By Alison Withers
We had a great time putting together the Canadian Gaming Summit with our business partner the Canadian Gaming Association! The event took place June 18-20, 2018, at the Scotiabank Convention Center in Niagara Falls.
The Summit was a huge success, with nearly 100 exhibitors and sponsors and over 900 delegates in attendance. This year’s theme was “Technology Holds the Key”, and all of the majority of the Summit’s educational sessions, keynote speakers, and daily presentations and panels revolved around how today’s innovative technology can be used to improve and build upon the gaming industry.
The Summit’s educational program included eight different educational track, as follows:
- Gaming Operations
- Sports and Gaming
- Charitable Gaming
- Legal & Regulatory
- Technology & Innovation
- F&B (Food & Beverage) And Non-Gaming Amenities
- Gaming Compliance
- Special Presentations
Monday, June 18 was dubbed the “Summit Vendor & Welcome Day”, where exhibitors set up their tradeshow booths, private vendor/client meetings took place, and registration officially opened. From 2-7:30pm, the Summit was proud to again host the annual golf tournament. Held at the beautiful and challenging Cherry Hill Club, over a hundred players gathered to try their hand at 18 holes. It was the annual golf tournament’s highest turnout yet, and a perfect way to spend the afternoon - despite the bout of rain that fell across the course and ended the event early.
The kick off soiree at Niagara Falls’ Margaritaville closed Monday’s itinerary. There, attendees and exhibitors gathered to celebrate the start of a great educational retreat, with karaoke and great conversation. But once Tuesday morning rolled around, it was time to lose that shaker of salt and get to business.
Tuesday’s breakfast and registration began at 8:00am sharp, and the day’s welcoming remarks and first keynote speaker beginning at 8:45. Dispersed between enlightening education sessions in each of our eight tracks were coffee breaks on our trade show floor, industry award presentations, and an afternoon plenary. Plus, we were honoured to be joined by the mayor of Niagara Falls Jim Diodati, who enjoyed walking the tradeshow and sitting in on educational sessions.
All were invited to the Summit opening and CGA chair’s reception, in the NOVOMATIC lounge on the tradeshow floor on Tuesday at 5:30pm. The atmosphere was exciting and celebratory, featuring a mixologist from Finest Call Premium Cocktail Mixes showing off his skills. Tuesday night welcomed a VIP reception at R5 Lounge at Fallsview Casino, with a gorgeous patio & bar and breathtaking views of the Niagara firework series.
Wednesday was another nearly full day of educational sessions, industry awards, trade show floor happenings, ending with a goodbye lunch and a wonderful closing reception.
We’d like to extend our congratulations to this year’s Canadian Gaming Summit Industry Award winners! The awards are split into two subsections: The Canadian Gaming Industry Awards, recognizing achievements in leadership within the gaming industry, and the First Nation Gaming Awards, which recognize the contributions of First Nations casinos to the First Nations and neighbouring communities.
The 2018 Canadian Gaming Award for Industry Leadership and Outstanding Contribution was presented to Lynn Cassidy, of the OCGA (Ontario Charitable Gaming Association), and SIGA (the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority) took home the Award for Volunteerism and Community Service, accepted by Vice President of Corporate Affairs Pat Cook. The 2018 First Nation Leadership Award was presented to Rodney Commanda of Casino Rama Resort, and the Employee of the Year went to Robert Young, also of Casino Rama Resort.
As always, MediaEdge was proud to be a part of this enjoyable and educational event. We are already looking forward to next year’s Gaming Summit!
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