The recently concluded Global Gaming Expo was, by observation alone, a success. The packed halls made walking an exercise akin to playing Frogger. Lines for restaurants, in particular the Starbucks at the Venetian Expo, were serpentine, and the expo floor was packed with booths from operators and distributors. The buzz throughout the Venetian was palpable.
Most of all, the gaming industry’s premier North American gathering provided ample opportunities for encounters between gaming industry personnel.
“Everyone’s working on some new launch or some initiative there,” Odditt CEO Matt Bresler said during a recent CDC Gaming Roundtable. “I think it is really nice to be able to pause and actually see and follow up with people who are friends, but also colleagues, and get a temperature check of what’s been going on with them.
“I think in the course of a few days, I can accomplish at G2E what might take months going back and forth on an email thread.”
Jack Lyons, Penn Entertainment Director of Talent, said participating in a couple educational sessions, including “LGBTQ+ in Gaming: Leading with Pride,” gave him a rare forum to express his views.
“I think that goes a long way and helps us break down some of those barriers, gaps,” Lyon said, “and allows us to continue to network and have representation, across the industry and media, and for these events.”
Sycuan Casino Resort Director of Enterprise Analytics Sierra Weyer said the expo floor display exceeded her expectations.
“This year was an awesome showcase of dynamic products that really feel like they’ll resonate with our players,” Weyer said. “I love how slot manufacturers are continuing to build on what works while creating fresh, exciting gaming experiences through innovative cabinets with flashy sign packages, engaging light-hearted themes, and fun evolutions of game families. It’s great to see games keep pushing forward with features players love.”
The Venetian Expo also received positive reviews for its ability to accommodate nearly 25,000 attendees.
“Having attended a bunch of conferences in Europe and at other places, I have a lot of appreciation for the Venetian and for G2E and the convenience that it provides,” said Adam Small, Founder of Third Planet Media. “One of the real advantages of doing it in Vegas and at a venue like Venetian is that they’re used to having that many people there. There just aren’t that many places that the entire building and area is built around having just tons and tons of people in there all the time.”
There were a few misgivings about the conference. Small mentioned the dry Las Vegas air, admitting that there’s not much organizers can do to mitigate that.
But he also thinks that G2E may be overly long and that it’s possible to get more done at shorter conferences.
“There’s a lot of stuff at G2E that doesn’t apply to me, just because it’s so big and all encompassing,” Small said. “I guess my biggest complaint would just be that because it’s so broad that it does mean that there’s a lot of stuff that’s less relevant depending on what kind of vertical you’re going up in.”
Lyons said there is so much going on at G2E that the schedule of events often overlap.
“It’s really about picking and choosing which learning sessions you want to attend,” Lyons noted. “It’s more internalized, so it’s not anything to do with (organizers). I think it’s just where to spend your time. One of my biggest complaints is I wanted to attend some of the networking events and I had Penn events, or I was on a panel for another session.
“But I think sometimes it’s difficult to attend, due to high interest for people, sessions due to scheduling conflicts, or some may be packed.”
Lyons added that some panels would benefit from better marketing and advance publicity.
Bresler would like to see the expo floor be more segmented by topic.
“In the back (of the expo floor) you have all the slot machines and stuff for G2E,” Bresler said. “I’ve always been more concentrated on the sports betting side, and it is a bit more challenging to find that that in a concentrated area at G2E relative to some other conferences.”
For future G2E conferences, Small would like to have the ability for others in his company to remotely view panels that are occurring.
“I think there is a genuine interest,” Small said. “It might be small, it might be big. But if there was a way to get an online pass to watch panels, or alternatively, just a way to share it if we have an education pass for our company already. Maybe there’s a deal that if you have three passes for your company, you’re allowed to share another 10 with your company; that would be a great idea.”
Weyer would like to see more emphasis on how innovation and technological progress continues to shape how players are engaged.
“I’m eager to see how the industry is evolving reward systems and increasing data transparency, especially around what’s genuinely AI-powered versus what’s just branding for a feature within a platform,” Weyer said.
