Taking place at carefully selected dinner and event locations in the heart of Lisbon, the devcom Leadership Summit is all about creating a safe and carefree atmosphere for you to network and discuss pressing and serious topics with fellow attendees.

Enjoy two exclusive evening events, valuable market insights and top-notch keynotes, before engaging in what will be the core of this summit: 4 roundtables that give you and your peers the opportunity to lay bare and discuss the most urgent topics and issues that have been keeping you up at night – largely proposed and voted for by none other than you, our guests.

7:30 pm
Welcoming speech & Keynote

8:00 pm
Dinner

10:00 am
Market Insight

10:30 am
Opening Panel

11:30 pm
Roundtable setup

12:00 pm
Lunch

1:30  pm
4 roundtables
(incl 1 h individual break)

5:30 pm
Refresher / networking

7:30 pm
Closing Keynote

8:00 pm
Dinner & Open Bar

10:30 am
Closing Panel with roundtable hosts

11:30 am
Networking Brunch

No money, no honey! Today’s competition is fierce, recession a reality, and knowing where to look for partners willing to take on the coming years is as difficult as finding a proper release date for your game, especially with shareholders hovering over you.

At the Business & Finance roundtable you will take a hard look at the current crisis the games industry is facing, dissect the situation and discuss how to survive and – more importantly – learn from decisions that were made in the past. We talk about the relationship between studios, publishers, and investors, as well as the question ”What can be considered the definition of success?“ before yet another studio has to close its doors for good.

Host: Ricardo Flores Santos

Making games is, all romance aside, a tough business, and founding a company is allegedly the easiest part compared to everything that comes afterwards. And while it’s important to build a proper team and company culture that aligns with your vision, finding a strategic approach to current and upcoming challenges is crucial.

Join this roundtable to discuss company (re)orientation and how to find a sustainable position in the business landscape for the years ahead. When and how should a company and team grow/consolidate while staying sustainable? Should you stay independent or, at some point, consider selling your company? Would you consider contract work and co-development as a viable means of creating a more stable cash flow, or focus rather on finding a publisher/investor?

Host: Christian Fonnesbech

The scale of your project directly impacts the size of your team and the kind of tools used to bring it to life. A bigger scope equals more complexity and higher costs – and with it the importance of reliable in-house processes as well as external service & technology providers.

At this roundtable we discuss topics revolving around project scope and team scale, the choice of engines and tools, pipeline efficiency, or the impact and perks of including rapidly evolving technologies like AI into your everyday workflows.

Host: Natasha Skult

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” (Max De Pree)

How do you as a lead keep up the team’s morale, especially in difficult times? How do you address your team’s fears and uncertainties? Making hard decisions early on is key, but getting the timing right is often even tougher.

This roundtable is intended to stimulate discussion around ways of preparing you and your company for the worst possible case scenario and eventually coming out on top. Proper handling of internal and external communication during these times is easier with guidance and feedback from peers who’ve already been in your shoes. Being in charge and constantly having to find solutions around how to get your team through a rough time is draining – let’s talk about it and about the strategies that can help lighten the weight on your shoulders.

Host: Lars Janssen

On Wednesday and Friday, we’ll meet at 1300 Taberna, a popular restaurant known for its traditional Portuguese cuisine. Offering a cozy atmosphere and a varied menu, the Taberna is located at the Lx Factory area, a creative and cultural complex of buildings in a former industrial plant.

📍Maps: Lx Factory, R. Rodrigues de Faria 103 arm. H, 1300-501 Lisboa, Portugal

Thursday’s location will be the Sud Lisboa Hall in the heart of Lisbon. With its modern and elegant design and panoramic views of the Tagus River, it offers a sophisticated space for the devcom Leadership Summit.

📍Maps: Avenida Brasília – Pavilhão Poente, 1300-598 Lisboa, Portugal

“With this Leadership Summit we want to provide a safe space for executives in our industry who are steering their company, their teams and their projects through rough times.

As a Managing Director myself, and host of leadership events like this, I know how important and valuable it is to be able to talk with industry peers facing the same challenges as you and building an understanding of how to take on these situations as well as creating strong bonds for the future.

I’m looking forward to this new leadership event and to welcoming you personally!”

Stephan Reichart
Managing Director at devcom