TUNING IN WITH THE PODCAST

Now with over 140 episodes in its portfolio, the iGaming NEXT podcast has gone from strength to strength ever since its inception back in March 2020. From seasoned CEOs to the fresh but fantastic entrepreneurs, co-founder and managing director Pierre Lindh has managed to grab our attention with the arresting conversations he’s had with the crème de la crème of the iGaming world. We met up with the famous Swede to get a better insight into the podcast process.

At the start of our chat, Pierre astounds us with a surprising admission. Despite the pleasant nature of his calm and friendly voice, as well as the certified content of the episodes themselves, Pierre confesses that he still sometimes struggles with his confidence in front of the mic. “I knew I wasn’t great when I had first started it, and to this day, I still don’t feel like I’m that great. But nonetheless, I feel very comfortable doing it, and I’m ok with the fact that I’m not David Attenborough.” iGaming NEXT had first started back in 2019, with Pierre and cofounder Martin Pettersson having been organising events for seven years up until that point. But throughout this period, they had only ever organised events for other entities. They wanted to come up with their own concept. “At the time, SiGMA was the big show in Malta, but what SiGMA is essentially is 90% exhibition and 10% content. So, we decided to flip this round and create something that delivers 90% content and 10% exhibition. We wanted our focus to be on discussion and thought leadership, something which had never been done up until this point. This ultimately became the purpose behind iGaming NEXT.”

We’re bowled over. Over a hundred episodes, and a lack of assuredness still seems to lurk within the established entrepreneur. In fact, he can’t even bring himself to listen to the first few episodes, a phenomenon that’s quite common for performers and artists. Nevertheless, we’ll put this down to unconscious competence, a drive for perfection, and the importance of staying humble.

Despite all of the above, there is a honed strategy behind the narrative of each episode. “I always have a prep call with the guest a week ahead. From this, as well as a separate questionnaire, I can produce an outline of the narrative that we’ll have, and ten bullet points for a framework of the discussion. The whole process takes about three hours, as well as my own research.” Indeed, the results speak for themselves. On average, Pierre completes an episode per week, totalling an average of around fifty per year.

After an immensely successful debut with 1,000 people in attendance, they were set for an even bigger return in 2020… but the pandemic had other plans. Although everything seemed to have fallen apart, an opportunity arose for rebirth and restructuring. “We were forced to take a helicopter view and really question what we were doing. Is this sustainable? Should we do something different in order for our business to survive? This is when our digital arm came to be.” The team started organising digital events, but they noticed that a lot of thought leaderships and in-depth discussions were only accessible through very expensive conference tickets.

Consequently, this inspired them to publish everything on Youtube for free, with lucrative sponsorships keeping their ship afloat. This became the company’s foundation, and it was how they found their niche. “We had to go guns blazing. Despite our limited capital, we just used all our resources and worked very long hours to create this new version of the company.” They became absolute trailblazers, and others quickly followed suit.

Going back to the subject of stage fright, a certain baptism of fire was in fact the catalyst for the podcast, and the discovery of Pierre’s hidden talent. “During our first event, our host had disappeared off the face of the earth. We went knocking on his hotel room door, but there was no answer. The hotel staff opened the door for us, but he had completely vanished. We just had forty-five minutes left before the start, and 800 people had already taken their seats. So, we gathered for a solution… and everyone looks at me. I look back at them. They look at me… The general consensus was that I should be the one to do it, and there was no time to argue. I was terrified.” But up onstage Pierre went; he kept it simple, and he gave a heartfelt speech. It was a triumph.

We ask Pierre what other subjects he would focus on if he weren’t creating podcasts for the iGaming industry. “I think I’d focus on a mix of business, emerging technologies and psychology. I like how psychology intertwines in the world of business, particularly marketing. I would recommend Robert Cialdini’s literature on this subject.”

Throughout the podcast, Pierre’s roped in some titans of the industry, including Evolution’s highly respected Chief Product Officer, Todd Haushalter. The two now share a bromance, and Todd has so far been Pierre’s most favourite interviewee. As for his dream guest, he’s now aiming high with Jason Robins, the American CEO of DraftKings.

But how does all of this tie in with iGaming NEXT being primarily a news and media company? “Ultimately, we are promoters. When we run an event for the first time, there is an element of the unknown, but we have to instil confidence in ourselves and in all our delegates. So, we implement the practice of speaking something to life. We go out with a message in which we believe, and if we believe in it, then so will our listeners. It’s an exercise in reinforcement.”

So, what’s in store for the podcast over the next five years? “Well, the podcast is a pet project; I’ve never had any particular ambition for it other than doing it for the love of it. So, over the next few years, nothing much is going to change. It will however evolve with my personality as I age. If I find new interests or our company evolves, you’ll hear about these through the podcast. The most important thing is that my passion for it remains constant.”