“There is no other event like the Slot Summit”

Where did the idea of a Slot Summit come from? And how does it differ from the work of the Slot Academy?
The Slot Academy is a well-known training company that travels to the casino operator to train staff in situ. With a big casino operator it makes sense for the Academy to travel to them and where necessary have simultaneous translation. I have executed courses with interpretation into Spanish, Russian and Bulgarian and this will continue in the future.

The core of the Slot Academy seminars has not really changed over time. We question what activities are critical when one wants to operate slot machines; we look at the various critical activities and try to find tools that will help to execute these activities efficient, effective and with the right capacity. In fact we are covering all the activities for which Slot managers are responsible - from layout, design and systems, followed by activities for operation and marketing and finally reconciliation and control activities.

What I believe really helps the participants to the course is that we define four different casino visitor profiles at the beginning of the course. Each of these casino visitor profiles has unique expectations when visiting a casino (or slot room for that matter).

Understanding the expectation is the key when deciding the mix of machines, the layout of the floor, the use of progressive and mystery prizes and the pricing strategy. At the end, although it is a slot managers’ course, we talk about marketing; the theory of the four P’s applied to the slot department.

However, I recognised that many operators are often not able to host an Academy course and hence the idea of a single venue that they could travel to instead was more appealing. The other issue is that there is no other event like the Slot Summit – we have staged a 4 day event that brought together the world’s top manufacturers and international speakers to talk directly to operators.

So it’s a win-win situation for delegates and sponsors?
Yes, the manufacturers get to show their current range of games and platforms whilst delegates can ask technical questions on a one-to-one basis. Exhibitions are good for “showing” equipment but learning which are the right systems, platforms and games are correct for your casino is a different matter. Practically choosing what is right is a lot easier with that knowledge and being able to speak direct to suppliers also helps the process.

What was the highlight of the Inaugural event?
There were many but I think the blending of theory and practical experience was the best aspect – the opportunity for delegates to learn practically how to design a slot floor and then being able to talk to their peers - and with manufacturers - about the issues often over lunch or dinner. A lot of slot managers came away with a whole lot more than they arrived with – it kind of refreshed their enthusiasm – made them aware that they are not the only ones trying to tackle the challenges of providing an environment that suits both “hardened gamblers” and “fun players”.

Did you provide post-event material?
If you mean speaker presentations and photographs of the event then yes, all of this is available to delegates, but for those that did not attend we think that this information is too valuable to just give away. To get the full benefit you have to “be there.”

Ok, so does that mean other events are planned?
Yes, we have had 3 requests to host the next Slot Summit – from operators in Germany, France and Italy. Each of them recognise the benefits of having the event at their venue for commercial reasons and the fact that it raises their profile positively. As it stands it is likely that we will stage Slot Summits in all three countries during 2012 and may even expand the concept in other parts of the world.