Two long-running African betting conferences are losing their names. Eventus International says Sports Betting East Africa+ (SBEA+) and Sports Betting West Africa+ (SBWA+) will now be called BiG East Africa Summit and BiG West Africa Summit, and it is adding a fourth event in Cameroon.
The organiser is grouping the four under one banner, the BiG Africa Series. SBEA+ and SBWA+ have carried a plus sign since 2019, when they added new conference streams. Now they join the flagship BiG Africa Summit in Gaborone, Botswana, which runs from 1 to 4 February next year as its 13th edition.
The new event is BiG Central Africa Summit in Douala, Cameroon, from 25 to 27 August.
Eventus lists BiG East Africa Summit for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 21 to 23 April.
It lists BiG West Africa Summit for Dakar, Senegal, from 6 to 8 October.
Why do it? Eventus says one name lets operators, suppliers, regulators and investors follow a single brand from region to region. Chief operating officer Lou-Mari Burnett pointed to the company's SPiCE events in Asia as the model. She said the move is more than a name change
, and noted that the flagship summit was held in South Africa for its first 10 years.
Founder and chief executive Yudi Soetjiptadi framed it as a return to the company's roots. Eventus began planning its first BiG Africa Summit in 2010, he said, and the event launched in 2014. The BiG Africa Series is a natural next step for us,
he said. Africa has always been close to my heart.
Bringing events in Botswana, Ethiopia, Senegal and Cameroon under one brand, he added, makes it easier for the industry to connect and explore new markets.
There is little detail yet on what each event will offer. The release says agendas and speaker announcements will follow. One more thing to check: the dates in the release for the East and West Africa summits differ from those on the organiser's own event website, so confirm them before you book travel. We have asked the organiser and will update this report.
The details come from the organiser's own release. We have not confirmed them independently. Eventus International is a media partner of iGamingUbuntu.
Also Read: African iGaming events calendar
