Speakers from companies not normally associated with the gaming industry – such as Microsoft, Pandora and dotData – make up the list of speakers for this year’s Global Gaming Expo’s Innovation Lab.
The lineup – unveiled Thursday by the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions, the show’s organizers – covers a collection of speakers from variety of fields whose ideas could help reshape the future of the gaming industry.
David Sargeant, Betting and Gaming – Innovation Consultant
“This year’s Innovation Lab will feature a wide array of perspectives on how the industry can advance into the future both through gaming and broader resort management,” said Allie Barth, vice president of industry relations for the American Gaming Association.
The G2E – the gaming industry’s largest annual tradeshow and conference – takes place Oct. 8-11 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.
The Innovation Lab is a centralized hub on the G2E tradeshow floor.
Previously, show organizers announced that a “Shark Tank” style event would take place on Thursday, Oct. 11. Four finalists – chosen by a panel of experts – will pitch ideas for gaming and hospitality innovations to FUBU CEO and Founder Daymond John – one of the “Shark’s on ABC’s Shark Tank” – and The Pink Ceiling and Sprout CEO Cindy Eckert (Whitehead) in front of a live audience.
The previous two days for the Innovation Lab will be broken into two sections – Big Data & Analytics on Tuesday, Oct. 9 and New Terrain and Emerging Markets on Wednesday, Oct. 10. Speakers, conducting 15-minute TED-talk-style sessions will look to foster conversation and inspire gaming industry innovation, Barth said.
Laura Fernandez of Pandora
“The first two years of the Innovation Lab have been met with positive feedback as a space for innovative concepts for the gaming industry to come to light, and we’re excited to bring it back for G2E 2018,” she said.
Topics to be discussed will include eSports, responsible gaming, data science, engagement and social media influencing.
The lineup:
Tuesday, October 9 – Big Data & Analytics
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Accelerating Digital Transformation with dotData (NEC)
Speaker: Ryohei Fujimaki (Ph.D.) founder, CEO and CTO, dotData
11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – Microsoft Research (Microsoft)
Speaker: Dr. James McCaffrey, senior research software engineer, Microsoft
12:30 a.m. – 12:45 a.m. – iGaming Ideas
Speaker: David Sargeant, Betting and Gaming – Innovation Consultant
1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. – Using Online Wagering Data for Responsible Gaming Measures (Playtech)
Speaker: Simo Dragicevic, CEO, BetBuddy
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. – Augmented Analytics and Business Innovation (NEC)
Speaker: Dr. Aaron Cheng, vice president of data science and solutions at dotData
4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. – Big Data, Big Problem (NRT)
Speaker: Kiran Brahmandam, chief executive officer, Gaming Analytics
Wednesday, October 10 – New Terrain & Emerging Markets
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Esports Gaming Converging with Casino Gaming (Allied Esports)
Speaker: Edgar Pastrana, vice president of commercial strategy at Allied Esports
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – The Engaged Customer Across a Connected Resort (ConverageOne)
Speaker: Dan Burgin, customer experience solutions architect, ConvergeOne
11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – Never Bet Alone (BetBull)
Speaker: Sadok Kohen, Founder, BetBull
12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Defining a Digital and Data Strategy in an Evolving Betting Landscape (Capco)
Speaker: Peter Dugas, Managing Principal, Capco
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. – Engagement Redefined: Capturing Attention in Our Voice-First, Audio-Led World (Pandora)
Speaker: Laura Fernandez, director of travel, tourism + casinos, Pandora
1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. – Secrets of A Social Influencer: Bringing Slot Machines to Millennials (BC Slots)
Speaker: Brian Christopher, social media influencer for casinos and slot machines
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. – Save Money and Delight Your Guests with Parlay Solutions (Caesars Entertainment)
Speaker: Mike McLellan, senior VP, Parlay Solutions
