Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | February 2014 32 other day when I talked with Edward Tracy, he said, eventually it’s all about getting customers to come. When they come, they will play. So it’s so important to understand how to keep them coming back. You have to offer them something like Las Vegas, something exciting, something interesting to them. Throughout the conversations that we have had with all the operators this is what they want to see. F&B also? Definitely. Are these exclusively Asian companies? No. Some are global companies operating in the Asian markets. I hope by March we will be able to share with you more of the names of who we are talking to right now. Hopefully, we’ll get confirmations and then be ready to disclose. Are they current exhibitors at G2E in Las Vegas? Some of them are, but the majority are not. It’s a new customer base then? That’s right. And the “thematic areas” themselves, how will they look and function? In a thematic area, like the design area, for example, you will see interior designers showcasing their products and services, and there will be a networking program attached to that. So they will not only be showing what they have, there will be in-depth networking where they will have an opportunity to talk about the details of their projects and case studies, and give presentations during which they will be able to answer questions. It’s more intensive networking than just waiting on the show floor for someone to walk by. These will be separate physical spaces on the floor? Clusters of like companies? Pavilions? We’re still at the stage of working with them to come up with a final format. At this point, we’re talking about an area where they will have a presence, like a pavilion, and they will be able to use conference space to make their presentations and do their networking. They will need a little bit more of an exclusive area. So we will actually supplement their presence on the show floor with a networking function in a conference setting. The online and mobile technologies you mention, these will operate outside the physical parameters of the show? How will they work? There will be a few areas: First of all, there will be an online portal where exhibitors can go in and look at who will be visiting, and they can send messages to them. So it will make their presentations a lot more fruitful. And those messages and information they’ve sent out will also be synchronized with a mobile app. This is ongoing, right? Suppliers and visitors will be able to communicate directly, set up meetings, that kind of thing? Yes, they can actually look at who is coming, send them a message, see who has replied and develop an agenda. This will appear in a map and on the portal. It will show that you have a meeting and in what facility: on the show floor, in the lounge, in the café, where. This will be very, very valuable. Visitors will find it a lot more Insights “When I talked with Edward Tracy, he said, eventually it’s all about getting them to come. When they come, they will play. So it’s so important to understand how to keep them coming back. Throughout the conversations that we have had with all the operators this is what they want to see.” “In a thematic area, like the design area, for example, you will see interior designers showcasing their products and services, and there will be a networking program attached to that. So they will not only be showing what they have, they will have an opportunity to talk about the details of their projects, case studies, presentations, during which they will be able to answer questions. It’s more intensive networking than just waiting on the show floor for someone to walk by.”