We’ve managed to catch up with the two really busy guys behind MatchingVisions.com
Matching Visions is one of Europe’s fastest growing casino networks; specialising in first class service and value for both affiliates and operators.
The company was founded in early 2014 by a team of gaming and marketing professionals, with over a decade of experience in both fields. They noticed a gap in the market for a network that did things correctly. One of the main issues affecting affiliates was late payments, which is why Matching Visions have gained such a great reputation for their fast and reliable payouts. This, coupled with their constant updating of promotional materials and unbeatable value makes them an obvious choice for any serious affiliate out there.
As well as a top product, they’re also very well-known socially, hosting big events for their clients, such as the popular Champagne Wars in Malta, where they are based.
With over 85 brands available to promote, as well as 200+ affiliates running campaigns through Matching Visions, expansion is rapid. They are now looking to go global, offering campaigns from untouched countries in order to continue their rapid growth and to further cement their status as the big new players in the game.
Here goes our interview with Dennis Dyhr-Hansen and Connah Howell to get an inside scoop of this great network.
EEG: Hi guys, tell us a bit about yourselves, we want to know who Dennis and Connah really are, none of that executive intros. Where were you born? What was the reason you decided to work on MatchingVisions?
CONNAH: I was born in sunny England in a town just outside of London, called Stevenage. It’s probably most famous for being close to Luton Airport, which says a lot! I was working for Betfair in my hometown since 2007 and then decided to bite the bullet and make the move to Malta. After working for a couple of different companies here in Malta over the years, I was lucky enough to meet Dennis and start working at Matching Visions! For me it was a no-brainer, as I saw the product and knew of the guys behind it, so I was confident in taking the position and knew it was destined for big things!
DENNIS: I was born in Copenhagen and have been involved in gaming for as long as I can remember. I moved to Malta to start a white label poker site, but as we all know, the industry went the wrong way and we had to close it down. I quickly realised that I wanted to get involved in affiliation and met another experienced Dane, Mikael Strunge, who was working in Poker affiliation. We teamed up and then later merged with our parent company, Power Media Group, and we now work a lot or projects, with Matching Visions being my baby!
EEG: What was the key idea of developing the skills that got you so far in the industry? What was the idea of putting together such a business, as I know you both were successful affiliates, wouldn’t have been easier to stick with that?
CONNAH: I started working in the iGaming industry since I was legally old enough to do so, and over 8 years I’ve worked in a lot of different positions, including customer service, payments, marketing, affiliation and relationship management. Although I wasn’t involved in the inception of Matching Visions, I started working with the product almost from the beginning and saw the huge potential it had.
DENNIS: I started out in the poker industry like many others and moved to Malta in 2007 to look for opportunities. Since then, we’ve been involved in our own affiliation and marketing and saw a gap in the market to create the ultimate affiliate network, which I think we have achieved with Matching Visions.
EEG: Since Matching Visions is one of Europe’s fastest growing casino networks, was it hard to achieve this and could you maybe share a bit of insights, such as how many affiliate programs are there in the network and what is the rate of registrations per month?
DENNIS & CONNAH: Pretty much since day one, growth has been happening on a month-by-month basis. We started out with a strong pool of affiliates from the beginning, which helped us get off to a good start. We then looked at acquisition of new affiliates, which came quite easily through word of mouth, due to us doing things properly. The main issue affecting affiliates was payments and reliability, which we pounced on and made sure that were known as the network that pays on time, every time. This coupled with an unrivalled affiliate dashboard and extensive marketing materials section helped things go quickly from there. We now work with over 85 different brands and send thousands of new players every month.
EEG: We’ve found a couple of articles and event invitations online in regards to your business, such as hosting big events for your clients, popular Champagne Wars in Malta, hijacking the Nordic bar. What’s up with that? How did this idea come up?
DENNIS & CONNAH: We’re a young, ambitious and dynamic company, and we live by the old motto of work hard, play hard. When it’s time to be serious and get things done, we’re always ready. When it’s time to celebrate successes with partners and let our hair down, we’re more than ready to do this too. We think being involved in the close social circle of Malta is great for relationships and great for business. If we can throw an event with our name on it and make sure everyone has an excellent time, then why not! There’ll be a lot more events coming up from us in the near future, so keep an eye out!
