It's All in the Family

In each of the six years we’ve held Global Gaming Expo (G2E), I never cease to be amazed by the incredible growth, diversity and innovation that define our industry, and how all of these characteristics come to life at G2E. Last November, G2E 2006 attracted nearly 30,000 industry professionals from around the world who came to see the newest products, learn about the latest trends and forge business partnerships through G2E’s unbeatable networking opportunities. The event was hands-down our largest and most successful to date; my thanks to all of you who came to G2E for your contributions to that success.

In my mind, the biggest reason G2E continues to be such a success is our ongoing commitment to being an event designed by the industry, for the industry. You also can see our “by the industry, for the industry” pledge at work in the way the G2E family of events is expanding to reflect the incredible evolution and growth that continue to characterize the industry, particularly in recent years.

Here in the U.S., we are seeing the continued growth, expansion and reinvention of the gaming industry all across the country, and perhaps nowhere is this process more evident than along the Gulf Coast. Gaming properties in that region are experiencing massive redevelopment, with revamped design elements, first-class amenities and expanded gaming areas being incorporated at an astonishing rate. This new era of gaming entertainment on the Gulf Coast makes it the perfect new location for G2E Institute, our unique, workshop-style conference event, which this year will move to New Orleans.
 
Taking place April 10-12, 2007 at the Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place, the event will be themed Gaming’s Next Era: Leveraging Innovation to Enhance Your Market and will feature cutting-edge conference programming that gives gaming professionals and community leaders the tools they need to build their markets into premiere gaming destinations. Specifically, the conference will focus on how existing markets have harnessed the latest gaming trends to improve their business, and how those best practices can be applied to transform emerging and re-emerging gaming jurisdictions.

As it did last year when it debuted in Las Vegas, G2E Institute will once again offer the world-class educational content and dynamic networking events for which the G2E brand is known. In addition, G2E’s popular Casino Design conference, which is dedicated to the design and development of casino resort properties, will be co-located with G2E Institute.

We already have received tremendous positive response about the event, with gaming professionals and community leaders in the region saying they believe G2E Institute will play an important role in the overall revitalization of the Gulf Coast. At the same time, G2E Institute’s innovative and solution-driven approach will benefit gaming professionals nationwide who are looking to learn the best practices successful companies have developed to attract and retain more customers, improve back-of-the-house operations and further enrich the customer experience.

While gaming in the U.S. continues to expand and flourish, we also must be mindful of the fact that the growth of gaming isn’t merely a domestic phenomenon. International gaming markets are booming – particularly in Asia, where last fall gross gaming revenues in Macau surpassed those on the Las Vegas Strip for the first time.

There’s no doubt the Asian gaming markets will continue to grow, and with the launch of G2E Asia this year, we’ll be providing gaming professionals in the region with the tools, education and business opportunities they need to successfully grow their businesses. G2E Asia will debut June 13-14, 2007 at the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre.

Modeled after the flagship G2E event that takes place each year in Las Vegas, G2E Asia will combine in-depth conference sessions featuring panels of industry experts, a full product exhibit area and one-of-a-kind networking opportunities. Created by an advisory board of industry leaders and analysts from the region, the G2E Asia conference program will feature sessions that explore the state of the Asian gaming markets and the latest trends taking hold there, including the increasing popularity of slot machines, how new technology for table games will revolutionize operations at Asian establishments, and insights on how to introduce and incorporate gaming into new jurisdictions.  The conference team also is exploring the development of a responsible gaming component for the program in an effort to address this important issue in the Asian region.

With these events, and as our G2E family continues to grow, our promise to you remains the same – our events always will be designed by the industry, with your unique needs consistently top-of-mind. Many of you attended G2E 2006 last year, or have attended the show in the past, and were able to see how this promise has enabled us to deliver a superior trade show and conference event. This spring, I invite you to join us at G2E Institute and G2E Asia to see for yourself that the apples don’t fall far from the tree.