Gerda Meltti: "We are not building a crowd for the sake of it - we are building an ecosystem"

In this exclusive interview, Gerda Meltti, Group Events Director at NEXT.io, breaks down the growing significance of NEXT Summit Valletta, one of the iGaming industry’s key calendar events. Bringing together operators, regulators, and stakeholders from across the sector, the summit has evolved beyond a traditional conference into a week-long festival built around connection, insight, and business. Meltti shares how the event has developed, what sets it apart, and where NEXT.io is heading next.

Q: What would someone actually miss if they chose not to attend this year?

They would miss the moment when the industry is in the same room, at the same time, with the right people. NEXT Summit Valletta is not just two conference days - it is a full festival week in Malta built around connection, discussion, and business. This year brings together 6,000 operators, suppliers, investors, regulators, and innovators, with the main summit taking place on 27–28 May 2026 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

What you miss is the informal access: the conversation before the panel, the introduction at a side event, the networking drinks that turn into a partnership discussion. Valletta works because the city is compact, the industry is present, and the programme is designed to make business happen naturally.

Q: Is the 6,000+ scale just a headline figure, or is there deliberate design behind it?

The scale is deliberate. We are not building a crowd for the sake of it - we are building an ecosystem in one place. Valletta is one of the most operator-led events in iGaming, with 2,500+ operators in the VIP networking programme and 3,200+ decision-makers for suppliers to connect with.

The real value comes from the mix. Operators, suppliers, investors, affiliates, regulators, and start-ups all need each other - but they rarely find themselves in the same room. Our job is to create the conditions where those meetings happen more easily, more warmly, and more productively.

Q: From a logistics perspective, what are the biggest hidden challenges?

The biggest challenges are usually the ones attendees should never have to think about: registration flow, crowd movement, stage timing, speaker coordination, partnership deliverables, catering, transport, security, signage, staffing, and the seamless handover between main conference activity and side events.

What makes Valletta specifically complex is the multi-venue, multi-day format spread across a city. Each location has its own logistics fingerprint, and the programme has to breathe across all of them simultaneously without the seams showing.

Q: Should attendees feel overwhelmed or worried about missing out?

Not at all - and that is exactly why the programme is structured across a full week rather than compressed into a single overwhelming agenda. NEXT Summit Valletta spans the main summit, focused side events, networking and social occasions, sport and wellness activities, and specialist tracks covering affiliate, crypto, prediction markets, and start-up and investment.

The idea is not that everyone attends everything. It is that every attendee can build their week around their own goals. Some come for content, others for partnerships, investor meetings, or operator access. The format offers multiple entry points - so networking feels intentional rather than accidental.

Q: How has NEXT.io Valletta evolved since launch?

It has grown far beyond a traditional conference. Today, NEXT Summit Valletta is a six-day festival of networking, content, and business spanning Malta - with the 2026 edition drawing 6,000+ global delegates across a programme that extends well beyond the main conference days.

What has changed most is the role it plays in the industry calendar. It is no longer a place to attend panels or walk a show floor. It has become the week when the industry gathers, reconnects, tests ideas, launches conversations, and builds momentum for the months ahead.

Q: What practical impact has the Valletta gathering had on the industry?

The most practical impact is access. Valletta creates the environment where operators meet suppliers, founders meet investors, affiliates meet commercial teams - and regulators are part of the same conversation. Through live deal clinics and investor-led discussions, NEXT.io brings together the people and formats where serious business gets done.

What the feedback consistently tells us is that partnerships, investment conversations, and strategic collaborations don't just start during the week - they accelerate. That is the real value: shortening the distance between opportunity and action.

Q: How does NEXT Summit Valletta position itself compared to other major industry events?

Its difference is focus and atmosphere. Valletta is operator-led, highly senior, and rooted in the fact that Malta is already one of the natural homes of iGaming. The city itself is part of the format: walkable, compact, and social - which naturally removes the friction that larger, more spread-out events often create.

We are not trying to be everything to everyone. We are building the most relevant environment for senior iGaming professionals to meet, learn, and do business in a way that feels personal, productive, and worth the trip.

Q: What is next for the NEXT.io event format in Valletta and beyond?

For Valletta, the ambition is to keep improving the quality of the experience, not just the scale. That means sharper content, better matchmaking, stronger side-event formats, and more curated environments for specific communities within the industry.

Beyond Valletta, NEXT.io is expanding into new verticals. A major example is NEXTPredict NYC, taking place on 22–23 October 2026 at Hudson Yards, New York - bringing together 2,500 operators, investors, regulators, founders, and media around the prediction markets space. NEXT.io is positioning it as the world's prediction markets summit.

For us, the future is about taking the NEXT.io formula - senior audiences, strong content, high-value networking, and real industry relevance - and applying it where new markets are forming.

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