In a few weeks, the gaming industry will gather at the 25th edition of the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, flocking to the Venetian Expo from across the country and around the world.
Attendees from the gaming industry say G2E is unlike anything else.
“It’s the place to be,” Katie Kohler, BetMGM’s iGaming Communications Manager, said during a CDC Roundtable discussion. “And what I really like is that time that isn’t necessarily scheduled, that it’s just the happy coincidences that you run into somebody and catch up, or you overhear a conversation of somebody talking about football.”
Making a roadmap for G2E is almost impossible. One can chart a schedule, determine what sessions need to be covered, and have everything change in an instant.
Steve McAllister, a journalist from Canada and the Co-Founder of the publication The Parleh, says the ability to change on the fly is necessary.
“One of the skills that journalists have is that ability to pivot at a moment’s notice, identify that there’s a better story, or that’s it’s a story that might not be written right away,” McAllister says. “Or, in an interview with someone like Katie, it might shift gears on an interview because she’s kind of planted a seed with you. I think that’s one of the challenges for a journalist, maybe for everyone at the conference, is trying to make sure you don’t miss something.”
For Elizabeth Thielen, Senior Director Gambling Services for Nicasa Behavioral Health Services in Illinois, G2E is an intense experience. She prioritizes her schedule, making sure to attend sessions where information relevant to her clients’ needs is disseminated.
But she also needs to attend to herself. Thielen is a recovering compulsive gambler and hasn’t placed a bet in 14 years. Being in Las Vegas, she’s not concerned that a relapse is imminent.
The emotional effect, however, is palpable.
“It kind of creates a discomfort and agitation that I recognize now that I have to do more self-care,” Thielen says. “So, I get out to those hills and go running off trail. I go find a gym, hit the heavy bag, go to meetings, and just engage in lots of self-care because the environment is one that feels very different to me as a person who’s no longer part of the action.”
For Kohler and McAllister, who met at G2E, the conference is a chance to reconnect with old friends. For Kohler it’s a vehicle not only to revisit past business relationships, but to forge new ones.
“I love this business so much,” Kohler says. “Like a lot of other industries, it’s built on great relationships. And G2E is one of the tools, one of the ways, that you can build on great relationships.”
“These are great opportunities to reach out to your contacts,” Kohler adds. “And even if they are not going, don’t write, ‘sorry, we’ll miss you.’ Make a point to follow up somehow.”
McAllister says attending G2E is reminiscent of his early days as a journalist when he covered the Toronto Blue Jays and enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow baseball writers. He calls media room at G2E one of the best of any conference he’s attended, but one thing about the event stands out.
“For me, it’s the people,” McAllister says. “I live three-and-a-half hours outside of Toronto now in a remote area. The only time I run into Canadian industry people in person is at there conferences. … It’s the only time I get face time with those people.
“These conferences have not only allowed me to not just meet people like Katie, but to build relationships. … I think meeting face to face really helps create a relationship where there’s a trust factor and that there’s also a personal component as well to where we kind of know each other, what our passions are in life, It’s just not a working relationship. We’re actually interested in what the two of us do beyond working hours.”
Theilen says that her husband likes to travel with her to various conferences. But she cautions him he’ll be spending time alone.
“I have to really express to him, from the minute I get up till I hit the bed, that it’s all work,” Theilen says. “And for me, work is living, it’s not work. I don’t care about the hours. It’s more like I’m not missing out on this opportunity to connect with people, to learn.”
Kohler compares G2E to a college reunion, the difference being that having fun takes a back seat to brand protection.
“When you’re at a conference, it’s a sprint,” she says. “It’s 48 hours of a lot happening, and the drinks are flowing.”
“What I try to get across to anyone going to conferences, and I share this with my fellow PR professionals … to be mindful of whether you are a top executive, whoever you are, you’re representing the organization you’re with,” Kohler adds. “It is on your name tag. Everyone has a camera in their pocket, and again, pointing to the Coldplay incident, you don’t want to do anything that ends up on the cover of the New York Post the next morning. Be mindful of what you say. It is very important to understand that reporters and people are everywhere, listening. You might be like I’m not on the expo floor, I’m at happy hour. That’s where I got some of my best stories as a reporter, off-the-record listening. Be really mindful of that.”