DENNIS: Yes that’s how we like to do things! We had the whole company over from Denmark, so thought we’d hijack the Nordic Bar (which we own) and put our gaming and marketing professionals on the frontline of running a bar. The results were very funny indeed! We like to be involved in as much as possible and are partners in a huge gaming conference in Malta, called SiGMA, which happened for the first time last year. Over 2000 delegates attended and it was a huge success across the board, so we’re already looking forward to a bigger and better SiGMA 2015!
EEG: Even this is outrageous, one of the official partners of the biggest and best outdoor pool party in Europe this summer, Showers 2015. This is huge, are you expecting a large attendance?
DENNIS & CONNAH: Yes! This event is an excellent showcase of everything this amazing tiny island has to offer. The party in 2014 was insane and the 2015 renewal looks like it’s going to be much bigger, with thousands of partygoers drinking the day and night away. We’ll be there with a poolside table and will use this event as an opportunity to bring down some of our best partners for a few days they won’t remember, but will never forget!
EEG: Being based in Malta, I can imagine what your daily routine at the office really is, especially after you guys started to sponsor all the fun hours of the day. How would you describe your office vibe?
CONNAH: We probably have one of the best office environments in the industry. We work in an office hotel in St Julian’s, called SOHO. It’s full of like-minded people and the place is packed with entrepreneurs from all different corners of the globe. Every day is different and the hard work and fun never stops!
DENNIS: We got very lucky with our office for sure, as we knew the owners of this new office hotel project called SOHO. From the second we moved in, we knew it was just what our new company needed and wanted. After a month we moved into a bigger office and it’s been great. We probably have a more relaxed environment here in Malta, as life itself is more relaxed. Everyone in the office visits us and we do lots of out-of-work activities, which is great too!
EEG: There are a couple of huge affiliate events coming up such as the iGaming Super Show, which embeds the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference. Are you guys attending this conference? If so, will there be any treats for the affiliates?
DENNIS & CONNAH: We’ll certainly be attending the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference and always look forward to meeting up with old and potentially new friends and partners. We haven’t got anything planned yet, so we’ll just have to see what happens!
EEG: As your affiliate network continues to grow, you are possibly seeing some high incomes. Which was you largest payout since you got started?
DENNIS & CONNAH: We have some huge affiliates working with us and therefore, it’s not uncommon to see monthly figures of 30,000€ and beyond!
EEG: What is your strategy to enter new markets and which particularly are you targeting?
DENNIS & CONNAH: Expansion to other markets, especially untouched markets, is key and definitely part of our long-term plan. We’re predominately a Scandinavian casino network, but we’re slowly entering into the UK, Germany and Netherlands, plus we’re looking into countries such as France, Spain, Brazil, Czech Republic and many more. World domination is definitely on the agenda for Matching Visions!
EEG: What are the key suggestions concerning the new affiliates with new affiliate websites that are looking to get started in this venture?
DENNIS & CONNAH: It’s certainly not easy to get started with a new affiliate site, so you need to have a lot of patience and a definite game plan. Excellent, well-written and relevant content that is updated regularly is vital.
EEG: Alright, here comes the fun part…. favourite food, where would you like to travel in Eastern Europe, some part of the region maybe that you haven’t visited yet and favourite destination around the world.
CONNAH: For me, it’s got to be steak every time… you usually cannot go wrong and when it’s good, it’s too good! I’ve been to Krakow, Riga and Budapest, all of which I loved! I’d really like to explore more of Poland in the coming years as I really enjoyed my time there! My favourite destination globally would have to be the Caribbean!
DENNIS: You can’t beat your own mother’s cooking, or traditional home cooked food, especially when you live abroad! I’ve travelled most of Eastern Europe actually and I love it! My favourite place in the world has to be the Mediterranean, my second home!
EEG: Where you wouldn’t want to travel in Eastern Europe?
CONNAH: Russia and Ukraine don’t really appeal to me on paper, but I guess you can never knock a place until you’ve tried it, so let’s see!
DENNIS: Maybe Ukraine because of the intensity with Russia, but apart from that, it has always been nice to travel to Eastern Europe!
EEG: What is your opinion about EEG( Eastern European Gaming – eegaming.org)?
CONNAH: EEG is hugely popular for obvious reasons. It’s an extensive, well informed publication that is just what this industry needs. I wish you and the site all the best for the coming years!
DENNIS: You see more and more of EEG and it is really starting to gain a strong presence in the industry, so for that I have to say well done and keep it up! It’s nice to have a trusted source in Eastern Europe and we’ll definitely be using you for our entry into this territory!
Now that you have all the info you need about Matching Visions, feel free to open an account and start earning from the biggest casino network in Europe. Open an account here.
