GameON Rocks Boston
The seventh edition of the unique AGS GameON Customer Summit offers compelling sessions , networking in an intimate setting , and the amenities or Encore Boston Harbor
Many suppliers have staged customer conferences and user summits over the years , but in the slot sector , no such conference is quite like the
GameON Customer Summit staged by gaming supplier AGS .
For one thing , selling product is not the goal . While there are summaries of the latest developments in the company ’ s three divisions — slots , table games and interactive — and a small showroom display , the conference sessions and keynotes offer a unique mix of discussions on issues vital to the casino industry and presentations by experts in various fields showing how anyone in any business can perform more effectively .
The educational program is mixed with tours , social events and party events that allow AGS executives to interact with their customers , and develop relationships that would not be possible in a seller-buyer atmosphere . The attendance is kept to a relatively small group of invitees , to maintain the intimacy of the gathering — allowing supplier and customer to get to know each other beyond what can be gathered from a sales pitch .
GameON 2024 , the seventh edition of the user summit , was held last month at the Encore Boston Harbor resort . All three AGS divisions presented business updates , but the main stage was dominated by a series of compelling presentations on our reactions to political issues , the neuroscience behind what makes us respond to social media , and a definitive look at how the emerging Gen Z generation differs from previous demographic groups .
Panel discussions included subjects ranging from the future of sports betting to the evolution of casino content , the emergence of cashless systems ,
and developing agility in executive leadership .
Social activities included a self-guided sightseeing tour of Historic Boston , a “ Party Trolley ” trip to Fenway Park for a Boston Red Sox game , and cocktail events including a “ Downtown Boston Rooftop Social Hour ” at Sam Adams Taproom and a welcome reception with a wealth of local cuisine on the South Lawn at Encore Boston Harbor .
“ GameON is about education , enrichment , and getting to know people ,” AGS President and CEO David Lopez told customers in remarks kicking off the summit . “ We don ’ t often get a chance to just sit down and talk to people . The culture is important , and you ’ re part of our culture .”
Day One of the conference began with product summaries from each of the three AGS divisions . It was the only session in which the subject was AGS products . The remainder of the program included a now-familiar parade of thought-provoking sessions on non-gaming topics mixed with panels examining industry issues .
Two presentations in the former style were on Day One , when Jim Vande- Hei , co-founder and CEO of Axios and co-founder and former CEO of Politico , gave a keynote presentation relating his decades working to build those two news services and as a political reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post , covering the presidency and Congress , to what is happening today . He offered his views on both the current presidential candidates , and how his dealings with both over the years have revealed positive as well as negative attributes of both .
The Q & A session after VandeHei ’ s presentation was one of the highlights of the conference , as attendees sought his opinion on a wide range of issues affecting the U . S . today .
In other first-day presentations , Apply Digital Chief Product Officer Scott Michaels drew parallels between sports and the gaming industry , and how the advent of sports betting has combined the two industries into a single new ecosystem .
Another first-day highlight was a presentation by Dr . Sahar Yousef , a cognitive neuroscientist from the University of California , Berkeley , who offered a fascinating look at how science was used to cause cognitive responses in consumers ’ brains to keep people on their mobile devices longer . She said that notifications built into cellphones are “ carefully crafted to foster an addiction that will keep you on your device longer .” Citing the examples of the “ swoosh ” sound when
22 Global Gaming Business JULY 2024