Conferences for everyone throughout the Festival !
Both professionals of the industry and curious game enthusiasts are invited to attend our conferences and get a better understanding of the gaming scene.
Each year, a new cycle of conferences is offered to professionals who are interested in tackling industry chellenges, as well as to Festival attendees who wish to learn more about this often-overlooked sector.
To satisfy everyone's curiosity our conferences will be accessible to all audiences from Thursday to Sunday included.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
The Secrets of Board Game Manufacturing - by FABRYKA KART
11AM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
Conference reserved for professionals and will be held in both French and English.
Discover the fascinating journey of a board game’s creation, from the initial spark of an idea to the final product in the hands of players. During this session, we will reveal the key stages of the manufacturing process and share insider tips on how to optimize both quality and costs.
We will showcase short videos with live commentary to demonstrate how the essential components of a board game are produced. Whether you are a publisher, a designer, or an industry enthusiast, this conference will provide you with valuable insights to bring your game ideas to life.
Don’t miss this opportunity to uncover the secrets of successful manufacturing!
Speakers : Radek Gronus, Sales Director, Ana Lichaj, Regional Manager France, Magdalena Bronikowska, Sales Representative France
Game In France : A new board game manufacturing plant in France - by GAME IN FRANCE
2:00 PM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
Join us for an exclusive conference dedicated to Game in France, the new French factory entirely specialized in board game manufacturing. During this session, three of the founders will present:
The history and vision behind the creation of Game in France.
The future operations of the production site.
The technologies and types of machinery deployed.
The factory's standardization strategy and the benefits for publishers.
The opening schedule and the production ramp-up phases.
This conference offers a first look at an ambitious industrial project designed to support the growth of the board game industry in France.
Speakers:
From the Workshop to the Podium: Asia Reinvents the Game - by FIJ in Partnership with FORGENEXT
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
Beyond recent critical successes like Trio, Odin, or Bomb Busters, the Asian gaming scene is at a crossroads. Is it doomed to remain the world's factory, supplier of original games, or can it become a major consumption market for international publishing? How to structure the business between mature hubs like Japan or Korea and the explosion of new scenes in Taiwan, the Philippines, or Thailand? To analyze these distribution and scouting challenges, we welcome Kevin Kim, David Preti, Ken Suzuki, and Patrick Flanagan.
The press conference will be held in French.
Speakers:
Ludotopia - Theatrical Conference - by Argyx Games
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
Come closer, come closer! What if the greatest revolution in humanity was neither political nor technological, but playful! This unique theatrical conference is delivered by Dr. Z.E.R.O., a flamboyant fictional character who has incarnated in reality to shake our most entrenched beliefs and awaken our consciousness with his incisive mind and biting humor.
The press conference will be held in French.
Speaker:
Friday, February 27, 2026
Board Games: From Cultural Objects to Political Objects - by the ALF (French Association of Toy Libraries)
11 AM – 12:30 PM / Audi A – Jean Mineur
Should games be politicized? Can they avoid being so? What kind of politics are we talking about?
Following the recent publication of Henri Kermarrec’s book It’s Only a Game: Political Uses of Board Games, the ALF has invited the author to take part in a discussion and exchange around these questions.
This meeting promises to be a fascinating conversation at the heart of the issues surrounding the recognition of board games.
The press conference will be held in French.
SPEAKERS : Henri Kermarrec, game designer, graphic designer, and lecturer in game design ; Antonin Merieux, Technical Coordinator at the ALF; Polgara, podcaster.
Women and Games: What Are the Issues Today? by FELIXCITE
1PM - 3PM - Audi A Jean Mineur
The world of games—board games, video games, and role-playing games—is often perceived as predominantly male, even though it is played and shaped by a wide diversity of people. This conference offers a space for discussion around representations, experiences, and issues of gender parity in the gaming world.
Through data, testimonials, and exchanges with the audience, it aims to shed light on the mechanisms that influence practices and career paths, and to collectively reflect on how to build a gaming world that is ever more open and welcoming to everyone.
The press conference will be held in French.
SPEAKERS : Anouk Girard-Dagnas – Former Project Manager at Libellud, co-founder of Acacia Éditions, and Localization Manager at Blackrock Games. Élodie Clément – Board game designer since 2018 and, since 2025, lecturer at the Brussels-based school for training in game creation and publishing, Board Game Campus. Chloé Lafleur – Educator in Emotional, Relational, and Sexual Health, leading training sessions and conferences on relationships, representations, and gender issues.
Games and Emotional Regulation: What Does Science Say ? - by GAME IN LAB
2:30 PM - HI5 STUDIO
Emotional regulation is an essential skill for supporting learning and strengthening social relationships from early childhood. Board games provide an ideal framework for developing these abilities by engaging attention, inhibition, frustration management, and decision-making.
