Single Track. Shared Experience.
We’ve developed this agenda as a 360-degree view of the responsibilities of casino marketers in the US: creating revenue. We start with strategy, move to tactics, and then an exploration of new marketing channels. And, rather than have you decide which session to attend, we’ve kept this to a single track so everyone can share in the experience and grow together.
New this year: immersive sessions. These sessions will be extraordinarily hands-on.
Times are listed as CST.
8:45 am Welcome
9:00 am Keynote – The Untapped Value of Feasibility and Market Studies
10:15 am Interactive Session – Marketing Analytics for Non-Analytic People
1:15 pm Hot Topic Discussion – The Marketing of Staff and Employee Retention
3:00 pm Social Media Content: Making the Big Challenge The Big Easy, part 1
8:45 am Welcome
9:00 am Keynote – The Art of Building a Brand
10:15 am Interactive Session – Casino Music & Messaging Workshop
1:00 pm Interactive Session – Fantasy Football Players Club
3:15 pm Immersive Session – Out of the Box Promotions
Times are listed as CST.
8:45 am Welcome
9:00 am Interactive Session – The Treasures of Google Analytics (or The Hunt for Meaningful Metrics)
10:15 am Interactive Session – Social Media Content: Making the Big Challenge The Big Easy, part 2
1:00 pm Immersive Session – Card Shark Tank
4:00 pm Optional Roundtable Discussion
Session Descriptions
Keynote: The Untapped Value of Feasibility and Market Studies
Session Coach:
Suzanne P. Leckert, AICP, Convergence Strategy Group
Founding partner of both Renaissance, L.L.C. and Convergence Strategy Group, Ms. Leckert has been providing planning and analytical services to clients globally since 2003. She is skilled in strategic planning and the use of analytical tools, including geographic information systems. She routinely conducts market research, feasibility studies, financial analyses, planning studies, and competitive assessments for casino resort, leisure, hotel, commercial, and public facilities development projects, giving her clients in the private, tribal and public sectors the data and insights they need to make critical decisions.
Ms. Leckert has been widely recognized as a leader in the gaming industry and in strategic planning, During her successful career, she has evaluated the practicality and feasibility of large and small-scale developments across the globe. Her clients have included: gaming operators, governments and agencies.
Ms. Leckert has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans, and a Master’s Certificate in Historic Preservation. More importantly, she is a devoted family woman, raising three young children with her husband. She also dedicates time to her church and great causes such as Edible Schoolyard New Orleans, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, and the Preservation Resource Center.
Interactive Session: Marketing Analytics for Non-Analytic People
Session Coach:
Daniel White, Muckleshoot Casino
A marketing professional for the past 27 years, Dan has spent the last 19 years as a marketing executive in tribal gaming. He is currently the Director of Marketing at Muckleshoot Casino in Washington state, the largest casino in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest properties in the United States. He has served as CMO and Director of Operations at properties in the northwest including Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel and Nisqually Red Wind Casino and has extensive experience in market research and data analytics. A graduate of Central Washington University’s School of Journalism, Dan is currently pursuing his certification in Applied Psychology in Behavioral Economics from Texas A&M University. When he’s not thinking about casino marketing, Dan enjoys long-distance running, painting, cooking and spending time with his family.
Hot Topic: The Marketing of Staff and Employee Retention
Session Coach:
Jim White, JW Guest Advantage
Jim White is president and chief experience officer at Jim White Advantage Guest Experience, a professional consulting firm specializing in assisting companies in crafting unique and personal guest experiences that offer a distinct advantage and a point of differentiation over their competitors.
Jim brings more than 30 years of experience in hospitality operations across multiple industries and a true passion for treating each customer as his guest. His expertise lies in understanding the nuances of customer service and creating customer experience programs focused on increased visitation and positive word of mouth recommendation. While working in the casino gaming industry, he created a signature customer experience program changing the service culture of the organization and creating a connection between employees and customers. Moving into the healthcare space, Jim spent time with skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities perfecting the service culture in medical resort type facilities where he is credited with the creation and implementation of NPS-based programs with scores comparable to those at luxury resorts.
Jim, his wife and daughter live in Fort Myers, Florida. When not working, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his friends and family.
“There is a superhero in all of us. We just need the courage to put on the cape.”
