MONDAY
Resolving Project Pain Points
This highly interactive 3 hour workshop will explore some of today’s more perplexing issues and concerns shared amongst Project Managers. Participants will work in teams to discuss solutions to questions adapted from the recently published “Project Pain Reliever” book (in which Mr. Wood was a chapter contributor), including:
- What constitutes project success?
- How do you adapt projects continuously changing objectives?
- What do you do when it seems like you are the only one that cares?
- What if the team doesn’t feel the project is worth doing?
- What if the team doesn’t believe the plan will work?
- How do you deliver bad news?
- How can I prove the design is right?
- How can big projects be broken into smaller parts?
- How do you estimate vague objectives and scope?
- What do you do when vendors don’t deliver?
- How much status reporting is enough?
- How can I tell if my project is failing and how do I fix it?
In addition to the group insights developed, Mr. Wood will share the lessons learned and other insights from his 30 plus years of project experience. Participants will also receive a CD containing helpful articles and other content on project management.
- Presenter: Michael R. Wood, IT Strategy and Process Improvement Consultant
TUESDAY
Ramesh Srinivasan, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bally Technologies
The power and scope of technology has increased exponentially since the inaugural Gaming Technology Summit in 2002 and this trend will only accelerate in the future. In his Keynote Presentation, Ramesh Srinivasan, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bally Technologies, will offer a glimpse of where technology might take the gaming industry in the next 10 years.
Strategy: Data Mining – Is There any Treasure Left?
The goal of data mining is to extract knowledge from a database and use it to support loyalty marketing by identifying customer trends and value. While the method in which we reach our customers has changed dramatically, the way we decide which customers to reach has not changed. Now, solutions exist that can find new patterns and opportunities in customer databases with the potential to yield additional revenue. Yet, it seems that even with the countless solutions available, most gaming sites still use very basic mining techniques and solutions. This session will compare using basic data mining methods with more advanced gaming software solutions to determine the best approach considering effectiveness, yield, and cost.
- Moderator: Joe Basara, Managing Director for Marketing Solutions and Gaming Operations, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speaker: Bruce Kolodziej, Predictive Analytics Sales, Information Builders
Operations: Game Manufacturer Interactive Gaming Strategies
As the doors to online and interactive gaming opens in the U.S., game manufacturers are more focused than ever on delivering a full range of mobile, Internet and social media products and solutions to the market. Hear how they are organizing themselves to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving landscape and their plans to work with current gaming operators take existing land-based products into the interactive space. Strategies to take existing land-based products into the interactive space will also be examined.
- Moderator: Charles Anderer, Executive Editor, BNP Media Gaming Group
- Speaker: Julius Patta, Chief Technology Officer, Aristocrat
IT Security and Social Media
Protecting your company’s and customer’s privacy is critical to prolonging trust in technology and the people that manage your solutions. Any breach of this security can jeopardize revenue growth and expose the company to expensive litigation. So much personal information is passed to and from the Internet and on-site at gaming clubs, that identity theft of customers and electronic fraud are commonplace today. Learn from technology security experts where the risks are in your organization and how to protect against intrusion and limit your exposure.
- Moderator: James Nickerson, Director, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speakers: David Crow, North American Sales Leader, Business Solutions, IBM Sterling Commerce, Michael Wardrope, WhiteSand Gaming
Operations: Server Based Gaming
Nearly a decade into the discussion, the story of server-based gaming has developed real coherence. No longer just an operational solution in search of a problem, server-based solutions hold the potential to transform the entertainment experience of gaming floor in ways that resonate with customers. Still, there are numerous barriers to a plug-and-play, systems-centric world. Hear the great, the good and the not-so-good stories of server-based gaming.
- Moderator: Charles Anderer, Executive Editor, BNP Media Gaming Group
- Speakers: Bruce Rowe, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Customer Consulting, Bally Technologies, Inc.
Cloud Computing Marches to the Forefront
Corporate giants like Google and Apple have created cloud solutions that are changing the way we think about data and processes. A cloud solution can save resorts significant money and offer efficiencies, but what are the risks? What should be on the cloud? What’s the best way to implement a cloud solution? Should it be public, private or a hybrid? Learn what other gaming resorts are doing in the cloud and how best to take advantage of a cloud environment.
- Moderator: Joe Basara, Managing Director for Marketing Solutions and Gaming Operations, WhiteSand Gaming
Strategy: Pioneers in Gaming – Trend Setters and Ground Breakers
The gaming industry has re-invented itself many times over. Economic conditions, regulatory changes, and technology advances have all played a key role as a catalyst for this change. But it is without question that only because of true pioneers and visionaries, that this industry has been able to survive and open the door for diversity on ex
Operations: eGaming
Many gaming companies have already developed or are in the process of developing an Internet gaming solution. There are a few ways to provide Internet gaming for your customers ranging from completely outsourcing the entire offering through custom developing your own solution. Companies just embarking on this effort will need to determine which path is best for them, and this session will help them understand the pros and cons of the different approaches.
- Moderator: Michael Wardrope, WhiteSand Gaming
Guest Technology
Guest Technology can be your customer’s best friend or worst enemy. Your guests should enjoy an easy, stress free environment that will make their experience with you a memorable one. But if executed poorly, the technology can become a nightmare for the guest. Hear about the latest resort solutions and learn how to use them to enhance your guests experience and avoid the pitfalls that often accompany them.
Technology to Improve Gaming Performance
Gaming technology has increased tremendously in the past decade, and PC gamers have an array of new tech accessories to deliver a more fast-paced and immersive gaming experience. While the traditional keyboard and mouse will do for novice gamers, upgrading hardware can really improve the overall experience and increase user ability. Full size, backlit keyboards can make your next gaming session more comfortable and can increase the fun. This gaming keyboard comes with a cushioned arm rest, easing the pressure on your wrists for long gaming sessions. The backlit keys help to for quick response in dark playing environments.
