Too many events, not enough time: Are you under conference burnout?

Let's talk about something a lot of us are feeling but not many people are saying out loud: conference fatigue and burnout are real, and they seem to be getting worse each year.

I love this industry, honestly! The energy, the people, the fact that you can bump into a contact in a conference hotel lift in Dubai on a Tuesday and have the deal closed by Friday. That magic is real. But when you're doing that same shuffle every couple of months – living out of a suitcase, all routine out of the window – it starts to wear a little thin.

The iGaming annual events calendar is genuinely impressive. ICE, SBC, iGaming NEXT, SiGMA and G2E later in the year. Add iGB Affiliate Barcelona and iGB LIVE, and you've got a calendar that would make even the most seasoned road warrior wince.

The problem here? Attending everything doesn't mean you're doing everything right. In fact, it often means the opposite.

The burnout nobody's talking about

At CMC Consulting, people strategy is at the core of everything we do, and one thing I've noticed more and more is how exhausted people are. Not just from day-to-day workload, but from the relentless cycle of travel and events. Think back-to-back flights and hotel check-ins that blur into one – the pressure is everywhere.

I spoke at iGB LIVE last year on burnout in the iGaming industry, and the response was pretty overwhelming. People came up to me afterwards saying, "I didn't realise anyone else felt this way”. That told me a lot. We're all feeling it. We're just not saying it.  

Choose quality over quantity 

The businesses and individuals I see getting the most out of conferences are not the ones attending the most events. They're the ones who are selective.

Ask your heart, what is the commercial purpose of going? Where are your clients? Where are your target markets? Events like iGB LIVE consistently stand out because the quality of attendees and depth of conversation is genuinely different. Decision-makers are in the room, and a well-prepared diary can translate into months of successful business development. That's worth showing up for. But not every event will tick those boxes and that's ok.

Your personal brand works even when you're not in the room

Visibility doesn't start when you land at the venue. It starts weeks, sometimes even months before. Whether it's a LinkedIn post, a podcast appearance, a speaking slot or a written article, your brand is doing work for you constantly.

When you walk into that conference hall, people already know who you are. The conversation isn't cold; it becomes more of a continuation. I've experienced this first-hand. The number of times someone has approached me at an event because of something I've written or said online is genuinely surprising, and it completely changes the quality of those interactions. So if you're debating whether to attend one more event or invest that time in building your online presence, sometimes the latter will serve you better.

Follow your market, not always the crowd

Geography matters, and this is something we talk to clients about constantly. Not every event makes sense for every business, even if it's a big name. If your focus is European markets, SBC Summit, iGB Affiliate Barcelona and iGB LIVE are probably your anchors. If you're expanding into emerging regions, the SiGMA events in Manila or Mexico City might be where the real opportunity lies.

A simple exercise: before finalising your events calendar, ask three questions. Where are our current clients? Where do we want to grow? And where is the investment and talent actually moving?

Turn up Prepared or reconsider turning up

The days of wandering the show floor hoping to bump into someone useful or turning up randomly at a stand to do cold outreach are largely behind us. The people extracting real value from conferences treat them like strategic projects. Diary full before you arrive. Attendee list reviewed. Clear objectives defined. And a follow-up plan is in place before you even board the plane, because the conference itself is really just the beginning of the conversation.

None of this is about doing less. It's about doing it smarter. The real competitive advantage right now is knowing which rooms are worth being in and showing up to those ones fully prepared and fully present.

What’s my advice? Choose well. Prepare thoroughly. And give yourself permission to skip the ones that don't make strategic sense. Your energy is a very important resource too.