I relish attending gaming industry conferences.
Whether it’s the Global Gaming Expo, SBC Americas, or the recently concluded Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Conference, there’s something magical that happens. The exchange and dissemination of new ideas, of being around people – I work from home – and just being in a different location, be it San Diego, Fort Lauderdale, or Las Vegas, is inspiring.
And it’s always enjoyable having conversations with friends, acquaintances and my fellow CDC Gaming team members. The feeling of being a part of an industry that is larger than oneself is immensely gratifying.
The downsides? Travel can be a concern, especially trying to work in a cramped, uncomfortable airport during a layover (Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, I’m looking at you). Personally, I always fail to remember something. Like my late mother used to say, “I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached.”
My biggest issue is panel sessions that drag on like trips to the DMV. They almost always start out well, but too many of them feel like that baseball game where your team – in my case, the Pittsburgh Pirates – falls behind by 10 runs in the sixth inning. You can’t wait to leave.
At the recent Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Conference, I witnessed two panels that solved those issues. Technology, Tradition, & Transformation: Guiding Tribal Resorts into the Digital Era and Player Perceptions – How Customer Research Can Improve Your Operations were examples of how panels can be informative and, dare I say, entertaining.
Moderated respectively by Cunningham Principal Brett Ewing and Victor Strategies Executive Vice President Gene Johnson, they were emblematic of Shakespeare’s line “brevity is the soul of wit” from Hamlet. Ewing and Johnson conducted the sessions like Leonard Bernstein. They involved every panelist. They did their research and made sure topics flowed like the Mississippi River on a lazy spring day.
But most importantly, the panels were 30 minutes in length.
The abbreviated panels made for concise, intriguing exchanges of ideas. I’ll give credit to Ewing and Johnson for being brisk taskmasters, but they also benefited from panelists who understood the clock was running. There was very little, if any, unnecessary discourse.
I think we’ve all witnessed panels where interminable, self-serving dialogues occurred. There are panelists and moderators who should be barred from ever again holding a microphone.
Fortunately, those are rare occurrences.
I think everyone would benefit from shortening panels. More interest from attendees. Less concurrent panels where you have to rush to get to the next one. More time for mingling after sessions are over.
Even if they are cut to 45 minutes, the limited duration would make for better sessions, better discussions, and fewer people wondering what the heck they walked into.
