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Guest Comment: Stuart Hunter, Managing Director Clarion Gaming
Stuart Hunter, Managing Director, Clarion Gaming
he fact that Clarion Gaming is taking a
Tsignificant entourage to G2E not for the journey but in order to meet key business objectives speaks volumes for the power, the influence and the benefits delivered by in-person events.
Major expos such as G2E and ICE London deliver a long list of opportunities.
We are excited to be able to connect with our customers again, meet up with industry friends, share the exciting plans that we have for ICE23 and beyond, take the temperature of a U.S. industry that’s making a robust recovery and simply to soak it all in. In fact, we hope to achieve precisely the same outcomes as the overwhelming majority of industry professionals who will also be in Vegas.
As professional event organisers who are invested in the sector that we serve, we absolutely share in the excitement of the G2E team as they bring the U.S. gaming industry back together again after such a long time away. That excitement will be magnified for us next February when the ICE doors open and we welcome all sectors of the international industry back for a full scale edition of ICE London.
Why are live events so important?
Very simply they allow businesses and individuals to meet, engage and spend valuable time with customers and suppliers – both existing and new. Getting to know your partners and customers is so important particularly in a people-centric industry such as international gaming. Relationships can be struck or cemented in endless ways when we meet in person, sometimes planned, sometimes by chance, but always meaningful.
In my opinion, personal contact and human relationships are vital in order to keep the wheels of the commercial world turning and meeting at a world class event such as ICE presents the most economical way to do this – not only as it’s the best opportunity to be in the room with the right people but because the opportunities to engage face to face throughout the week are endless and memorable.
We are utilising our time in Las Vegas to invest in the many relationships that we have built over the decades and to listen to our customers courtesy of the ICE symposium which we are hosting on Monday 10th October. The Symposium follows the same format as the event we held at Les Ambassadeurs Casino Stewart Hunter, Managing
Director, Clarion Gaming
in Mayfair, London in conjunction with the European Casino Association and the ECA members. An extension of our traditional Ampersand gathering, the Symposium utilises the Open Space format to create an agenda which reflects the issues that are really important to the participants and their businesses. Open Space is both dynamic and democratic – enabling us as event organisers to direct our energies into focusing on those issues that really matter to our stakeholders.
We also have an exciting new booth this year at G2E (Number 5538) where we have partnered with The Mob Museum in Las Vegas to present a vintage slot machine which simply has to be seen … it’s a classic piece of gaming history that we can’t wait to show our guests as a contrast to all the tech that will be on display at G2E.
A successful G2E will represent great news for the global industry and after Vegas all roads lead to ICE London, which is on course to be the most symbolic and exciting edition of ICE on record!
