LAS VEGAS--The Greatest Show on Earth was created when the Barnum and Bailey Circus merged with Ringling Bros.
Now, the greatest show in gaming has emerged from the merger of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) and World Gaming Congress & Expo.
G2E, set to start Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center and run through Thursday, will offer a record number of sessions and exhibitors to a record number of attendees, according to sponsors.
"Every square foot that could be sold has been," said Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president and chief executive officer of the American Gaming Association.
The gaming industry expo will cover 190,500 square feet this year, compared with 133,000 last year.
"When the industry decided to do its own show, we decided it would be done by the industry and for the industry," Fahrenkopf said.
The design and use of the floor space will reflect that philosophy, he said.
"We had working committees set up by exhibitors tell us what had worked and what had not, so we worked out traffic flows to maximize the usefulness of the expo for both exhibitors and participants," Fahrenkopf said.
The enthusiasm and usefulness that has bred are showing up in attendance figures, he said.
Almost 10,000 individual attendees preregistered for the event, up by one third from last year, and more than 2,000 preregistered for the conference program, up by more than 50 percent from last year, according to Fahrenkopf.
More than 600 exhibitors will showcase their products and technologies, compared with fewer than 400 last year.
"Our intention has always been to include everyone in the gaming industry," said Lorenz Hassenstein, vice president of Reed Exhibitions, which organizes G2E with trade show partner American Gaming Association.
It will feature more than 100 conference sessions about many of the issues facing the industry and topics that will affect the future of gaming worldwide.
"We have engineered G2E to be the largest networking experience in the gaming industry," he said. "No where else can you hear the same senior level people discuss the industry, where it is, where it's been and where it'll go."
Fahrenkopf said planning committees included past participants to make sure the most topical subjects possible are addressed.
Some of the topics covered in this year's conference program include: "Accept or Reject: Prospects for Internet Gambling"; "The Big Games: Their Design, Impact and Future"; "Corporate Governance: Learning the Enron Lessons"; "The Future of Racing: Is Integration of the Gaming Industry the Answer?"; "Global Games: 21st Century Slots"; "Protecting Ideas: Intellectual Property in the Casino Industry"; "Regulation and Reform: Evolving Tribal Gaming Commissions"; and "UK "Vision: The New Rules and What They Mean."
Security will be a key issue, reflecting increased concerns since Sept. 11 and industry interests, according to Fahrenkopf. New technologies and methods are being introduced to provide the most secure atmosphere for casino players around the world. Face recognition software is one of the most talked about technologies this year and will be represented at the show.
The program was designed to cover every aspect of the gaming business," Fahrenkopf said, "not just slot machines, but equipment, procedures and how-to on running a casino."
Key conference speakers will include Asociacion Latinoamericana de Juegos de Azar (ALAJA) President Martin Canepa, Boyd Gaming Corp. President Don Snyder, CBS Marketwatch correspondent William Spain, Harrah's Entertainment President and COO Gary Loveman, MGM Mirage Chairman and CEO J. Terrence Lanni, National Indian Gaming Association Executive Director Mark Van Norman and Park Place Entertainment Corp. Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Kim Sinatra.
Three special conferences, the Gaming Investment Forum, the G2E Training and Development Institute and the Interactive Gaming Symposium, are being offered the day after the show on Friday.
The Gaming Investment Forum, primarily sponsored by financial giants Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns & Co. will present information on publicly traded companies and give attendees the inside track on what's happening in the industry.
The G2E Training and Development Institute will offer intensive training in areas such as casino operations, slot operations, gaming education, and security and surveillance.
This one-day institute will enhance attendees' areas of expertise so they can make an immediate impact on the profitability of their business. The in-depth sessions are co-sponsored by the American Society for Industrial Security, Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, Casino Management Association, Community College of Southern Nevada and the Gaming Standards Association.
The Interactive Gaming Symposium, presented in conjunction with the Interactive Gaming Institute (IGI), will offer a one-day intensive program on interactive gaming and will cover new gaming options, new jurisdictions and new player ID systems.G2E, organized by the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions, debuted in fall 2001.
The gaming association represents the commercial casino-entertainment industry by addressing federal legislative and regulatory issues. The association also serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern.
Reed Exhibitions is a world leader in creating high profile, targeted industry events where buyers and suppliers come together to do business.
Each year, Reed events bring together some 160,000 suppliers and more than 9 million buyers from around the world. Today, Reed events are held in 35 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are organized by 30 fully staffed offices.
Last year, Reed was invited by the gaming association to help build a worldwide trade show and conference that would lead the gaming industry into the future.
The gaming association brings to the table its extensive connections in the gaming industry, experience and knowledge of regulatory issues, and wise leadership on industry wide issues of public concern. Reed Exhibitions, one of the largest trade show organizers in the country, provides valuable expertise, vital resources and top-quality strategic management - priceless tools that ensure a dynamic event.
The first G2E in 2001 went head-to-head with the existing World Gaming Congress & Expo, which had been held annually in Las Vegas.
Subsequently, the gaming association acquired the assets of the World Gaming Congress. The gaming association and Reed now hope to produce the largest and most informative conference and trade show by the industry and for the industry.