Casino Marketing Conference
Monday, July 19
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Registration Open
7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Advertising and New Media Summit (separate registration required)
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception on the Trade Show floor
Casino Marketing Agenda as of June 24:
- Tuesday, July 20
- Wednesday, July 21
| 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Registration Open |
| 7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. | Continental Breakfast |
| 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Introductory Remarks and Conference Overview Speaker: Dennis Conrad, President and Chief Strategist, Raving Consulting Company |
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. | Opening Keynote Address An Uncommon Marketing Success: The Story of Greektown Casino The bankers were buying and the owners were facing huge debts and declining revenues. The competitors, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino, had long dominated the market and had strong brands and great marketing resources. Welcome to the story of Greektown, 2009. So what do you do in a mess like this, in a brutal economy, against bigger and better competitors? Nibble on the edges? Slug it out? Close up? Not if you’re Randy Fine and the Fine Point Group – you roll up your sleeves, you develop a true, difference-making strategy and you only use “marketing that matters.” In this stirring opening session, Randy shares the inside skinny, the marketing road map, and the uncommon results of his company’s work turning Greektown Casino from market doormat to market contender. Speaker: Randy Fine, Managing Director, The Fine Point Group |
| 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Networking Break |
| 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | It’s Incredible! A Slot Company That Thinks It Is A Marketing Company Every once in a while, a company comes along that has the potential “to change the way we do business around here.” Meet Incredible Technologies, an upstart slot manufacturer from Illinois, that has the audacity to think it can compete with IGT, Bally, WMS and other entrenched market leaders in the gaming industry. How do they plan to do this? Why with a marketing model, of course! In this ground breaking session, you’ll hear about Incredible’s fascinating history with a juggernaut called Golden Tee Golf, how it tries to create customer “brand insistence,” and why it seeks “marketing partnerships” instead of “vendor relationships.” Casino marketers, do not miss this session! Speaker: Dan Schrementi, Director of Gaming Marketing and New Media, Incredible Technologies |
| 11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. | Networking Break |
| 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | How To Market To Your Problem Gamblers Oh sure, you would absolutely say you don’t market to your problem gamblers, unless it’s to tell them to get help if they need it. But doesn’t your advertising reach problem gamblers? Your direct mail? Your email? Your billboards? Even if you don’t know who they are or even if they have a problem? In this essential session, one of the real experts in the problem gambling field (and herself a recovering compulsive gambler) will discuss how to think about your marketing strategy and tactics – those things that entice, excite and encourage your customers to spend more of their discretionary income – and how to view it from your customers’ perspective. Her viewpoint will surprise you and the feedback she will share from your customers about how they see your casino and its marketing will startle you. Speaker: Carol O’Hare, Executive Director, Nevada Council on Problem Gambling |
| 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. | Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon Honoring Virginia McDowell, President and Chief Operating Officer, Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Join sponsors, attendees, friends and associates in honoring Virginia McDowell, a true casino marketer and now President and Chief Operating Officer of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Virginia cut her marketing teeth in the Atlantic City market, holding a variety of executive positions over a sixteen year period. From there, she joined Argosy Gaming Company as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, ultimately holding the position of Senior Vice President of Operations. Before taking charge at Isle of Capri, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Trump Entertainment Resorts. Virginia has received many gaming and community honors, including recognition as one of the Great Women of Gaming and being named last year's Casino Executive of the Year by Casino Journal. She is being honored not only for her numerous gaming industry marketing achievements, but her lifelong appreciation of the casino customer, the casino employee and “marketing” as more than a department, but an important, integrated way of doing business. |
| 1:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Networking Break |
