“Our main goal with G2E this year is to delight both exhibitors and attendees”

How are you preparing for G2E 2011?   
I just left the pre-show meeting!  We have been planning for G2E 2011 for almost two years. Moving to a new date and venue was a huge under-taking involving many people.  Not just Reed staff but our partners anda ll of our customers as well. We have put a very big emphasis this year on navigation of the venue and specifically the new show floor.  You will see “May I Help You” folks all over the Venetian and Sands facility with large neon green t-shirts and signs.  They are there to make sure that people are finding what they need.  There will be countless information counters, My G2E Show Planner kiosks and other Tools including G2E Mobile to help our attendees navigate the new venue. 

We have also been working closely with our partners in Latin America, Yogonet and SAGSE to create special amenities and programs for Latin American attendees.  There will be a special lounge as well as a reception where attendees from Latin America can congregate, sit down and enjoy a snack and have a great opportunity to network with each other.  We expect record attendance from Latin America this year and we welcome all of them with open arms!!

What will be the novelties?
There are so many!!  New venue, new show floor (with major aisles names for Las Vegas streets), new dates are just the start.  When you enter the exhibit hall you will see the new G2E Welcome center where you can find out about our partners, get a bottle of water or meet someone who can help you navigate the show floor.  We are launching a new program called “The Fremont Street Experience” each day from 2-3pm on the show floor on Fremont Street at the back of the hall.  Attendees are invited to join us for snacks, Entertainment, autographings, coupons, drinks and much more – we hope everyone joins us on Fremont Street.  In addition we are launching our Entertainment Showcase Stage & Networking Happy Hours – Tuesday and  Wednesday starting at 4:30 you can stop by the Titian ballroom and hear bands while you enjoy a cocktail. 

What can you tell us about the keynotes and conferences?
Our opening keynote Penn Jillette promised to be very entertaining!  A famous Las Vegas entertainer who promised to start the show off on a positive and fun note. Our State of the Industry Keynote will feature female leaders of the industry and will focus on Innovating for a Stronger Future.  And our Tribal Keynote is a Tribal Gaming Rountable focusing onthe Indian Casino of the Future.

We are excited to welcome Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International as our exclusive Conference Keynote, he represents just one of the many new programs in the conference this year.  Monday will feature our new Social Media BootCamp as well as our re-structured Advanced Gaming Institute for rising managers.  Thursday will feature a new program called Insights on Operations which will focus on player tracking and loyalty programs as well as risk and reward around player reinvestment. 

Also this year we will have both the IAGA (Inernational Association of Gaming Attorneys) as well as the NCRG (National Center for Responsible Gaming) conferences co-located right at the Sands along with G2E. 

In what way will the change of date and venue be beneficial for you as organizers? And what about the exhibitors and visitors?
We had been hearing for years that G2E was too late in the year and too close to the ICE show.  So, we feel this change will benefit exhibitors as it will give more time between two important shows and it will benefit attendees because we are no longer the week before Thanksgiving.  For all of our customers we think having so many events under one roof will be efficient and much easier.  Being located on the strip is convenient for our attendees and gives them better access to other strip properties.  Show management cares about venue only as it relates to our customers!  If it works better for them then we are happy. Our main goal with G2E this year is to delight our customers – both exhibitors and attendees!

How did you see the global gaming industry during this year?
The industry is a tale of many sides, the U.S. and Europe continued to see struggle based on economic crisis, Asia on the other hand has seen record revenue and growth.  A mixed bag for the global industry that will hopefully turn to all good news in the coming years.   There is still growth in the U.S with many new properties opening next year in Ohio, Kansas, Biloxi, Maryland and elsewhere.  We continue to see opportunity for our industry as it becomes legal in more jurisdictions around the world.

In which way has the US and European economic crisis affected the gaming industry?
When consumer confidence is down its not positive for gaming.  But this is a tough and resilient industry that continues to innovate and will be stronger than ever when we get on the other side of this economic crisis.