There will be the second GameExpo Summit powered by PG connects in partnership with Steel Media LTD, who run the Pocket Gamer Connects events. The Summit will highlight that Dubai is the fastest-growing region of the international games industry, and will be hosted by DFRE. Discussions will be held on pressing topics facing the games industry, such as new technologies from the Metaverse, AI and Web3, the latest techniques and trends in development, fintech and monetisation, as well as the unprecedented growth of the MENA market.

More than 100 speakers across two streams of content will participate this year, with a powerful line-up of discussions, talks, and workshops taking place. The summit will feature ten tracks, including Global Trends, Show Me the Money, The Growth Track, Esports Innovation, Developer Toolkit, Incredible Indies, Live Ops Landscape, Monetiser, Education & Ecosystem which is new for 2023 and Games Industry 101.

The GameExpo Summit 2023 presents an unparalleled opportunity for people in the industry to expand their networks and meet professionals from all around the globe and all areas of the industry ecosystem. Last year's Summit was a huge success, with over 600 attendees from 70+ nationalities and 66 companies. The finest minds in the industry spoke at the event, including Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in the UAE, Dr. Saeed Kharbash, Dubai Culture, Ahmed Tehemar, Binance, and many others.