Remember physical events? You know, places where you could share your work with fellow game developers and get inspired by just hanging out together and chat? Is it all slowly coming back? Great, because in a little over three weeks you’ll get the chance to physically reconnect with your fellow game developers during Unwrap festival. FLEGA members enjoy a 40% discount (promo code FLEGA2021) on 1 day and combi ticket purchases, so we hope to see a ton of our members in real life. But let us walk you through the program first.

Taking place on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th of October in Kortrijk, Unwrap is the first event in Belgium to bring togeher all entertainment industries (video games, music and audiovisual) in order to build bridges between them. The City of Kortrijk never has been one for shying away from a challenge so they were all-in when the idea for a SXSW-like festival first surfaced.

The organisers at award-winning game development curriculum Digital Arts and Entertainment, co-creation hub Hangar K and music organisation Wilde Westen (link in Dutch) have pulled out all the stops to bring you a show-stopping programme. From internationally renowned keynote speakers over inspiring panel sessions and pitches to networking opportunities and the very first Belgian Career fair for the entertainment industry, this is an event you don’t want to miss.

On Thursday, the Unwrap Conference kicks off with a keynote by Flemish Minister of Media Benjamin Dalle who’ll provide more details on his action plan for video games. This day also features talks by over 20 experts on a variety of entertainment industry subjects.

After a panel session on the (future) potential of the Flemish entertainment sector and a keynote by Epic Games, there’s three tracks to choose from. The Tech Deep Dive is aimed at entertainment professionals and students who want to learn from international top studios like Massive Entertainment, Sumo Digital and Industrial Light and Magic.

On the Bridge Builder track, it’s all about finding new ways for the entertainment sectors to work together. This track features talks by our proud members I-Ilusions and Triangle Factory, who’ll talk about the innovative way of getting music into their snowboarding game Shredders and succesful cross-media productions and location-based entertainment respectively.

Entrepreneurs will feel right at home in the third and final track. Want to discover new monetisation options for the gamesector or get some tips on how to effectively use influencers in your marketing campaign? Look no further. The first day concludes with a Game Pitch Café where some of our local talent gets a chance to showcase what they’re currently working on.

While the conference resumes on Friday, it gets extended by the Unwrap Career Fair, a one-of-a-kind event where students, alumni and companies can meet each other. It’s a great place for students looking for an internship, but people looking to switch careers are equally welcome.

After everything’s said and done, Unwrap wraps up with a concert by local electropunk heroes Compact Disk Dummies, followed by an after-party that will make you forget what “knaldrang” was all about. That’s entirely possible to the fact that Unwrap is a COVID-SAFE event. You’ll be asked to present your vaccine certification or other proof you’re not ill.