Casino industry conference set to tackle broad range of key issues

European Casino Summit – Hyatt Regency Hotel, Thessaloniki, Greece – 8-9 May
2003.

The European Casino Summit is set to become one of the industry's most important talking shops, if this year's programme released by organisers, ATE is anything to go by.



The Summit, taking place at the luxurious Hyatt Regency Hotel in the favoured tourist destination of Thessaloniki, Greece on 8-9 May, will cover a wide range of issues pertinent to land-based operators, which also carry significance for other industry professionals including regulators, lawyers, analysts, manufacturers and suppliers.

The list of scheduled speakers brings together no fewer than 25 experts, drawn from 12 different nations, whose specialist knowledge extends to a broad spectrum of disciplines such as legislation and regulation, operations, marketing and promotion, brand protection, social responsibility, layout and design, association activities, player analysis, testing, payment systems, slot machine development and new concepts such as „Racino“.

The list of speakers confirmed for the European Casino Summit 2003 at time of going to press was as follows:

  • Ron Barbaro, Chairman & CEO, Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation, Canada
  • Inga Cesnakiene, Director, Nese Casino, Lithuania
  • Tim Cullimore, General Manager, Casino de Crans Montana, Switzerland
  • Steve Donoughue, CEO, The Gambling Consultancy, UK
  • Frank Dumont, Managing Director, Leo A Daly, USA
  • Marco Fiore, Marketing Manager, Casino de la Vallée, Italy
  • Tim Green, Director, Pims SCA, UK
  • Dr George Haeberling, Chairman, Casino Partners, UK
  • Jens Halle, Managing Director & Head of Sales & Marketing, Austrian Gaming Industries, Austria
  • Kit Hall-Johnston, Director – Government Relations, G.L.I. Europe, Netherlands
  • Paul Herzfeld, Chief Executive, Casinos Austria International, Austria
  • Evi Lazou, Director of Marketing, Regency Casino, Greece
  • Heliodoro Giner Lopez, Secretary General, Asociacion de Casinos de Juego, Spain
  • Jean-Dominique Michel, General Secretary, Pro Mente Sana Geneva, Switzerland
  • Chris Moore, CEO, Casino Partners, UK
  • Patrick Mori, Manager, Eleven Products, France
  • Jan Philippen, Vice President Gaming, Holland Casinos, Netherlands
  • Kurt Quartier, Managing Director, IGT Europe, Netherlands
  • Paul Renney, Partner, Theodore Goddard, UK
  • Yves Rossier, Director, Swiss Federal Gaming Board, Switzerland
  • Sebastian Salat, Managing Director, WMS Gaming, USA
  • Rolf Sims Francis, Legal Adviser, Norwegian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Norway
  • Maria Slater, Head of UK Marketing, London Clubs International, UK
  • Paul Steelman, President, Paul Steelman Design Group, USA
  • Geoff Taylor, General Manager, Regency Casino, Greece
  • Lutz Wiedieng, General Manager, Westspiel Casinos, Germany

Day One – 8th May

Chaired by Chris Moore, chief executive officer of UK-based Casino Partners, the first day will begin with country-specific case studies, with detailed presentations on new openings, regulator relations and market trends in Switzerland, Lithuania, Germany, Spain and Austria.

Speakers:

  • Tim Cullimore, General Manager, Casino de Crans Montana, Switzerland
  • Inga Cesnakiene, Director, Nese Casino, Lithuania
  • Lutz Wiedieng, General Manager, Westspiel Casinos, Germany
  • Heliodoro Giner Lopez, Secretary General, Asociacion de Casinos de Juego, Spain
  • Paul Herzfeld, Chief Executive, Casinos Austria International, Austria



This will be followed by a regulator update, covering changes in regulation, country-specific updates, current issues and a discussion on effective communications between operators and regulators.

Speakers:

  • Yves Rossier, Director, Swiss Federal Gaming Board, Switzerland
  • Rolf Sims Francis, Legal Adviser, Norwegian
  • Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Norway



The rest of the day will be devoted to marketing and promotion, beginning with a talk on brand protection, including patents, copyright and trademarks and an overview on legal interpretation with specific reference to the casino industry.

Speaker:

  • Paul Renney, Partner, Theodore Goddard, UK



A panel session will follow, looking at how customers perceive their casino, the effectiveness of brands and promotions and analysis of the changing customer base.

Speakers:

  • Maria Slater, Head of UK Marketing, London Clubs International, UK
  • Evi Lazou, Director of Marketing, Regency Casino, Greece
  • Geoff Taylor, General Manager, Regency Casino, Greece
  • Dr George Haeberling, Chairman, Casino Partners, UK
  • Tim Green, Director, Pims SCA, UK

Day Two – 9th May

Introduced by the Chairman, Steve Donoughue, chief executive officer of The Gambling Consultancy, the second day will open with a look at new concepts in casino layout and design, with specific reference to how existing layouts are affecting income and design considerations for new installations – both from US and European perspectives.

Speakers:

  • Paul Steelman, President, Paul Steelman Design Group, USA
  • Frank Dumont, Managing Director, Leo A Daly, USA



This will be followed by a social responsibility update, which will give an insight into the various levels of social responsibility across different national boundaries and explain how this discipline fits in with public health policies.

Speaker:

  • Jean-Dominique Michel, General Secretary, Pro Mente Sana Geneva, Switzerland



Drawing customers to the tables' is the subject of the next presentation, which will cover strategies to keep customers at the tables, observe past, current and future trends in this field, determine the merits of French and US games and ways of establishing the best product mix.

Speaker:

  • Marco Fiore, Marketing Manager, Casino de la Vallée, Italy



The next topic under discussion will explore the myths and facts about testing, answer questions such as what governments achieve by having games and systems tested to strict technical standards, and look at areas where there could be common technical standards for games and systems in Europe.

Speaker:

  • Kit Hall-Johnston, Director – Government Relations, G.L.I. Europe, Netherlands



An update on payment systems and processing will then follow, comparing available solutions for cash handling and cashless payments, as well as an assessment of the current market situation and possible future scenarios.

Speakers:

  • Patrick Mori, Manager, Eleven Products, France



A panel session designed to deliver a comprehensive update on slots development will then ensue. This will take a look at game development and regulatory barriers to further progress, attempt to predict which games will win customer attention and advise slot executives on what to look out for when buying slot machines.

Speakers:

  • Jan Philippen, Vice President Gaming, Holland Casinos, Netherlands
  • Kurt Quartier, Managing Director, IGT Europe, Netherlands
  • Jens Halle, MD & Head of Sales & Marketing, Austrian Gaming Industries, Austria
  • Sebastian Salat, Managing Director, WMS Gaming, USA



The final area of analysis will focus on slots and racetracks, providing case studies of existing Racino concepts in North America, examples of the possible revenues, changes and adaptations necessary and ideas on how it will work in Europe.

Speaker:

  • Ron Barbaro, Chairman & CEO, Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation, Canada



A welcome reception, open to all delegates and speakers, will take place on the evening of 7th May. A special 'taverna-style' social event, sponsored by IGT, will offer further networking opportunities on the first evening, 8th May.

The European Casino Summit 2003 is being sponsored by Atronic, Austrian Gaming Industries and IGT. For further information, including the latest schedules and online delegate bookings, visit www.ATEOnline.co.uk/conferences