As we get ready to fly to Paris at the end of the month and meet new developers at Game Connection Europe, we wanted to share a list of tips to help you (the developer) increase your chances to having a successful meeting.
Meetings at Game Connection (and other industry conferences) typically last 30 minutes but by afternoon, most people are running late. Realistically you may only have 20 minutes to present your game. That means you’ve got to be prepared to spend that time as efficiently as possible. Hopefully the following tips will help you focus your presentations.
Be on Time
Do your best to be on time. It is a sign of respect to either be on time or at least text to say that you’re running late. You are meeting a company for the first time. First impressions go a long way!
Go with the Flow
Introduce yourself and the team members who are with you. In the time it takes to introduce your team you should have a feeling as to what type of company it is that you’re meeting with. Keep it professional or keep it loose, size up the personality of who you are meeting with and try to match them.
Present Key Info
Be prepared to give a short history of your studio and the products that you’ve launched recently. If your company is a start-up and you don’t have any previous projects, then describe your team’s background. Where you come from is as important as where you are today. Your track record helps a publisher visualize the potential of your current project.
Prep Your Presentation
Practice your presentation before the show. Present it to family and/or your team. The feedback will help you focus on what’s important and remove things that are redundant, repetitive or unnecessary. Remember that no one wants to stare at a screen and listen to someone describe what they’re seeing. Keep in mind that you’re under tight time constraints and make sure your presentation is no longer than 15 minutes. You want to make sure you leave time to discuss the business side of the project after your presentation.
Be Ready for Questions
Be prepared to describe where the game is in development. You may determine whether a relationship is worth pursuing based on the reaction of the publisher to your development plan.
Have your financials readily available. Publisher need to understand the financial scope of your project.
Get Your Tech Ready
This is possibly the most important tip we can offer you: make sure all your technology is working and that your devices are charged. We’ve seen it all, TV not working, tablet is out of battery power, a video doesn’t play properly, etc. Test EVERYTHING, and have a backup plan just in case something goes wrong.