Frank Sliwka

President/European Business Development and Event Director, GDC Europe

Frank entered the Games Industry in 1997. With his company Global Games Media, he worked successfully with GC - Games Convention, GC Developers Conference (GCDC) and GC Asia (Singapore) untill fall 2008. During this time, he established GCDC as one of the most important game industry conferences in the world, and GC Asia as one of the main game industry events in Asia. In December 2008, Think Services acquired Frank's company, Global Games Media, and from that time onwards, he was the Managing Director of TSGG Germany and served as Think Services' Vice President of European Business Development. He is responsible for GDC Europe as its Event Director and consults Koelnmesse in establishing gamescom. Frank has deep experience and knowledge in the Games Industry and has a worldwide network of contacts. He is very well known as a talented strategist, long-term expert in exhibitions and conferences and game industry expert around the globe.

From 2005 till 2008 he was a member of the board of the GC Developers Conference, and is now on the board of GDC Europe and at the board of advisors of gamescom. Frank is a member of the jury of European Innovative Games Award (EIGA) and an advisory board member of All Russian Conference on Game Industry (ACGI). Frank also works in the eSports Sector and created the world-leading Business Platform for eSports, International eSports Conference (ESCONF), in 2004. At the end of 2004, he founded the German eSports Association and was elected Chairman of the German eSports Association with more than 30,000 members. In 2008, Frank was elected as Vice President of the International eSports Federation. He stepped back from both positions in summer 2009, to focus energy on growing UBM TechWeb's European network.

Frank started his business career at Messe Berlin, one of important convention and conference centers worldwide, in 1992. He was responsible i. e. for the business development for the "International Funkausstellung" in case of IT and Games Industry. He was also responsible for International Business Development and Acquisition i.e. "HomeTech - International exhibition for household appliances" and handled with budgets till EUR 10 Mio.