G2E Asia 2018, the region’s largest annual gaming industry event, has big plans for its 12th edition.

Asia’s biggest annual gaming industry trade show and exhibition, G2E Asia, returns to The Venetian Macao from 15 to 17 May 2018 with all signs pointing to another recordbreaking edition.

Celebrating its 12th anniversary this year, G2E Asia will play host to more than 220 exhibitors in 2018 – 35% more than its very first edition in 2007 – with organizers aiming for 15,000 local and international trade visitors. They will comprise more than 1,800 senior executives with significant purchasing power and many other industry heavyweights.

In order to appeal to the increasing size and diversification of its exhibitor base, content and event offerings, this year’s show will promote a number of industry segments through specially designated zones, educational seminars and conference sessions.

One of those, introduced for the first time in 2018, is the Digital Content & Technology Zone. Slated to serve as a hub for Asia’s gaming technology community, it will present a combined exhibitor showcase of digital game development and technology providers, as well as a full-day forum on Thursday 17 May dedicated exclusively to digital content and technology.

The Parts and Components Pavilion, Asia’s first and only trading and sourcing platform dedicated to exhibit parts and components of the electronic gaming machine manufacturing industry, will aim to assist regional market operators source unique and innovative parts, components and features that appeal to the Asian casino gaming customer. As a prime gathering spot for manufacturers, it will also attract product and technical designers, R&D engineers and buyers. This year’s showcase boasts close to a dozen recognized exhibitors highlighting the most advanced parts and components in the industry.

Finally, the popular Asia Lottery Expo and Forum, held concurrently with G2E Asia each year, is a multi-faceted event that delivers an unprecedented business, learning and networking platform uniquely designed for lottery professionals. It provides an opportunity for exposure to all tiers of Asia-Pacific’s rapidly expanding lottery industry via a three-day forum with topics ranging from the transformation of China’s lottery development and regional lottery outlook to responsible gaming and innovation of lottery games in the new era.

The Forum will welcome companies from China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom in 2018.

NETWORKING

G2E Asia has built a reputation for its incredible array of networking events but this year will see the launch of a major new initiative with the inaugural official G2E Asia Awards. A collaboration between Inside Asian Gaming and G2E Asia, the G2E Asia Awards will recognize excellence and innovation within the Asian gaming industry while celebrating operators, regulators, suppliers and service providers for their success and outstanding contributions to the industry.

To be held in the Ballroom at MGM Cotai on the evening of Tuesday 15 May, the official G2E Asia Awards are set to become a highly-anticipated fixture on the annual gaming industry calendar. Turn to Page 72 for more details.

Returning to G2E Asia in 2018 after a well-received debut last year is the Future Technology Leaders Get-Together, gathering emerging technology executives from integrated resorts, suppliers and governments to inspire and exchange ideas on the application of innovative solutions to realize better customer engagement.

All G2E Asia attendees have the opportunity to attend the show’s Segmented Industry Networking Events, a series of small interactive activities including Table Games Networking Cocktails, Slots Networking Cocktails, Digital Content & Technology Networking Cocktails and Lottery Networking Cocktails.

CONFERENCE

Each year the three-day G2E Asia Conference offers attendees a unique opportunity to gain incredible insights from a lineup of highlevel industry leaders, influencers and experts on the most important issues affecting the industry today.

The broad topics to be discussed comprise regional developments and evolving market trends in gaming, integrated resorts of the future and digital content and technology.

Inside Asian Gaming will again play a leading role in the G2E Asia Conference as host of the Asian Markets Forum – a twopart panel exploring Asia’s key and emerging markets outside of Macau. Separated into Asia North and Asia South, the two highly experienced panels will discuss a wide range of issues from IR project development and design through to construction, marketing, labor supply and other unique considerations of each market.

The Asian Markets Forum gets underway at 13:30 on Tuesday 15 May in the main conference room.

Also catching the eye at this year’s G2E Asia Conference is its powerful line-up of Macau gaming industry powerbrokers, led by Melco Resorts CEO and Chairman Lawrence Ho as keynote speaker on Day 1 and DICJ director Paulo Martins Chan on Day 2.

Chan’s keynote speech on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 May will be preceded by a panel discussing Macau’s integrated resorts and featuring President and executive director of Sands China Ltd, Wilfred Wong; Wynn Macau Chairman and independent non-executive director, Allan Zeman; and director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.