Beyond The Booths: Inside SiGMA World’s 120,000 Sqm Expo

By the time the first delegate scans their badge at Fiera Roma, the SiGMA World exhibition floor will already have undergone 10 days of construction and setup.

More than 7,000 stand builders and event professionals will be involved in creating over 1,000 stands across nine halls. When SiGMA World opens on 2 November, those halls will have been transformed into a temporary business district covering 120,000 sqm – roughly equivalent to 17 football pitches.

The 2026 edition is powered by RedCore, which returns to Rome as the event’s main sponsor.

Over four days, SiGMA World is expected to attract more than 30,000 delegates alongside over 1,200 sponsors and exhibitors. Its conference programme will feature more than 550 speakers across five stages.

SiGMA, Affiliate Grand Slam (AGS), AIBC and FX World will all operate from the same venue, maintaining their respective areas of focus while giving delegates access to the wider ecosystem.

For visitors heading to Rome, the challenge may be less about finding something to do and more about deciding what not to miss.

Nine Halls And No Single Route Through Them

The SiGMA World floor does not have one obvious route.

Entering through the east side of Fiera Roma immediately opens several directions. Gaming suppliers and operators occupy major B2B areas, consumer-facing brands have their own sections, affiliates congregate around AGS, AIBC covers AI, blockchain and emerging technologies, while finance and FX have a dedicated presence.

The result is closer to several interconnected industry events than a single conventional trade show.

Hall 3 forms one of the central meeting points, with SiGMA’s B2B and B2C activities located around the Main Stage alongside a Media Zone and Platinum/VIP Lounge.

The Main Stage will host sessions beginning with investor Tim Draper before moving through topics including international expansion, regulation, betting operations, compliance and leadership during the following days.

Hall 5 provides another major gaming cluster and introduces the Italy Stage for 2026, increasing the number of conference stages from four to five.

The addition provides a dedicated forum for Italy, incorporating discussions around local regulation, operators, institutions and market opportunities directly into the wider conference programme.

Elsewhere, Hall 2 is home to Affiliate Grand Slam and the AGS Stage. Hall 7 houses AIBC, with programming focused on areas including AI, blockchain, cryptocurrency and emerging technologies.

Hall 8 moves towards financial markets through the Global Finance Stage, where discussions will cover FX, fintech, payments and digital assets.

For businesses operating across multiple sectors, the proximity between these areas creates opportunities to move between different parts of the ecosystem. Affiliates can transition from acquisition discussions to operator meetings, while payment providers and emerging technology companies can engage with businesses across gaming and financial services.

Some Stands Are Hard To Walk Past

With more than 1,000 stands across Fiera Roma, exhibitors are using their spaces for more than traditional product demonstrations and meetings.

Last year’s Rome event included several elaborate stand designs.

Uplatform created an Italian courtyard incorporating real lemon trees, fresh lemon gelato and a lemon-toss game. BetConstruct combined technology with classical architecture through spaces inspired by the Garni Temple and the Colosseum.

Betmen Affiliates created a Mediterranean-style setting featuring a working fountain, greenery and a Vespa, while Black Flag Affiliates developed a pirate ship concept complete with sails and a giant octopus.

The designs demonstrated how exhibitors are increasingly treating their stands as part of the overall event experience rather than simply meeting spaces.

Positive Impact Village Debuts In Hall 5

One of this year’s new additions takes a different approach to the commercial exhibition floor.

The SiGMA Foundation will debut the Positive Impact Village, co-hosted by the SiGMA Foundation and SiGMA World.

Located in Hall 5, the area is designed to showcase social-impact initiatives across gaming, emerging technology, affiliate marketing and financial services.

Foundations, NGOs, corporate CSR programmes and social enterprises will be able to present their work directly on the main exhibition floor.

Participation is not restricted to registered charities. Businesses operating within or alongside the SiGMA, AIBC, AGS and FX World sectors can also participate if they have an active social-impact initiative. This can include charitable arms of industry companies, independent NGOs, social enterprises and media organisations covering social impact within technology and gaming.

Each participant will receive a dedicated display panel outlining its initiative, scope of work and contact details, alongside a listing on the official SiGMA World Rome floor plan.

Its location places the Positive Impact Village alongside commercial exhibition space, the Italy Stage and one of the summit’s VIP areas.

At an event where attention is frequently focused on meetings, partnerships and lead generation, the area introduces a different element to the exhibition floor.

Padel And GoKart Move Onto The Event Programme

Business shoes may not be the only footwear required in Rome.

The Bloko Padel Tour begins at Caesar’s Club Padel on 2 November before the competition moves to Fiera Roma.

Hall 9 will host the Media Duel Tour on 3 November, followed by the Bloko Padel Tour Finalissima on 4 November and the Media Groups Finals and Super Cup on the final day.

The event will also include a GoKart track, sponsored by SOFTSWISS, bringing a racing experience alongside the main exhibition.

These additions demonstrate how the venue’s scale is being used for more than additional rows of stands, with parts of Fiera Roma converted into areas for competition, entertainment and informal networking.

Lounges, Bars And Places To Recharge

A significant amount of floor space will also be dedicated to networking and hospitality.

Digistore24 will operate the Affiliate Lounge in Hall 2, while Stake will have a VIP Lounge in Hall 5. Soft2Bet will run a networking bar in Hall 4 and BETBY will be associated with a dedicated chess area.

Elsewhere, the floor plan includes a bet365 VIP Lounge, a Wicked Games & QTech lounge, workshop spaces, a Shisha Lounge, Retro Bar and an area dedicated to Rocket League Football.

There will even be a Snakes & Ladders section.

Food and hospitality will also occupy a significant part of the venue. More than 90 food and activity points are planned for the outdoor area, while food courts will operate in Halls 4 and 6.

Around 20 food trucks are expected alongside a sorbet bar, gin bar and beer garden.

Fiera Roma will also contain 19 meeting rooms alongside networking areas and lounges. In Hall 3, the Media Zone and Platinum/VIP Lounge are positioned around the Main Stage, while Hall 8 includes a dedicated networking area near the finance and AIBC sections.

For delegates with already crowded schedules, these less formal areas could provide opportunities for meetings outside the conventional exhibition stand environment.

Across the 120,000 sqm venue, the SiGMA Match app will also allow delegates to identify relevant people, stands and meetings. Attendees can use the platform to browse the floor plan and arrange meetings before arriving at the event.

Ten Days To Build, Four Days To Experience

By opening day, the exhibition will appear as a completed event. Behind it will be a 10-day build involving more than 7,000 professionals transforming nine empty halls into over 1,000 stands, five conference stages, lounges, meeting rooms, food areas, sporting spaces and temporary hospitality venues.

SiGMA World will take place at Fiera Roma from 2–5 November 2026, bringing gaming, affiliates, emerging technology and financial markets together for SiGMA’s final major event of the year.

Nine halls mean there will almost always be another aisle to explore. Five stages inevitably mean some sessions will overlap. Padel, GoKart, dinners, lounges, bars and side events add further choices around the core conference and exhibition programme.

Seeing everything may be impossible. For more than 30,000 delegates expected in Rome, deciding where to spend their time will be part of the experience.