As I mentioned in my last post, a number of themes have shown up since we put the SIEGE program book online. Last time I talked about breaking in. This time I want to explore all the entrepreneurship discussed therein.
The main one is our (free) Investment Conference from 9 am to 3 pm Friday. More than 25 investors and industry leaders are going to hear pitches from 10 companies looking to expand their operations. This is a great opportunity to see how it is done and get an inside look at some innovative companies as well.
At 3:30 Friday, we have a great session on creating the best workspaces to maximize your creative output. Expect this to be relevant whether you are working out of your basement or in a 100-person game studio.
We follow that at 7 pm with Alan Wilson’s analysis of Tripwire Interactive‘s travails, as they grew from a small mod team to one of the most successful studios on Steam.
Saturday kicks off at 10 am with a workshop on pitching yourself, your team and your game.
At 11:30, the IGDA Leadership track features Do’s and Don’ts of Start-up Leadership.
2 pm has a session on VR design, one of the hottest new areas for start-ups.
3:30 Saturday follows that with Chris Rickwood‘s “Ask Us Anything” about game area, often one of the weakest spots for new studios.
Sunday begins with an in-depth look at game industry project management by one of the most experienced producers in the South, Al Nelson.
11:30 has an overview on legal issues game studios face, and 2 pm ends with a look at how game studios can and should use streaming, probably the hottest way to promote a new game.
Of course, both of the 5 pm keynote’s – Warren Spector‘s Friday and Erin Hoffman‘s Saturday – are great for anyone in the industry, and both have spent their time in the entrepreneurial trenches.