Develop Conference and Expo

David Braben, Andrew Eades, Tommy Francis, Damian Isla, Richard Lemarchand, Jonathan Smith and Phil Spencer* will be among the 90 plus international development gurus speaking at this year’s Develop Conference and Expo in Brighton in July.

Billed by organiser Tandem Events as the ultimate gathering for developers in Europe, the third annual Develop Conference and Expo will feature more than 90 speakers and 60 sessions over eight critical tracks designed to appeal to all corners of the industry. The event will also be shaped by four brand new themes for 2008 reflecting the current state of the games industry: capitalise, specialise, inspire and enjoy.

- Capitalise: as next-generation consoles reach the mass-market, how should studios prepare for next cyclical peak? And how should they respond to the influx of new distribution possibilities?

- Specialise: Game development is demanding specialists as never before. Studios will be able to explore the latest techniques to keep them at the cutting edge.

- Inspire: Learn how to recruit, motivate, retain and reward staff as studios flee the entrepreneurial nest to embrace corporate culture.

- Enjoy: As experts in the business of play, Develop makes it its business to help you play at the end of each day’s brain busting.

“Last year, more than 1,200 delegates from 29 territories attended Develop – an increase of 12 per cent on 2006,” said Tandem Events managing director Andy Lane. “To become established so rapidly as the destination for the development community in Europe is indicative that Develop is providing the content, networking opportunities and location the industry wants from its annual gathering.”

"This is the most exciting yet least appreciated point in the development cycle – game projects started now will be the ones to truly exploit Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo's current hardware, and so define this generation. We're therefore going back-to-basics for 2008, with a packed programme focused on perfecting the state-of-the-art. We've already secured top-notch speakers from big beasts like Microsoft, Bungie, Ubisoft, Naughty Dog, Relentless and Traveller’s Tales, plus many, many more,” added Owain Bennallack, Develop Conference advisory board chairman.

Develop Mobile and GAMES:EDU will run alongside the Develop Conference & Expo on Tuesday 29 July. Develop Mobile is expanding to offer delegates two tracks – business and development – with sessions focused on everything from the latest 3D technologies, to case studies of successful games, proven techniques for launching a new IP, and cross-platform casual games design.

GAMES:EDU is an annual conference, which aims to light a spark under the debate over the current and future education needs of the gaming community. It offers a unique opportunity for those who have a passion to transform the UK development community. Backed by Skillset, GAMES:EDU brings together the UK's foremost educators from across all disciplines to connect directly with developers and games producers, to exchange ideas and perspectives.

Delegates can apply for Super, Standard, Mobile, Audio and Expo passes for the Develop Conference and Expo online at www.developconference.com. Discounts are available on all passes purchased before July 1 2008. The expo pass is free of charge – please register online.

To find out more about participating in the Develop Expo, please call Craig Mundle or Andy Lane on +44 (0) 20 7405 4500 or contact them at craig@tandemevents.co.uk and andy@tandemevents.co.uk

Notes to editors:

* David Braben, founder, Frontier

Andrew Eades, development director, Relentless Software

Tommy Francois, new IP director, Ubisoft

Damian Isla, lead programmer, Bungie Software

Richard Lemarchand, lead designer, Naughty Dog

Jonathan Smith, development director, Traveller’s Tales

Phil Spencer, general manager MGS Europe, Microsoft Corporation

Tandem Events has over 20 years of experience in organising market-leading exhibitions, conferences and events across a number of industry sectors, including Develop Conference & Expo, Develop Mobile Conference, GAMES:EDU, Games Marketing Forum and Games Grads. For more information, please visit www.tandemevents.co.uk