Conference News: Games Gatherings – One Good, One Gone; RSA Returns

Say It Ain’t So, E3: The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), together with event producer ReedPop, announced that E3 is cancelled. While its long-term future remains unclear, we know for sure that the in-person and virtual conference elements that had been planned for mid-June will not take place. As the news broke, GamesIndustry.biz interviewed ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis, who shared the rationale for the decision that sent shockwaves through the gaming world: “First, several companies have reported that the timeline for game development has been altered since the start of the COVID pandemic. Second, economic headwinds have caused several companies to reassess how they invest in large marketing events. And third, companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities.” Spanning the last quarter century, varying formats, and drawing thousands of industry fans, it’s fair to say that E3 had a good run.

Games for (Global) Good: The Games for Change organization will celebrate its 20th anniversary, starting with a session at the United Nations in New York. This Games and SDG Summit will be held on 17 July and will be an invite-only event that will ”activate the games and XR sector to support key UN Sustainable Development Goals. ” The Games for Change Festival will now include an entire week of events, hosted in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Speaking Opportunity: Sustainable Brands Conference was created to examine how purpose-led brands attract customers, fulfill employees, and outperform competitors. At this year’s U.S. event – scheduled for 16-19 October in San Diego – that means attendees can expect a deep-dive conversation about glocalization and the fundamental need to rebuild our local economies. Now through Sunday 23 April, SB wants to hear from potential speakers who can contribute to the “advancement of brand transformation and sustainability due to their unique experience, knowledge base, or novel approaches to solving today’s biggest challenges.” Tracks will include: Activating brand purpose; Influencing consumer behavior at scale; Next-generation design & business model innovation; and Regenerative operations & supply chain. With an acceptance rate less than five percent, be sure to carefully review the submission guidelines if you submit.

Lunchtime Learning: A couple of weeks ago CNBC hosted its Healthy Returns conference online under the theme Moonshots to Miracles. The event gathered CEOs, scientists, investors and innovators in the healthcare space “to reflect on the progress made today to reinvent the future of medicine, including the newest drug breakthroughs and device innovations.” They also discussed investment opportunities in biopharma, health-tech and managed care. Watch the sessions to learn bout cancer breakthroughs at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; how to unlock AI’s potential in medicine; what’s to come from the FDA in 2023; and more.

Coming Up Next Week: RSA Conference/US gets underway 24 April in San Francisco, and its 2023 theme—Stronger Together—will explore ways to make cybersecurity more diverse, more resolute, and more effective. Among the many sibling events that take place in San Francisco that week to take advantage of the RSA crowd, WING Security Summit (24 April) may boast the most prestigious attendee list. This closed-door summit is held under Chatham House Rules for invited CISOs to “discuss, debate, and shape what’s next.” Fortune Brainstorm Health convenes a group of leaders at the crossroads of business, health care, technology, and innovation when it’s held 25-26 April in Los Angeles. At Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, UNLEASH America runs 26-27 April gathering professionals from across the HR community, including startups, scaleups, innovators, and enterprise employers. At Spark Executive Forum, part of a private event series for invited senior tech and business leaders, some of the topics covered will include achieving sustainability at scale, the future of AI in enterprise, and reimagining enterprise data strategy. The forum is held in Napa from 26-27 April. And finally, CoinDesk’s Consensus Conference kicks off 26 April in Austin, promising to unite the worlds of the global crypto and Web3 communities.