London: Aristocrat Technologies Europe Limited has given its firm backing to the forthcoming International Gaming Expo, taking place at Lake Como, Italy across 30 th May – 1 st June, with the announcement that they are the platinum sponsor of the inaugural event’s prestigious conference programme.

As part of the arrangement, Aristocrat will participate in a number of educational and entertainment aspects of the event, sponsoring the main cocktail reception and staging a tournament on the new PokerPro ® Heads­UpTM two­player electronic poker table, as well as making a major contribution to the conference programme.

Aristocrat Technologies Limited’s Senior Product Manager, John Willis will be sharing some of the vast experience he has gained over his 27­year career in the gaming industry when he addresses delegates on day two of the conference. His presentation, entitled ‘Moving the industry forward’, will detail the experiences of successful casino operations across the globe; the political, social, technological and economic challenges they have faced, how these have been overcome and – most importantly – what European operators can learn from the outcomes. Regarded by many observers as a true industry expert, John has been offering hints and tips on his trek through the casino industry jungle via regular magazine columns over the last 12 months. His writings have now been compiled into a single book, entitled ‘Big Game Hunter’, which will be launched at IGE.

Commenting on the announcement, Aristocrat Technologies Europe’s Marketing Director, Marc Campman said: “We firmly believe in the practice of education, information gathering and the sharing of ideas to help the future growth of the industry. This is the principle reason behind our decision to support IGE as a platinum sponsor. The underlying theme of our presence will be the exchange of ideas and experiences with some of the best minds in the business.”

He added: “Enjoyable entertainment for all is also high on our agenda, hence the decision to sponsor the cocktail reception. Furthermore, visitors to IGE will have the opportunity to bluff their way to win a Video iPod in a special knock­ out tournament on PokerPro ® Heads­UpTM. The table will be located in the central hall with all­comers invited to try their hand at some serious peer­to­peer rivalry, culminating in a grand final at the end of the second day.”