With less than a month to go before SBC Summit Lisbon 2026, Kateryna Goi, CMO at Belatra Games, shares her experience in exhibition planning, choosing the right contractors, handling unexpected challenges and why a well-prepared team can matter even more than the stand itself.

Major industry exhibitions may last only three days, but they require months of preparation. For iGaming brands, an exhibition stand is more than a visual showcase. It is a space where conversations begin, relationships develop and new business opportunities can emerge.

In this interview, Kateryna Goi, CMO at Belatra Games, draws on her extensive international exhibition experience to explain how the company develops its stand concepts, what she looks for when selecting suppliers, how teams should respond when things go wrong and why the people behind the stand ultimately have the greatest impact on its success.

Major industry exhibitions usually last no more than three days. When does Belatra Games start working on its next stand, and which stage tends to be the most challenging?

I always say that an exhibition is never just three days. It is months of preparation, three days on the show floor and at least another month of follow-up afterwards. In B2B, that is where a large part of the real work actually begins.

When it comes to preparing the stand itself, we usually start around four months before the event. This gives us enough time to develop the concept, design the stand, coordinate production and meet the organiser’s technical submission deadlines, which are often due around two months before the exhibition.

The most challenging part is always the very beginning. Every Belatra stand starts with one question: what story are we going to tell? Once we define that central idea, the real creative work begins. We design the entire concept in-house, from the overall architecture of the stand to every visual detail and visitor interaction.

Brainstorming can take weeks. Sometimes we completely abandon a concept and start over if we feel it doesn’t truly represent who Belatra is. We never build a stand simply because it looks impressive. It has to reflect our identity, our products and the experience we want visitors to remember after they leave.

How do you decide on the concept or theme of a stand for a particular exhibition?

It all depends on our goals and what we consider important to showcase during the exhibition.

For example, not long ago we created a stand dedicated to Belatra’s 33rd anniversary. It directly reflected the brand’s positioning as mature and prestigious, with a long history, while still being able to keep up with modern trends.

At the same time, launching new games or game universes often inspires us to develop booth concepts. Thanks to the diversity of our portfolio, we see every event as an opportunity to present Belatra from a fresh perspective, while always keeping the brand’s overall positioning in mind.

Instead of literally copying the visual identity of a game, we strive to capture its spirit through the idea behind the product, as well as the atmosphere, architecture, colour palette, interactive elements, entertainment and even the gifts we prepare for our partners.

A great example is our Belatra Adventure Club booth at SBC Summit Lisbon, taking place from 29 September to 1 October. We are currently developing the character The Guy, who appears in the Blast the Bass, Ice Bass and Hunt the Bucks slots. In each game, he discovers a new hobby, from summer and winter fishing to hunting. Just before the exhibition, we will introduce a new slot featuring him.

The Guy embodies the traveller within each of us: someone who is always curious about what comes next and eager to try new things. He is just like us.

That is precisely the idea our new booth will reflect. We want to invite partners to discuss not only business, but also their lives outside of work and explore different hobbies. Hobbies are a simple way to break the ice, find common ground and see people from a perspective beyond their professional roles.

How do you select contractors for stand construction? What questions do you ask before signing a contract, and what red flags would make you walk away?

One advantage I have in this area comes from my previous experience organising international exhibitions. Over the years, I have worked with dozens of stand builders across different countries, so I have built a trusted network of contractors.

In fact, I believe having your own database of reliable suppliers is one of the most valuable assets a CMO can have. At the same time, I never rely only on past experience.

One of my favourite research methods takes place on the final afternoon of an exhibition. By then, visitor traffic has usually slowed down, so I walk through the halls and study the stands from a completely different perspective.

I look closely at the build quality, touch the materials, photograph interesting construction details and pay attention to the finishing. Just as importantly, I speak with marketing teams and ask one simple question: “Would you work with this contractor again?”

Those conversations often tell you far more than any sales presentation ever could.

When I later meet potential stand builders, I always ask which projects they have delivered before. In many cases, I have already seen those stands in person and formed my own opinion about the quality of their work.

One of my biggest red flags is not actually about quality, but transparency. I always ask where the production facility is located, what is manufactured in-house and which elements are outsourced. These questions quickly help me understand whether I am speaking directly with the stand builder or with an agency acting as an intermediary.

Personally, I prefer working directly with manufacturers because it gives us faster communication, greater flexibility and much more control over the process. That said, I would not say this approach is right for everyone.

If a company is organising an exhibition stand for the first time, a professional agency can be an excellent choice. They can coordinate the entire project and reduce many of the risks that come with managing multiple suppliers.

Ultimately, no matter who you work with, the most important thing is to choose a partner who is transparent, experienced and genuinely committed to finding solutions when the unexpected happens. Because in exhibition marketing, it always does.

Almost every company has a story about something going wrong at an exhibition. Could you share a real example and explain how your team handled it?

After the number of exhibitions I have been involved in, I could probably write a whole book about things going wrong behind the scenes.

The truth is that almost every exhibition comes with unexpected challenges. There are simply too many people, suppliers and processes involved for everything to go exactly according to plan.

