Game Developers Conference Names Katie Stern as General Manager of GDC Events

Co-Founder of Designer of Things Conference Returns to UBM to Helm GDC alongside UBM EVP Simon Carless; Content Vet Victoria Petersen Steps into Lead Conference Manager Role for GDC and VRDC

SAN FRANCISCO — GDC organizers are delighted to name Katie Stern as the new General Manager of the Game Developers Conference events. Stern joins parent company UBM Technology as of August 7. GDC is the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games.

Stern has had a varied career supporting unique tech communities via events. She was co-founder of innovative 3D printing/wearable computing event and showcase Designers of Things, worked closely with leading electronic engineers on DesignCon and the Embedded Systems Conference, and most recently has been helping key open-source communities as Director of Event Services at the Linux Foundation.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining up with GDC to help the game industry and the event keep growing and flourishing,” said Stern. “I very much look forward to talking to the community about what’s next for the event over the next few years.”

UBM’s EVP Simon Carless, who first attended GDC as a developer in 1998 and has been working on the show since 2005, will continue to be integrally involved in the event. He will be stepping in to get the new GM introduced to GDC’s community, as well as working with other key personnel such as Senior Marketing Director Liz Wakefield to ensure community-first thinking and continuity.

“Having attended or been involved in organizing GDC for almost twenty years, I am keenly aware of the needs of the game development community, and I’m stoked to be working with Katie to tell the next chapter of GDC’s storied history,” said Carless.

In addition to Stern’s appointment, a second change is being made to bolster the bench as organizers move into Game Developers Conference’s 32nd year. Victoria Petersen, who has worked extensively with the GDC’s 15+ different Advisory Boards to directly program much of the content at the show over the past 5 years, will step into an overall content lead role for the GDC and VRDC events as Lead Conference Manager.

Victoria’s knowledge of the industry and her experience helping the show’s boards pick from submissions and invite the best content – all direct from the community – will prove incredibly helpful as the event prepares for the future.

GDC returns to the Moscone Center in San Francisco from Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 23, 2018. The call for submissions is now open through August 17. To submit to the Main Conference, please visit http://gdc2018.callforsubmission.gdc4p.com. The call for submissions to the 2018 GDC Summits, VRDC@GDC, and the Game Career Seminar will be open August 28th through September 29th. For additional information about GDC, visit www.gdconf.com.

Galit Gordon

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I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.