A giant cake shaped like a snorting buffalo, a car from the Mad Max movies, a soundtrack of Motown songs, and an authentic Chinese dragon dance.
This isn’t the answer to some oddball Jeopardy? question; it’s the way Aristocrat Technologies will attempt to draw attention when the Global Gaming Expo trade show opens Tuesday morning in Las Vegas at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
Siobhan Lane, Aristocrat’s senior vice president of gaming operations and marketing, said the Australian-based equipment manufacturer is seeking to create “the ultimate live experience that perfectly showcases” the company’s gaming products.
All the major manufacturing companies seek to one-up each other at G2E. It’s become tradition.
International Game Technology, for example, is bringing in Drew Carey, host of the television game show The Price is Right, to unveil the company’s new slot machine based on the long-running program. AGS, meanwhile, will have entertainment associated with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, to celebrate the company’s new corporate partnership with the team.
Aristocrat, though, has taken the idea to another level.
It begins right at the entrance to the massive exhibit hall. The company has created a Motown Slot Game Lounge separate from its actual booth. Aristocrat will celebrate its newest musical slot game with giveaways and a graffiti artist who will create original works of art each day, live on the trade show floor.
In the company’s two-level booth, that covers 20,280 square feet, Aristocrat will celebrate the launch of their new Mad Max: Fury Road slot game by bringing Max’s V8 Interceptor vehicle to the show. Attendees can sit behind the wheel for photos or wander the heavily-themed Wasteland Lounge, decorated with images and costumes from the movie.
“As we were planning our presence at G2E this year, we wanted to create a live show experience that was equal to the game experience and created a space for our customers to enjoy our game, cabinet, and system innovations,” said Dana Reynolds, Aristocrat’s senior director of marketing.
“We put a lot of thought into how best to execute on that idea.”
The company’s Buffalo slot machine is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a giant Buffalo cake, which is being created by the Las Vegas-based Freed’s Bakery, the featured bakery on the Food Network’s Vegas Cakes.
Slot analysts have rated the Buffalo slot machine as one the most popular games currently on casino floors. Aristocrat is also unveiling the all-new Buffalo Diamond game.
“It’s not every game that lasts as long (as Buffalo has) and consistently remains a player favorite,” Lane said. “Buffalo is a favorite game in Las Vegas, so when we wanted to celebrate its 10th anniversary at G2E, we turned to a favorite bakery in Las Vegas to help us with the celebration.”
On Wednesday, to open the second day on the trade show floor, Aristocrat is sponsoring Las Vegas’ Lohan School of Shaolin to create a ceremonial lucky dragon dance that will lead guests across the floor to the company’s booth. The idea is intended to help promote the Dragon Link slot machine.
Aristocrat will also have a talent wall dedicated to the company’s employees, a customer feedback survey area, and giveaways with themed merchandise from several slot machine products, including Mad Max: Fury Road, Motown, Buffalo Diamond, and FarmVille.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
