ICE North America Digital: Highlights of day 3

SESSION 1: Exposé – Preparing for Reopening: How You Can Make Sure Your Property is Ready
Michael Soll, President, The Innovation Group, Kelley Tucky, M.Ed., Founder and Senior Consultant, Ithos Strategic Communications and Ellen Whittemore, EVP and General Counsel, Wynn Resorts revealed how operators are readying to re-open doors to guests.

Kelley Tucky offered a roadmap for casino reopening. The perspective she brought to the conversation was from a corporate communication strategy. "My number one tip to my clients is that it has to be employee centric. The very first thing you need to do is to put empathy. Keeping line of communications open between employees is crucial. Guests are watching how you treat your employees. And if your guest feels that your employees' concerns are not being heard, then they will make the determination if they will reconnect with you. So safety and security are the number one thing," she pointed.

"The other question is how do you reopen when the virus is still there," she added. "It is not like 2006, when MGM Resorts opened after Hurricane Katrina. Natural disasters pass. Let your employees know that you have a plan".

According to Tucky, the first priority is to identify a role for your employees now. Other measures are to increase the collective confidence of your workforce and focus on awareness and education of policies and procedures.  

SESION 2: Data - Reaching Your Customers in the Current Environment was another talk held yesterday. Brian Edwards, Founder, Edwards Technologies Inc and Corey Padveen, Partner, T2 Marketing International gave their views on the technologies unlocking data driven experiences.

Corey Padveen: "A stagered approach is needed for reopening properties", he highlighted. "Where we need to focus our efforts is on what we do have a knowledge on what to come; on what we can make plans, and we can take advantage on areas where we missed opportunities in the past." He also emphazised on the need of the use of IT and an organizational transformation "that will allow for an effective and save recovery to keep guests safe and happy". He said it is important to focus on re-education; teaching people about the new expectations, and tell them about the safer places and cleaning process.

Brian Edwards agreed with Padveen and added on the importance of communication not only with the guests but also with the employees. "We need to be flexible," he said, and added that tech is the biggest tool you can use to communicate with customers. "Mobile devices, digital signage and in-room TV's all provide flexible cost effective ways to communicate with guests."

Quick Take On: Revenue management, POS and front desk systems – the core technologies keeping your property efficient and streamlined
Ryan Carrier, Director – Corporate & Tribal Casino Resorts, Agilysys
Feature – Data driven experiences
• How operators can effectively reach their customers in the current environment
• Utilising preference tracking technology and customer insights to optimize offerings and messaging
• How marketers can shape their data collection to be actionable
Followed by Anchor Talk and Live Discussion

SESSION 3: How Non-Gaming Amenities Can Draw Customers Back to Your Property -
Quick Take On: The best game which is breaking records now is LiveCasino
Online casino gambling and Bingo have been the industry’s saviour during the pandemic, with many firms posting record results since quarantine began. We find out which games are achieving record revenues during this crisis.

Anna Shahbazyan, Regional Director, BetConstruct
Expert Opinion – How non-gaming amenities can draw customers back to your property
· Utilising non-gaming entertainment such as spa’s, golf courses and restaurants to appeal to a variety of demographics
· Preparing for different spending habits and customer behaviours post COVID-19
· Differences between resort and regional sites

Moderator was: Scott Fisher Ph.D., Managing Partner, Convergence Strategy Group, and speakers were: Bobby Soper, President & CEO, Sun Gaming + Hospitality, Cynthia Kiser Murphy, C-Suite Gaming Executive, Lana Kotur, VP of Customer Success, VizExplorer.

Followed by Anchor Talk and Live Discussion: Scott Fisher opened the debate on how to operate successfully on the new environment.

Cynthia Kiser Murphy  emphazised on the importance of the customer experience, for example, in the spontaneous activities at the slot floor, maybe a hot seat or a happy hour, and she said that outdoor spaces can also be used in ways they have never had before, for example, if a casino has a golf course, it can organize a golf parade, or having barbecues.