2006 SGS Conference

Register Today

(accurate as of March 15; subject to change)

View the speaker list

Wednesday, May 3

6-8 p.m.
Welcome Reception

Thursday, May 4

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Opening Keynote Address

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
National Gaming Leadership Forum
The casino industry continues to grow nationally and around the world. New racino market opportunities are on the horizon in Pennsylvania, Florida and Arkansas. Tribal gaming continues its ascent, particularly in California, which is  positioned to be the world’s single largest market by the end of the decade. The established commercial markets of Las Vegas and Atlantic City are being reshaped by new real estate and resort developments. A maturing domestic market is leading to new investments overseas. Hear from key players across the national casino industry how their world is evolving and what the future may hold.
Moderator: Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., President and CEO,
American Gaming Association. Speakers: Marc Falcone, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Securities; Richard Haddrill, Chief Executive Officer, Bally Gaming and Systems; Anthony Sanfilippo, President - Central Division, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.  

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Networking Break 

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m
Regional Update: Mississippi’s River Counties and Louisiana
Katrina’s impact extended to casino markets throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, many of which have seen increases in population and visitation in the post-hurricane period. Gaming revenue increases have been strong in the north river region of Tunica, Lula and Robinsonville and the south river region of Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez as well as in suburban New Orleans and in Baton Rouge. What are operators doing to consolidate these gains and how will business be affected when temporary casinos open on the coast and if gaming potentially expands to other parts of the region such as Hot Springs and Memphis? What do recent results say about overall demand for casino gaming in the southern region and for future investment outside the Gulf?
Moderator: Webster Franklin, Executive Director & CEO,
Tunica County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Speakers: Deborah D. Harkins, Member, Co-Chair, Gaming Section, McGlinchey Stafford; Michael St. Pierre, Regional President, Mid-South Region, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.; Troy Stremming, Vice President Governmental Affairs, Ameristar Casinos, Inc.

11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Open

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tribal Gaming: Protecting the Gains and Maximizing the Opportunity
Tribal gaming has grown into a $16 billion industry whose continued commercial success has brought an essential new source of economic prosperity to some of the nation’s most impoverished areas. Of course, success has not come without complications. Government-to-government relations are often contentious, and an effort to re-regulate tribal gaming has gained momentum in Washington. Speakers at this session will analyze the threats and opportunities facing tribal gaming, and how it can help Indian country move forward toward a brighter future.
Moderator: Jacob Coin, Director of Communications, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Speakers: Keller George, President, United South and Eastern Tribes Gaming Assn.; Phillip Martin, Chairman, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Ernest Stevens, Jr., Chairman, National Indian Gaming Association

3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Networking Break

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Gaming Regulators Roundtable
Technological change offers exciting new possibilities to operators and players alike. In this decade alone, slot machine play has been transformed by ticket-in, ticket-out technology, table game play is now tracked and strictly accounted for thanks to new chip technology and, going forward, server-based gaming figures to revolutionize the casino industry yet again. Every innovation needs to pass through the regulatory process, which is designed to protect the industry’s primary asset: the integrity of the games. Our regulators roundtable will feature a candid discussion of the issues that surround this process; the pace of innovation and the time and resources that are needed to promote effective and efficient regulation.
Moderator: Larry Gregory, Executive Director, Mississippi Gaming Commission. Speakers: Nolan Canon, Commissioner, Mississippi Gaming Commission; Frank Catania, President, Catania Consulting Group, Inc.; Linda Kassekert, Chairwoman, New Jersey Casino Control Commission (invited); Marc McDermott, Director of Technical Standards, Gaming Standards Association; Kevin Mullally, Executive Director, Missouri Gaming Commission

6:00 p.m. –  9:30 p.m.
RiverPark Museum
Taste of the South Reception: Included with your full-conference registration. A limited number of extra tickets might become available beginning April 3.

Friday, May 5

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Address, Bennie G. Thompson, Congressman, Second Congressional District of Mississippi

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Gulf Coast: Recovery and Rebirth
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been characterized by widespread speculation on the future of the Mississippi Gulf Coast casino industry. New rules allowing for land-based casinos have created the prospect for larger casino resorts with a broader range of amenities. At the same time, the number and type of projects remains uncertain, and the scale of Katrina’s damage makes it difficult to predict the overall pace of economic redevelopment and its impact on casino demand. Speakers at this session will outline their vision of a market whose future recovery will be vital to the state of Mississippi and to the gaming industry nationally.
Moderator: Charlie Williams, Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor - State of Mississippi. Speakers: Bernie Burkholder, President & CEO, Treasure Bay Gaming & Resorts, Inc.; Carlton Geer, Senior Vice President, The Global Gaming Group, CB Richard Ellis; Ron Hartley, Senior Project Manager, Dale and Associates Architects; Jay W. Ledbetter, Director of Criminal Investigation & Intelligence, Mississippi Gaming Commission; Ricky Mathews, President/Publisher, Sun Herald and Vice Chair, Governor's Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Networking Break

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Gaming in Mississippi:  The Official View
Elected officials, led by Gov. Haley Barbour, were quick to respond with helpful legislation following the destruction of the Gulf Coast casino industry, which generated $500,000 per day in tax revenue for the state. Still, much work needs to be done to rebuild a devastated region in order to restore its economic vitality. This session will feature several of Mississippi’s most important political leaders, who will play a central role in the redevelopment of the coast and its key industry, casino gaming.
Moderator: Bobby Moak, Chairman, Gaming Committee, Mississippi House of Representatives. Speakers: A.J. Holloway, Mayor, City of Biloxi; Steve Richer, Executive Director, Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau; Connie Rockco, President, Harrison County Board of Supervisors; Jerry St Pe', Chairman, Mississippi Gaming Commission

11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Open

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
CRM: It’s Not Just for the Big Guys
As casinos proliferate throughout the country, customer relationship management has become essential to all types of operations. Customers are promiscuous, and “loyalty” only goes as far as your ability to create it. The building blocks of CRM include data collection, systems integration, data warehousing and mining, marketing strategy and execution. While this may sound like a tall order for the smaller operator, casinos across the board are registering successes in this area. This session will address the technological aspects of CRM, and how technology, supplemented by the human touch, can bring you closer to your most important players.
Moderator: Andy Holtmann, Editor, Casino Journal. Speakers: Andrew Cardno, CEO, Compudigm; Tess Ingram, General Manager, Jubilee Casino Greenville; David Paster, Strategic Database Manager, National Hirschfeld; Javier Saenz, Senior Vice President, Information Solutions, Venture Catalyst, Inc.

2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Networking Break

2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Hot Slots: The Games and Technologies of the Future
Slot machines continue to be the economic engine of the casino industry. The growth of the slots business has enabled manufacturers to plow resources into research and development, one result being that the underlying technologies supporting gaming machines are more effective than ever. For all of the progress in terms of sound, graphics, visual impact, and system technologies, the players’ basic desires for time-on-device and entertainment haven’t changed. Hear from the world’s leading game manufacturers how new games and technologies are helping operators satisfy the timeless demands of slot players.
Moderator: Charles Anderer, Tradeshow Director, Ascend Media Gaming Group. Speakers: Sean Evans, Vice President, Sales, Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.; Shridhar Joshi, Executive Director Game Business Strategy, WMS Gaming, Inc.; Marcus Prater, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Bally Gaming and Systems/Alliance Gaming Corp.; Jason Stage, Market Research Manager, Games and Brands, Atronic Americas; Jean Venneman, Vice President, Product Development, International Game Technology