Another important accessory to have is a large mouse pad. Large pads give players plenty of room to move their hands around while being fully immersed in the pc gaming experience. Custom gaming mouse pads, like this one from Vispronet.com, are fully customizable, allowing users to design the whole surface of the pad with custom artwork or graphics. To go along with mouse pads, new gaming mouses are equipped with optical sensors to track your every movement with exact prevision, and most new mouses come with programmable switches so you can tailor the mouse to your exact playing style.
WEDNESDAY
Strategy: Facebook and Social Media in the E-Gaming Era
Every 60 seconds, over 600 000 Facebook statuses are updated, over 98 000 tweets are sent and over 600 videos are uploaded on YouTube. Needless to say social media is here to stay, and impacting our e-gaming in ways we never imagined. How can your business benefit from this phenomenon? This session will review the latest trends gaming companies are utilizing social media and how it can help your entire organization.
- Moderator: Michael Wardrope, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speaker: Riley Meredith, Corporate Marketing Manager, Bally Technologies, Inc.
Operations: Analytics and Business Intelligence
The ability to take your data and transform it into knowledge can be a great way to identify new revenue increasing and cost controlling opportunities. More than standard reporting that comes stock in much of today’s software solutions, analytics and BI go a step further and use complex tools to analyze and report on your property’s data. Now you can combine revenue performance along with scheduling and payroll data to help determine if you need more staff or more overtime, more gaming tables or higher limits, and even more comps or higher offers. This session will review the best solutions in the marketplace and how to take your organization to the next level.
- Moderator: Joe Basara, Managing Director for Marketing Solutions and Gaming Operations, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speaker: Bruce Kolodziej, Predictive Analytics Sales Manager, Information Builders
Strategy: CIO Roundtable
Technology leaders are challenged every day to provide both tactical and strategic leadership for their department, company, and customers. Managing the day-to-day business, hiring talented staff, and dealing with critical failures, doesn’t leave a lot of time to develop a strategic vision to take your company into the future. Mobile technology, Internet gaming and mobile gaming are just some of the strategic initiatives that have already become a reality that IT leaders must now address. Hear from the industry’s top technology leaders about how they balance the needs of today with the vision of tomorrow.
- Moderator: Saverio Scheri III, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speaker: Van Baltz, Vice President & CTO
Operations: Marketing Operations and Technology – How Technology is Changing the Way We Market
With all the new technology available at our fingertips such as iPads, smart phones, and social networking, people can access information from anywhere at any time. Marketers are now able to see in an instant how many people visit their website, how well a promotions is performing as well as sell products online. Getting information to the customer is now easier and more cost effective than ever. Understanding the technology, media channels, and response rates can be the key to success. This session will review what technology can help you execute your marketing programs faster, better and cheaper.
- Moderator: Joe Basara, Managing Director for Marketing Solutions and Gaming Operations, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speaker: Christopher Abraham, Vice President of Marketing, Golden Gaming, Inc.
Gaming Executive Career Guide – Building a Career
Part 1
Get ready for an information packed session with The Godfather of Las Vegas! With unemployment at 13% in Las Vegas, and “shadow” unemployment at 25% (the REAL unemployment rate), jobs and careers are a hot topic for the gaming and video game industry. Whether you are an executive in transition, considering a career change or focused on upward mobility – this is the session for you! Come see the gaming industry’s leading talent expert discuss how to approach a job search, important aspects to the resume and interview, and tips and secrets for getting you that next great opportunity. Mark will discuss the importance of relationships and networking, how to determine your market value, negotiating the compensation package, and how to get the attention of the top executive placement firms. Mark Wayman, Godfather of Las Vegas. Part 2 of this Workshop will begin at 10:30 am.
- Presenter: Mark Wayman, Founder and CEO of The Foundation
Operations: Marketing at the Gaming Machine: Beyond Bonusing
The growth of the player-user interface and new forms of networked gaming has given gaming machine operators new opportunities to solidify relationships with players. But they are steps on the road to the real goal, which is to make the gaming machine the primary customer engagement vehicle of your gaming operation. This session will examine the potential of real-time game marketing and the steps the industry must take to make the most of it.
- Moderator: Alan Mercer, Director, WhiteSand Gaming
- Speakers: Ted Keenan, Director of Product Management, Bally Technologies, Inc., Tyson Wrensch, Western Regional Sales Manager, Transact Technologies, Inc
Operations: Mobile Technology
The size of technology continues to shrink, providing more powerful devices with longer battery life that allow customers to do more than ever while on the go. These new devices could theoretically remove almost all human interaction in many traditional transactions throughout the gaming resort. Guests can reserve a room, check in, unlock their door, order room service, make dinner reservations, sign-up for an online tournament, even play in the game tournament all from their smartphone or tablet. And that’s just a brief example. Learn about the latest trends in mobile technology and review the pros and cons of replacing human interaction with technology.
- Moderator: Joe Basara, Managing Director for Marketing Solutions and Gaming Operations, WhiteSand Gaming
Strategy: Technology Lessons Learned from Successes and Failures
Some projects are a great success and some are a big flop. Large scale implementations require strong project management skills along with the coordination of user departments, vendors, processes and technology. This session will explore the reasons that some projects soar while others crash and burn. Hear from industry veterans about success and failures in our industry, and how to avoid making the same mistakes.
- Moderator: Michael R. Wood, IT Strategy and Process Improvement Consultant