IMGL AUTUMN CONFERENCE
drive out unregulated operators. It holds out the prospect that B2B suppliers to the industry could be part of the enforcement infrastructure where regulators create an environment in which they can operate profitably without turning to the grey market. This sets the tone for the rest of the programme where the need to find common ground and achieve a genuine win-win will be the aim. Whether that is through greater collaboration between jurisdictions where mature markets share their experience with those trying to regulate from scratch or through better use of technology, the advantages will be felt by legislators, regulators, operators and consumers. The conference program will end on the following day with a unique panel of international regulators. This will be an opportunity for them to reflect on the previous discussions and set out a vision for the future. They will explore the legal, technical and financial framework that will create the conditions for the industry to grow in ways which are sustainable and safe and with integrity at its core. The objective is that delegates will leave with a clear and practical picture of the part they can play in achieving that vision, a road map by which progress can be recorded, common goals and a stake in the outcomes. If all that content sounds too heavy, there will be plenty of time along the way to explore the organizers’ other two priorities:
networking and wine. The gala dinner on the evening of September 7th will be at the extraordinary Zunfthaus zur Meisena baroque palace on the banks of the Limmat. The 18th Century rococo-style building which belonged, appropriately, to the guild of vintners and wine tavern owners and was reputed to be the most beautiful guild house in the city. For the past 200 hundred years playing host to European royalty US presidents, dignitaries and celebrities and will be rolling out the red carpet again for IMGL. The final event of the 2023 autumn conference will be the closing reception which will be held in the World Football Museum in Zurich. Selected for the quality of its hospitality, the museum’s location also offers a direct connection to Zurich Airport for those who have to travel home for the weekend. However, after several days in the city, we strongly suggest making the most of your time in Switzerland and exploring the magnificent countryside of lakes and mountains that the country has to offer. The famously efficient SBB railway will whisk you through breath-taking landscape to chocolate box villages framed by the Swiss Alps. By the end of your time in Switzerland we cannot guarantee that you will be better informed, better connected and better refreshed but it is an odds-on wager. We look forward to meeting you in Zurich. 1
* Attributed to Audrey Hepburn, British film star of the 50s and 60s. She went on to call Switzerland “the only place in the world where even the trains obey the clock.”
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IMGL MAGAZINE | JULY 2023
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