“We felt there was tremendous energy on the show floor which was overflowing with new games”

What’s your overall view of this year’s G2E?  
We always judge our events based on the feedback from our customers. Many have told us it was the best G2E to date!   We felt there was tremendous energy on the show floor which was overflowing with new games. Our new G2E 101 Conference program was a hit as well as our Opening Night Reception which we did in conjunction with AGEM for the first time. We were happy to see a number of buyers from Latin America and the always popular Latin American reception was very well attended. There was positive energy all around and we couldn’t be happier.

Do you have any official figures in terms of visitor numbers, represented countries, etc?   
As you know G2E uses a third party to audit our numbers so we won’t have those back for a while yet. We can say preliminarily that we were up in attendance and had visitors from more than 90 countries.  

G2E is widely used as a platform by companies to launch new products release their novelties? What  innovative developments or technologies caught your eye this year?  
By far and away everyone’s opinion [of what was most eye-catching] was the Sphinx 3D machine by GTECH. Originally developed by Atronic (which GTECH bought a few years ago), it's a remarkable 3D experience without the glasses. 

Other games that were hits were IGT's Avatar and Back to the Future, Aristocrat's Batman (designed by legendary game developer Joe Kaminkow, his first for Aristocrat) and The Rolling Stones, Bally's Michael Jackson Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and Titanic; Konami Gaming's Titan 360 amusement-style slot bank and Podium Monument on a huge 32-inch display, WMS' Iron Man and Beetlejuice using the new WMS “Gamefield xD” cabinet. Casino Technology demonstrated its innovative Server Games Technology solution, which links the bricks-and-mortar world to online channels to allow players to continue games begun in a casino on online or mobile channels, using different devices and the same player wallet account. Other highlights include: Cadillac Jack's Dragon Lair (30th anniversary for the company); Incredible Technologies’ King of Bling, Iced Out and Car Nation; Multimedia Games' Zombie Outbreak (not be be confused with Aristocrat's Walking Dead!) with a unique “first-person shooter”-style bonus event; and Igaming products, including GCA's Everi online payment solution, and another payment solution by Vantiv.

The conference program also included a wide range of sessions to address and discuss important industry matters. How do feel this aspect of the program fared?
In the conference we introduced several new features this year including “G2E 101” which was developed as a result of our post show research findings last year. Essentially a lot of folks were requesting content at introductory levels for career advancement purposes. For example—Slot Operators looking to learn more about Table Games and vice versa to move up the ranks and oversee Casino Operations. We were also pleased to welcome back our friends at IAGA who provided a full day program on gaming law and compliance which was well received from that segment of the audience. And lastly, the continuation of our closing “Insights on Operations” program was once again a huge hit. We kicked off the morning with a Conference Keynote presentation from world renowned futurist Robert Tercek, who shared his view on the casino industry of the future. We then followed that with three other future looking talks from industry perspectives of gaming technology, hospitality, and operations. Ramesh Srivensen from Bally Technologies, Peter Yesavich from MMGY, and Tom Brosig, former CEO of Margaritaville Biloxi, led those talks which were a key highlight for delegates we spoke with at the close of the conference.

Looking ahead, what changes or improvements do you see making for next year’s G2E?  
Our goal is to continue to add value for every participant in G2E.  Next year we are moving our F&B and Entertainment areas into the Venetian Ballroom for a more dedicated and focused environment, we will see continued growth of I-gaming on the show floor and as always we will work hard to provide the very best education you can find in the gaming industry.  The industry continues to change and evolve and G2E will help everyone stay ahead of the curve.