Game in Lab invites you to discover the results of recent scientific research, along with practical advice on using board games as tools for emotional regulation. Learn how playful practices contribute to the development of self-regulation and can help individuals better manage their emotions and behaviors.
The press conference will be held in French.
SPEAKERS: Eric Lambert, Professor of Psychology at the University of Poitiers, specializing in game-based practices;
Anick Pelletier, Orthopedagogue in Quebec, specializing in cognitive remediation through games.
Saturday , February 28, 2026
When Gaming Becomes an Ally in Prevention – by CHUV Lausanne
10:30 AM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
In an era where screens play an increasingly central role in our lives, bringing new challenges for health and well-being, this panel explores innovative approaches to prevention. Drawing on the experience of the escape game "En quête du réel : sur l’île du temps perdu" (In Search of Reality: The Island of Lost Time) developed by CHUV, the discussion will focus on using immersive gaming as an awareness-building tool.
Experts in healthcare, gaming, and prevention will share their perspectives on how an escape game can encourage balanced screen habits, sharpen critical thinking, strengthen psychosocial skills, and foster cooperation and community bonds.
Speakers : Joël Billieux, Professor of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland ; Mr. Eric Lambert, Professor of Psychology, University of Poitiers ; Ms. Claudine Greub, Vice-President, Swiss Toy Library Federation (Fédération des ludothèques suisses) ; Ms. Ana Carolina Barbosa, Psychology Student (UNIL), Escape Game Facilitator, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Switzerland ; Dr. Mélina Andronicos, Project Manager, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Switzerland ; Laetitia Béraud, Journalist at Le Temps
When Gaming Enters the Workplace – by the Serious Games Designers Union
12:00 PM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
What are the different ways games can be used in a corporate environment? Are there certain cases or topics that should be avoided? This relaxed and straightforward session aims to answer these questions through concrete (and often real-life!) examples.
Speakers : Suzon Beaussant, Evolud. Aurélie Lagarrigue, INRIA. Delphin Darraud, Bretagne Compétitivité & CCI Bretagne.
Meeting Alain Mihranyan - by FIJ in Partnership with FORGENEXT
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
If you're looking for the brightest mind and the most genuine smile in the board game industry, look no further: you've found Alain Mihranyan.
Current Publishing Manager at Gigamic, Alain is a bit like the guardian of the temple (or the game box) with his 35 years in the sector. His job? Getting paid to play and make others play. Well… mostly to test the 2,000 bizarre prototypes that land on his desk every year, keeping only the cream of the crop (hello Akropolis, Dékal, and Looot!).
Why is he a character?
The eye of the tiger (and the gamer): A veteran from Goliath, he's seen it all, from "plastic games that go beep-beep" to brain-frying strategy games. He knows what's going to work before you've even finished reading the rules.
Heart on his sleeve: A pure product of Popular Education, shaped by his years at Destination Jeux, for him, games aren't consumer products—they're massive weapons for building social bonds. He wants Grandma, the rebellious teen, and the accountant to play together at the same table.
In short: Alain is the guy who can dismantle your game's mechanics in 3 minutes, but who'll offer you a beer right after to explain how to improve it. A true passionate, working in the shadows to make your game nights legendary.
The press conference will be held in French.
Dungeons & Dragons Therapy: How Does It Work ? - by CHUV Lausanne
3:30PM - Auditorium A Jean Mineur
This conference takes a critical look at the available scientific data on the feasibility and effectiveness of psychological interventions mediated by tabletop role-playing games. It will then present the results of pilot studies conducted in Switzerland, which applied cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques through the practice of the popular tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, with participants experiencing social anxiety and addictive engagement in video games.
The press conference will be held in French.
SPEAKER: Joël Billieux, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Lausanne.
How can games foster empathy and action for sustainable development ?- by Graine Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
7PM - 8PM Auditorium A Jean MIneur
This round table is reserved for professionals and will be held in French.
GRAINE Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the regional network for environmental and sustainable development education, will host a round-table discussion dedicated to the power of games as a lever for engagement and learning. Discover how to integrate gaming into pedagogy, cultivate empathy for all living beings, and multiply impact through the use of AI.
SPEAKERS : Amandine Franc, Project Manager for Ecological Transition and Sustainable Development, Méditerranée 2000. Mathilde Lemaire, Service Designer and Pedagogical Engineer, Au RDV des I.D.É.E.S (Inclusives, Didactiques, Ecoresponsables, Ethiques, Sociales) and Quartiers Ludiques. Thierry Secqueville, Co-founder and Lead Facilitator, Guilde des Ludopédagogues Francophones.
