I've been to a few of these events now and I came away from this one thinking it was the best ever.

I took some time to have a look around the trade show floor to see if I could find 'the next big thing' in egaming.

I was pretty impressed with some of the smart phone stuff from Spin3 (powered by the Isle of Man's own Microgaming).

They recently launched blackjack and roulette, as well as the Tomb Raider and Major Millions slot games, as web applications for the iPhone and Android G1 mobile phones.

In addition, Spin3's full portfolio of 15 games delivered through its GameWire platform has been developed specifically to support BlackBerry .

Matti Zinder, head of Spin3 said: 'The emergence of the smart phone has forever changed the face of the mobile industry; especially with the launch of iconic web-based handsets such as the iPhone and the Android G1.

'We were the first provider to offer commercially available play-for-real casino games for the iPhone, which is a fantastic achievement.'
I also paid a visit to the stand of software provider Playtech (also on the Island).

The young man I spoke to told me that the company has been developing products for mobile phones for about two years.

He said that mobile gaming is becoming more popular but represents only a small proportion of the company's business.

Their mobile platform lets players enjoy their favourite online casino games on their mobiles via the same username and password combination.

The user experience is said to be exactly the same as when they are playing online.

I also had a nosy around web host Continent 8's stand.

They were really promoting their Manx connections with the Three legs of Man and the Freedom to Flourish branding being highlighted and everyone on their team was really busy talking talking to visitors.

I spent the best part of one morning hanging around the Isle of Man's stand. It was one of the biggest and brightest at the show and was a constant hive of activity.

The Island's government is working hard to develop the egaming sector and its can-do attitude has encouraged the growth of a real community of e-gaming businesses and software development companies to our shores.

That's why egaming is now credited with creating nearly 400 jobs.

A number of these Manx companies participated at IGE and I got to speak to people from many of them.

For the most part, everyone is optimistic about the future of egaming and the Isle of Man's role in the global industry. Representatives of the following organisations took part alongside the DTI: Amber Business, Chexx IoM Ltd, Domicillium, e-llan Communications, Equiom, Global Betting & Gaming Consultants, ILS Group, Mann Benham, Manx Telecom, Neovia, Netcetera and PDMS.


>>Sherrilynne Starkie is the managing partner of Strive Public Relations, a strategic communications consultancy serving the Isle of Man. Visit her business blog Strive Notes for frequent updates www.strivepr.com/notes or follow her on twitter.com/sherrilynne