One situation I remember particularly well was when we arrived the day before an exhibition and discovered that our stand was still under construction. Not only was the structure unfinished, but many of the decorative elements that were essential to the concept had not even been installed.

Three hours before the exhibition opened, the stand was still being completed. Our entire team stepped in, divided the remaining tasks, finished the decoration ourselves and did everything possible to bring the concept to life.

Was the stand exactly like the original design? No. But our visitors never knew that. They experienced the atmosphere we wanted to create, and that was the most important thing.

That experience taught me an important lesson: even long-term partnerships can fail when it matters most. As a marketing team, you have to be ready to solve problems yourself, stay calm under pressure and never rely on the assumption that everything will go according to plan.

Are there elements of a stand that visitors barely notice, but which have a significant impact on the comfort of business meetings and the number of successful conversations?

I think this question slightly overestimates the role of the stand itself. A stand is an important marketing tool, but it does not sell, negotiate or build partnerships on its own. People do. The stand simply creates the environment where those relationships can begin.

That is why, when designing a stand, we focus heavily on ergonomics rather than just appearance. We think about how people naturally move through the space, where conversations are likely to start, whether meeting areas feel comfortable, how visitor flow works and whether the overall atmosphere encourages people to stay.

Interestingly, visitors rarely notice these details consciously. They probably will not remember the exact lighting, furniture or layout. But they will remember how they felt on your stand.

Was it welcoming? Was it comfortable? Did the conversation feel natural? Those invisible details shape the entire experience.

The stand creates opportunities, but it is the team’s preparation that turns those opportunities into real business. What matters most is how far in advance meetings are planned, how well the team understands each potential partner and how effectively those relationships are followed up after the event.

All of these factors have a far greater impact on the final outcome.

When the budget is limited, what should companies never cut corners on?

If I had to protect one part of the budget, it would always be the team.

Comfortable accommodation, reliable transport and good meals might not sound like marketing investments, but they absolutely are. Your team is the engine of an exhibition. They are meeting partners, representing your brand, solving problems and maintaining their energy throughout long exhibition days.

If they are exhausted, no spectacular stand can compensate for that.

I remember having a conversation with a senior industry executive during one exhibition. He told me that his entire team had been placed in a terrible hotel. The rooms were tiny, two people had to share each one, the windows did not close properly, it was cold at night, there was an unpleasant smell throughout the building and even breakfast was practically inedible.

He looked at me and said: “How am I supposed to put on an expensive suit every morning, walk onto the expo floor with a smile and spend the whole day building relationships when I wake up already tired and irritated before the exhibition has even begun?”

The team’s wellbeing is not an operational expense. It is an investment. Their energy, attitude and motivation directly influence the quality of every conversation they have.

Belatra exhibits across Europe and Latin America. Have you encountered unexpected venue requirements or local practices that significantly affected the budget or execution of a stand?

Every country has different venue regulations, labour rules, logistics processes and technical requirements. Sometimes it is restricted build-up hours, sometimes mandatory local contractors, and sometimes even basic infrastructure can completely change your budget.

I remember one exhibition in Latin America where internet connectivity for our stand alone cost nearly $10,000. It was not a luxury package or anything extraordinary. It was simply the local venue pricing.

That is the kind of expense you do not always expect until you start working in a new market.

Every exhibition is a unique project because every market has its own operational reality. Never assume that what worked in one country will automatically work in another.

What KPIs do you use to evaluate the performance of a stand, and how do you assess the quality of the traffic it attracts?

As I mentioned above, we pay special attention to preparation before the event.

Have we booked meetings with the right operators? Is our sales team’s schedule full? Have we secured meetings with our priority partners?

A well-prepared calendar is often a stronger indicator of success than the number of visitors who eventually walk onto the stand.

The most important KPIs come after the exhibition. That is when we evaluate how many follow-up meetings were scheduled, how many proposals were sent, how many opportunities entered our sales pipeline and ultimately how many partnerships were created.

That is where the real ROI of an exhibition is measured.

The goal of an exhibition is not to close deals on the spot. The goal is to accelerate the sales cycle. That is why I believe the real work begins after the exhibition ends.

What advice would you give to a company investing in a major stand at an international iGaming exhibition for the first time?

Don’t spend all your energy preparing the booth and forget to prepare your team.

A beautiful stand attracts attention, but people are the ones who build partnerships.

Before every exhibition, make sure your entire team has a clear plan. Study the exhibitor list in advance, identify the companies you want to meet and build a logical route through the exhibition halls for each team member.

At large events, walking back and forth between different halls can easily waste hours and drain everyone’s energy. It may sound like a small detail, but good planning significantly increases the number of meaningful conversations your team can have.

Another important point is coordination. Schedule meetings together, making sure the stand does not become overcrowded at one moment and empty the next. Plan lunch breaks and time away from the stand so there is always someone available to welcome visitors.

Ultimately, success depends not on the size or originality of the stand, but on how well you prepare for conversations with partners, how well you understand their needs and how effectively you follow up after the meeting.

That is what determines whether a contact made at an exhibition turns into a real business opportunity.