FAQs
About Winward Events
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Winward Events is a UK events company for the games industry. It plans and runs digital and in-person press and content creator briefings for game launches, plus convention booths, B2B meeting spaces, fan festivals and event consultancy for publishers.
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Winward Events was founded by Josh Winward, who has nearly 20 years of games industry events experience, in-house at Jagex and PLAION and agency-side at Multiplay. He led production on RuneFest, RuneScape's fan festival, and worked on Minecon.
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Josh from Winward Events has run press briefings for Metro 2039, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Dawn of War IV and Space Punks. Josh has also delivered convention booths and events for companies including PLAION, Jagex, Microsoft, PlayStation, Nintendo, Ubisoft, ASUS and Razer.
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Winward Events works with publisher and studio PR, communications and marketing teams who need to brief press and content creators, run a presence at a games show, or plan the events around a launch.
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Winward Events is based in York, UK and works internationally, running digital briefings for press worldwide and physical events at shows such as Gamescom in Cologne.
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Yes. We run the event behind your campaign, so you keep the client relationship. Everything is branded to your client’s game, and we report back to you. We can also work white-label, so your client only ever sees your agency’s name.
Digital Events FAQs
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A digital press briefing is a private, branded event site where invited journalists, streamers and content creators watch a briefing on an upcoming game, download assets and claim code, all under embargo, ahead of the public reveal.
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A pre-seeding event briefs selected press and creators on a game before its public reveal, under embargo. When the trailer or announcement goes live, previews and reactions are ready to publish alongside it instead of starting cold.
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An embargo is an agreed date and time before which press and creators must not publish what they have seen or been told. Briefings run under embargo so coverage can be prepared in advance and released together.
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There is no venue hire, travel or capped guest list. Press join remotely within the embargo window, so you reach more markets for less per attendee while keeping full control of timing and access.
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Platform setup and licence, a branded event site and invites, RSVP and NDA management, live or on-demand sessions, live support for attendees, code distribution and an attendance report.
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Access is invite-only, attendees agree to an NDA, and press code is distributed only to invitees who attended. The event site is private to the people you invite.
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Yes. Each event site can include a media pack, so attendees can download the trailer, screenshots and other approved assets ready for their coverage.
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Both. We schedule a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions so every key market is covered, and add mop-up sessions for anyone who misses their slot.
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Yes. Sessions can be scheduled and translated for press across multiple regions and languages, without the limits of a single venue.
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Yes. Our network of videographers and live streaming crews works with your publishing and studio teams to create the briefing assets.
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Ahead of a hands-on window, codes go only to invitees who attended your briefing, alongside any other assets you want to share.
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Ideally three months before your embargo date, to allow time for asset production, platform setup and invites. Shorter turnarounds are possible depending on scope.
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You receive an attendance report showing who registered, who attended and which sessions they joined.
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Yes. Winward Events has experience of digital conferences with more than 70 sessions over two days, fully remote speakers, and hybrid sessions with on-site speakers and audiences.
Physical Events FAQs
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Press events and hands-on previews, convention booths at games shows, B2B meeting spaces for business areas, and fan festivals. We’re also known for throwing a killer Christmas or summer party!
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A hands-on preview is an event where journalists and creators play a game before release, usually under embargo, so they can publish previews when the embargo lifts. Winward Events handles the venue, scheduling, demo stations, briefing materials and embargo logistics.
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Yes. For shows like Gamescom we coordinate booth design and build with trusted partners, then manage staffing, demo setup and on-site logistics throughout the show.
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We work with a network of trusted partners on design and build, and manage them for you from first concept to the end of the show.
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Business areas at shows such as Gamescom host private meetings between publishers, platform holders, partners and distributors. We build out the meeting space, coordinate the schedule so there are no overlaps or downtime, and prepare the materials and demo setups each meeting needs.
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Yes. Josh led production on RuneFest and worked on Minecon. We plan the venue, staging, programming and vendors with trusted partners, then oversee the event on site.
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Yes. A mix of in-person and digital events can have a big positive effect on your campaign beats. For example, a digital pre-briefing ahead of an announcement at Gamescom Opening Night Live, followed by a consumer booth at the show.
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As early as possible. Involving us early in your campaign planning means we can advise on the best way to build events into your strategy, and how they can help you reach your goals.
Consultancy FAQs
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Event consultancy means working alongside your team from the earliest planning stages to decide which events fit your launch, such as digital showcases, press previews, pre-seeding briefings or physical activations, then managing the plan end to end.
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Yes. We vet and select the agencies and partners best suited to deliver each event, then coordinate timelines, budgets and deliverables so your team gets one joined-up plan.
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A consultant gives your team senior events experience for the moments that matter, without building that expertise in-house. Internal stakeholders stay aligned and the event strategy holds together across the launch.
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Yes. Let’s talk about your needs and goals, and we can quote for ongoing consultancy services.