PORTFOLIO CASE
G GATE CAMP
FROM SIDE EVENTS TO
A BUSINESS FESTIVAL
How audience research, communication strategy and creative execution helped G GATE move into a new business territory.
Mikhail Shal · Brand Lead · 2024 · Affiliate & iGaming · Belgrade
“The first affiliate business festival”
01
01 · BUSINESS CHALLENGE
FROM SIDE EVENTS TO SOMETHING BIGGER
G GATE had built a strong reputation around high-energy side events and entertainment. But that model had limited room for further growth.
KNOWN FOR
SIDE EVENTS
& ENTERTAINMENT
NEXT TERRITORY
BUSINESS VALUE
+ COMMUNITY + ENERGY
G GATE CAMP became the first major proof point: a flagship event built to combine business value, networking and entertainment without losing the brand’s informal energy.
The goal was not a formal rebrand. It was to move the brand into a broader business territory — credibly.
02
02 · MY ROLE
BRAND STRATEGY
TO EXECUTION
As Brand Lead, I worked directly with the CMO and collaborated with the Design Lead on visual execution.
The role sat between brand strategist and creative producer: turning audience understanding into communication — and then helping bring that communication to market.
AUDIENCE
RESEARCH
Research design, interview guide, analysis, segmentation
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY
Messages, channels, audience logic, campaign priorities
CREATIVE
DIRECTION
Concepts, copy, visual briefs, partner activations
MARKETING
PRODUCTION
Video, performance assets, social, influencers, launch
03
03 · AUDIENCE RESEARCH
UNDERSTAND FIRST.
COMMUNICATE SECOND.
Before deciding what to say, we needed to understand who we were building the event for — and what would actually make them come.
~30
QUALITATIVE
INTERVIEWS
Open answers → coded themes, motivations and barriers
100+
QUANTITATIVE
RESPONSES
Validation across professional roles and company types
The research covered professional background, event behaviour, motivations, decision criteria, media habits and perceptions of industry event brands.
Detailed segmentation, raw data and internal research outputs are omitted due to confidentiality.
INTERNAL RESEARCH
04
04 · THE KEY INSIGHT
THE AUDIENCE WAS
PART OF THE PRODUCT
Different professional groups often attended industry events specifically to meet each other. That changed the segmentation problem completely.
The strategic task was not to choose one primary target audience. It was to create the right audience mix.
G GATE
CAMP
AFFILIATES /
MEDIA BUYERS
Deals · peers · access to partners
BD / AFFILIATE
MANAGERS
Affiliates · leads · commercial talks
FOUNDERS /
HEADS
High-level relationships · visibility
MARKETING /
SPECIALISTS
Knowledge · community · inspiration
Selected findings shown. Detailed audience model is confidential.
05
Value created through the audience mix
05 · FROM RESEARCH TO STRATEGY
RESEARCH ONLY MATTERS
IF IT CHANGES THE WORK
Four findings directly shaped the communication system.
01
Face-to-face relationships mattered
Networking and access became a core value proposition.
02
Different groups needed each other
Communication had to attract several mutually valuable segments at once.
03
Awareness did not guarantee attendance
Participant visibility, scale and social proof became important reasons to believe.
04
Industry discovery lived in Telegram + peer networks
Niche channels, communities and influencer communication became central to the media mix.
PEOPLE DISCOVERED EVENTS THROUGH MEDIA, BUT DECIDED TO ATTEND THROUGH PEOPLE.
06
THE EVENT PROPOSITION
BUSINESS VALUE ×
SUMMER FESTIVAL ENERGY
G GATE CAMP was built as an alternative to both a conventional industry conference and another entertainment-only side event.
Business content, face-to-face networking, an open-air festival atmosphere and entertainment were wrapped in a university-campus-inspired world.
15,000 m² OPEN AIR
BELGRADE
29–30 AUG 2024
A setting where the industry could work, connect and have a genuinely good time in the same place.
07
06 · CAMPAIGN SYSTEM
FROM STRATEGY
TO CAMPAIGN
The research translated into a multi-channel system rather than a single campaign message.
Depending on the audience and stage of the journey, communication highlighted:
WHO’S COMING
NETWORKING VALUE
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
SCALE & SOCIAL PROOF
FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
I developed and produced communication across video, performance creatives, social content, Telegram placements and influencer integrations — from concept and copy through to production and launch.
SELECTED OUTPUTS
VIDEO
concepts + production
PERFORMANCE
creative assets
SOCIAL
content + copy
TELEGRAM
placements / seedings
INFLUENCERS
integrations + production
08
07 · PARTNER BRAND EXPERIENCE
A COMMERCIAL KPI
CAN STILL FEEL LIKE A GOOD EXPERIENCE
I also developed on-site creative concepts for partners, translating acquisition goals into activations that felt native to the event rather than bolted on.
EXAMPLE
SERBIAN WINE TASTING
A partner wanted to grow its Telegram community. We created a curated tasting of interesting Serbian wines, unlocked through a channel subscription.
My contribution: activation concept, mechanic and conceptual direction.
01
SCAN /
SUBSCRIBE
Clear acquisition mechanic
02
TASTE
LOCAL
Reward rooted in Belgrade
03
ENGAGE
WITH BRAND
A memorable physical touchpoint
THE POINT: ACQUISITION DID NOT HAVE TO FEEL LIKE ACQUISITION.
09
08 · CLOSING THE LOOP
RESEARCH → STRATEGY →
EXECUTION → VALIDATION
After the event, I designed a follow-up survey that went beyond general satisfaction. It revisited parts of the original research to compare assumptions with the experience people actually had.
01
RESEARCH
Understand
02
STRATEGY
Choose
03
EXECUTION
Ship
04
VALIDATION
Learn
The follow-up measured what drove attendance, what worked, what did not, willingness to return and willingness to recommend.
POST-EVENT VALIDATION
10
09 · OUTCOME
A NEW BUSINESS FORMAT
FOR G GATE
The project demonstrated a complete brand workflow — from audience understanding to a live experience people could actually feel.
2,000+
ATTENDEES
PARTNER
INVENTORY
SECURED
Commercial partner packages were fully allocated by launch.
POSITIVE
POST-EVENT
FEEDBACK
The follow-up captured satisfaction, feedback and future intent.
THE FORMAT
CONTINUED
The team built the next flagship conference after my departure.
RESEARCH → AUDIENCE STRATEGY → COMMUNICATION → CREATIVE PRODUCTION → LIVE BRAND EXPERIENCE → LEARNING
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