| 1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Personal Selling Skills Every Gaming Executive Should Master: Selling yourself and your ideas to the tribal council, the CEO, the community, to your team When asked if you can sell, you say, “no way – I’m a marketer.” Although day in and day out you sell an experience, promotions and events. That’s easy right? Especially if you can do it through letters and emails. However, the thought of face to face selling makes your gut rumble. Asking for money to fund training, asking for a community donation, asking for a raise, asking that your employees buy-in to a new policy; even asking a customer to sign up for a players club card – you’d rather leave it to that person on your team “who is good at sales.” In today’s business environment having sales skills and the ability to drive revenue is an aptitude that is guaranteed to make you more valuable to your organization and it just might save your job. Sales isn’t just about selling products like used cars and computer equipment – so this is a must-attend session for all gaming executives. Speakers: Amy Hergenrother, Vice President Business Development, Raving Consulting Company; Shawna Ridgebear, Casino Marketing Manager, Circus Circus Reno; Jim Snead, Chief Financial Officer, Port Madison Enterprises/Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort |
| 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. | Networking Break During this networking break, SCA Gaming will offer one lucky Casino Marketing attendee a chance at a $100,000 prize in SCA’s new $100,000 Roulette Riches promotion. Even if the contestant doesn’t win the grand prize, other cash prizes are available throughout the game so the player will go home a guaranteed winner! |
| 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. | How To Promote “Value” To Casino Customers One trend noticed during the current recession is that casino customers are increasingly looking for more value – more benefits for less play, free play that will extend play, packages that might enhance overall trip value, and yes, even cheaper pricing. But how do we respond to the demand for more value without seriously eroding profit margins and creating a future expectation and sense of customer entitlement in the future, when the economy is well on its way to recovery? In this important session, some top gaming marketers and operators will speak to how to create more customer value intelligently and profitably, without giving customers for free what they would gladly pay for. Speakers: Anthony Curtis, Publisher, Huntington Press; Randy Fine, Managing Director, The Fine Point Group; Virginia McDowell, President and Chief Operating Officer, Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. |
| 3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Networking Break |
| 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | How to Kick ROI’s Butt Hey marketing professional, are you spending your life trying to prove that your department is an actual profit center, not the black hole of never-ending expenses? Are you tired of being asked to justify every program you create trying to drive revenue? Good news! This session will add a few practical tools to your marketing toolbox that will help you bring more bucks to the bottom line and actually demonstrate how you did it. Discover key data reports that spark group decision-making instead of finger-pointing. Take away a matrix that sheds light on the purpose of each of your reinvestment efforts. Resist competitive price wars by leveraging free stuff to boost your ROI. Reward marginal worth customers without over-investing. Let us help make you an ROI hero! Speakers: Nicole Barker, President, Barker Enterprises, Inc.; Toby O’Brien, Vice President Marketing and Client Services, Raving Consulting Company |
| 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. | Registration Open |
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. | Continental Breakfast |
| 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Day Two Opening Remarks Speaker: Charles Anderer, Group Publisher, Gaming, BNP Media |
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. | Keynote Address: State of the Industry - How Marketers Should Be Thinking About Their Customers and Their Business In 2010 and Beyond There are some people who retire and others who continue to learn and contribute to their industries and society. Phil Satre “retired” as the Chairman of the Board of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. over five years ago. But since that time, he has served on the Board of Directors of TABCORP Holdings, Rite Aid Corporation, NV Energy, Inc., the customer service leading Nordstrom Inc. and most recently International Game Technology (IGT), where he was named Chairman of the Board in 2009. He has received numerous gaming industry honors in his illustrious career and was the 2006 recipient of Casino Marketing’s Lifetime Achievement Award. At Casino Marketing 2010, Phil Satre has been asked to frame the current and future challenges facing gaming marketers worldwide based on his powerful perspective as an industry insider, casino company senior executive, slot company Chairman and international business leader. His unique insights will provide strategic fodder and a customer-focused view into where the gaming industry stands today and where it needs to go tomorrow. Don’t miss this session with a true “captain of industry.” Speaker: Phil Satre, Chairman of the Board, IGT and former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. |
| 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Networking Break |
| 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | What Your Best Players Are Saying and Doing During This Recession – 2010 Edition The common wisdom in the current recession is that casino players are visiting with the same relative frequency, but spending less per visit. Is that true and is that changing? What are our casino customers now saying about their casino experience, spending patterns and outlook for their own personal economies? Once again, some of the top casino market researchers in the business will share their most recent data gathered from thousands of casino customers in casino markets across North America, as well as their interpretation of what it means and what you should be doing about it. This session is produced exclusively for Casino Marketing 2010. Speakers: Glenn J. Goulet, President, Gaming Strategies + Insights, LLC; Michael Meczka, Principal, MM/R/C |
