Casual Connect USA 2016 is getting ever-closer to kicking off in San Francisco. With the approach of this major game industry conference is a growing list of events, both official and unofficial, for networkers, coders, partiers and those in between in and around the main event. If more Casual Connect-affiliated events turn up on our radar, we’ll be sure to add them to the list, so this post should not be considered a done deal. With further ado:
Casual Connect USA 2016 Parties — July 17
Badge Pickup Party hosted by Upsight
WHEN: 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: Golden Gate A, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St
WHAT: An official sponsored pre-event warmup before Casual Connect USA 2016, with a chance to grab your badge early, then meet and greet fellow attendees at the official venue.
REGISTRATION: https://www.facebook.com/events/295404050806929/
Casual Connect USA 2016 Parties — July 18
Casual Connect 2016 Mini-Summit and Networking Mixer
WHEN: 4-9 p.m.
WHERE: Jillian’s, 175 Fourth St.
WHAT: Free for mobile publishers and $350 for non-publishers, this half-day event includes exclusive content from Facebook and the BLU Market and several other players in the mobile space, complete with hosted bar and appetizers afterward.
REGISTRATION: http://mobilegrowthfellowship.com/events/casual-connect-2016-mini-summit-networking-mixer/
Official Casual Connect City Hall Party hosted by AdColony and Amazon Appstore
WHEN: 8-11:59 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco City Hall, Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place
WHAT: Come here for the glitz and glamour you’d expect an official party held in the soaring marble arches and spaces of San Francisco City Hall. The majority of bona fide Casual Connect USA 2016 attendees will find their way to this event.
REGISTRATION: https://www.facebook.com/events/582575735249878
Casual Connect USA 2016 Parties — July 19
The Hangover Station hosted by the Rubicon Project
WHEN: 9-11 a.m.
WHERE: Yerba Buena Foyer, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St.
WHAT: Some will feel the aches and pains of pushing midnight with their partying. This breakfast with fellow attendees just might be cure for whatever is ailing.
Skillz eSports tournament and open bar
WHEN: 4-7 p.m.
WHERE: Jillian’s, 175 Fourth St.
WHAT: It’s an open bar! It’s a mobile eSports tournament for prizes! What more could a Casual Connect-goer want? While you ponder the answer to that, there’s this event that covers exactly those two things.
REGISTRATION: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skillz-esports-tournament-and-open-bar-tickets-26507053310
Tenjin’s Casual Connect Networking Hour
WHEN: 4:30-6 p.m.
WHERE: Juniper Room, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St.
WHAT: Join mobile attribution, aggregation, analytics company Tenjin for a happy hour (and a half) in the midst of the Casual Connect action.
REGISTRATION: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mobilemonday-silicon-beach-vrar-gaming-messaging-improve-power-and-performance-of-your-apps-tickets-26165931004
Chile @ Casual Connect
WHEN: 5-6 p.m.
WHERE: Presidential Suite, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St.
WHAT: Take a brief detour to the Presidential Suite at the Casual Connect venue, meet Team Chile and enjoy empanadas and pebre — and no doubt a spectacular view.
Chartboost Casual Connect Party
WHEN: 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco
WHAT: For mobile game devs, this post-Casual Connect day 2 event brings the arcades set to “free play”, skee-ball, food and drinks and all the chat with game developers you could ever want. Now, for the catch: like an arcade speakeasy (if there is such a thing), this event is password protected and you need a password to sign up.
REGISTRATION: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chartboost-casual-connect-party-tickets-26289325079
Casual Connect Bowling Party by Appnext
WHEN: 6:30-9:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Yerba Buena Bowling Center, 750 Folsom St.
WHAT: Game on at the bowling alley! This invite-only event includes food, drinks and taking on the lanes with those bowling ball-thingies, with other folks in the game development space.
REGISTRATION: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/casual-connect-bowling-party-by-appnext-tickets-26265117674
Secret Level Unlocked: AppsFlyer, Mixpanel, and Mobile Dev Memo
WHEN: 8 p.m. to midnight
WHERE: Hawthorn, 46 Geary St.
WHAT: Just about a block north of the Marriott, Mobile Dev Memo, AppsFlyer and Mixpanel have come together to throw a bash at one of San Francisco’s cooler bars. Appetizers, drinks, DJ beats and “an exclusive group of the best and brightest in mobile gaming” are on the menu. However, this event may be a tough ticket to come by, because it is on waitlist and has been for a while.
REGISTRATION: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/secret-level-unlocked-appsflyer-mixpanel-and-mobile-dev-memo-cc-sf-tickets-26256160884
Official Casual Connect Day 2 Party hosted by Tapjoy and SoftLayer
WHEN: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
WHERE: Ruby Skye, 420 Mason St.
WHAT: The official day 2 destination for where the night owls, hardcore networkers and club enthusiasts among the game developers and publishers will go, after the first second day of Casual Connect USA 2016.
REGISTRATION: https://www.facebook.com/events/741125299359776/
Casual Connect USA 2016 Parties — July 20
Amazon Developer Day
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St.
WHAT: Hear how bestselling apps monetize their games even when their apps are not open. Learn how to create influencers from your player community. Listen to developers talk about how they monetize their brand and IP to build their revenue ecosystem. Free registration, no Casual Connect pass required, with food, drinks and giveaways covered.
REGISTRATION: https://www.modev.com/amazon-dev-day-casual-connect-sf
Indie Prize Awards 2016
WHEN: 1-2 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St.
WHAT: The official celebration of indie game development at Casual Connect conferences around the world, except this year it does not precede the official conference party and is on the afternoon of the last day of the conference.
REGISTRATION: https://www.facebook.com/events/985584644891261/
[Updated July 14th, 2016] Added Chile @ Casual Connect and Skillz events
[Updated July 18th, 2016] Added Tenjin event