| 11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. | Networking Break |
| 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Stories of Life II Marketing budgets are being cut. Competitors are acting irrationally, but yeah, stealing some of our business while they do. Work hours are longer, while words of praise and encouragement are shorter. So how is a casino marketer able to keep the passion for work, life and excellence burning in a world getting crazier day by day. Join Steve Browne, the top motivational speaker in the gaming industry, as he continues his unanimously applauded discussion from last year’s Casino Marketing, bringing tears and laughter as he poignantly points out that your passion lies in the very stories that make up the fabric of your life. Speaker: Steve Browne, President, Raving Service |
| 12:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. | Awards Luncheon: The Romero Awards - Recognizing Excellence In Casino Marketing Named after casino marketing pioneer and author John Romero, the Romero Awards honor those gaming operators who best fulfill the spirit of John’s nearly 50-year crusade for effective, measurable and accountable casino marketing expenditures. Find out who the expert judging panel, chaired by John Romero himself, selected as winners for their excellence in casino marketing, in the important categories of Direct Mail, Casino Promotions, VIP Events, PR Campaigns, Web and Email Marketing. As a special treat for this year’s Romero Awards, the presentation will be emceed by noted TV personality and casino sports consultant, Al Bernstein. Presented by: John Romero, Inaugural Recipient of the Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award and Namesake of the Romero Awards Hosted by: Al Bernstein, Sportscaster and Boxing Analyst, Radio Host, Speaker and Performer |
| 1:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Networking Break |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Essential Information For The Modern Day Casino Marketer The advent of new technology presents countless opportunities for casino marketing executives to get all kinds of information – numerous segmentations of gaming spend, demographic analysis and other powerful data insights into the gaming business. Sure, the data is there, but who has time to sift through, sort and make sense of it? Techies and marketers must meld their brains to make better business decisions, but just because a software application or system promises it can be done, doesn't necessarily means it's being done, and it doesn't take an army of brilliant quantitative geeks to figure it out. Is it possible to understand and capture the "guest" experience beyond the "gaming" experience? Is it possible to make sense of all tracking data in order to make sensible decisions? Is it possible to get ROI from social media? In this essential marketing session, some of the brightest analytical minds will noodle on these questions and more, leading to a clearer sense of what to know and how to know it, in this rapidly changing world of casino marketing analysis. Moderator: Brian C. Flynn, Jr., Managing Director, DiamondStream Speakers: Jeff Barela, Co-Founder, Business Development & Partnerships, Dovetail--The Marketing Database Company; James Clark, Co-Founder, Room 214; Jeff Cohn, Director of Software Development, Konami Gaming |
| 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Networking Break Make sure all your Passports are submitted to the registration desk before 3:00 p.m., as the winners will be drawn during this networking break. You must be present to win the cruise from Carnival Cruise and other great prizes! |
| 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | The Best (And Worst) Casino Promotions of 2010 For 14 years now (or maybe it’s 15, the early years are a blur), Dennis Conrad has been releasing his annual list of the Best (and Worst) Casino Promotions of the Year. Announced exclusively at Casino Marketing and in Casino Journal, the awards are an attempt to highlight marketing nuggets of wisdom (as well as glaring flops of fabulous proportion) in Casino Land around the world. Dennis’ unauthorized but honest presentation is based on his unparalleled information network from his consulting work, player experiences, media and casino PR sources and a vast web of industry insider snitches, er, SOURCES. While the Best and Worst may not have the esteemed stature of the Romero Awards, they will have you laughing and cringing, while furiously taking notes on the marketing genius and marketing no-no’s that only Dennis Conrad could uncover in this crazy but wonderful casino marketing world of ours. Speaker: Dennis Conrad, President and Chief Strategist, Raving Consulting Company |
Keynote Speakers
Randy Fine, Managing Director, The Fine Point Group
Phil Satre, Chairman of the Board, IGT
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Virginia McDowell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc.
Read more about Casino Marketing's Lifetime Achievement Award
Check out our new event for 2010! The Advertising and New Media Summit on July 19 is the perfect companion piece to Casino Marketing Conference. Separate registration is required.