— Superman
Social Media Content: Making the Big Challenge The Big Easy
Social media offers casino marketers great opportunities to engage and entertain players directly from your brand. The most engaging posts are typically one or more of the following: 1) authentic; 2) relevant; 3) timely. And, while many industries are investing more and more resources (and budget) into social media marketing, the casino industry is lagging behind in prioritizing content creation. As a result, social media content becomes a checklist item (i.e. resize and post). Is it any wonder we find it hard to justify more resources and budget?
In this session, we will present and discuss best practices, challenges, and offer solutions to the content marketing social media dilemma. We will leave you with clear directives you can immediately start implementing when you return home.
But wait, there’s more. This session is a two-parter. The second part will take attendees out into the New Orleans area to create content based on the discussion in part one. In part two, we will all share and review to develop individual content calendars for the next 30-60 days.
Session Coach:
Justin Shank, Shank Marketing
Justin brings an operations-driven perspective to marketing with career experience in casino marketing, hospitality, event management, advertising and as a publicist for movie studios. He specializes in marketing strategy, social media marketing, reputation management, and marketing technologies. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the digital marketing world and drives innovation through creativity and adaptability to the ever-changing digital landscape.
His casino gaming experience started with Swinomish Casino & Lodge in 2010, where he assisted in expanding the digital footprint of the property, launched the first online interactive slot catalog, developed an internal digital marketing team focused on social media content and in-house video production. His experience also includes work as an Account Director for OfferCraft, and consulting for Raving Consulting Company.
He launched Shank Marketing in April 2017 to provide tribal casinos with more accessible and affordable digital marketing resources. The agency has grown to include 10 team members working with casinos, entertainment venues, tribal enterprises, restaurants, resorts, bars, c-stores, golf courses, and healthcare centers, with clients in California, Wisconsin, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
Justin enjoys exploring the world with his wife Mackenzie, hiking, camping, kayaking, fishing, and is a Seattle Seahawks fan. His bachelor of arts degree is from Western Washington University.
Keynote: The Art of Building a Brand
Are you telegraphing your brand essence? In this session, attendees will show us their brand without using their logo or any words.
Whether intentional or not, we communicate our brand promise in everything we do. You’ve read all of the branding articles. You’ve probably heard the brand expert ask you if you put your hand over the logo in your ad would customers know it was you. Would they?
Here’s a chance to put your brand, how you see it to the test, and how others see it to the test. You will put examples together to present to the group and they will guess your brand promise and meaning. Will they get it right?
Session Coach:
Julia Carcamo, J Carcamo & Associates
Julia Carcamo is a casino branding expert and the author of Reel Marketing: The Art of Building a Casino Brand. As president & chief brand strategist at J Carcamo & Associates and founder of Casino Marketing Boot Camp, she aids casinos in building and maintaining engaging brands and tactical marketing programs. Following a successful tenure at Caesars Entertainment where she developed the initial brand architecture for Harrah’s core brands, including Total Rewards, she answered the call from Steve Wynn to open his signature resort, Wynn Las Vegas. She was at the helm of the reinvention of the Isle of Capri house of brands, introducing new brands and successfully connecting with new and inactive customers, and the reintroduction of the iconic Lady Luck Casino brand. Recognizing the impact the Hispanic market is having now and will have in the future, she has co-founded espÑOLA, a Hispanic marketing and engagement agency.
Interactive Session: Casino Music & Messaging Workshop
The clientele of a casino can change dramatically as the day turns to evening. A video poker bar that draws mostly Baby Boomers in the late morning and early afternoon could very well have a crowd of millennials sitting in those same seats during the dinner and late-night hours.
The absolute worst thing you can do is aimlessly play music at your property. The right music choice will enhance the visitor experience and, in turn, extend their stay and spend. In order to create the most optimal atmosphere on your casino floor, your music and messaging need to adapt as the demographics adjust.
In this interactive session, Nathan Green will explain exactly how he and his team go about creating unique and flexible music and messaging programs. Then, session attendees will build a playlist for a property, based on a number of key factors that will be provided.
Session Coach:
Nathan Green, New Level Radio
Under the guidance and vision of Nathan Green and his partner Sam Ambrose, New Level Radio launched in 2007, creating a new niche in the radio and music industry. Today, the Denver-based company delivers customizable radio networks for hundreds of businesses all over the U.S., particularly the casino industry. When he’s not on an airplane or creating a new playlist for a property, Nathan is typically at home in Denver with his wife and kids, working on new ventures, running a road race, or listening to music with the volume turned up to 10.
Interactive Session: Fantasy Players Club
Session Coach:
Mary Loftness, Profitable Customers
Mary Loftness is a 35-year veteran marketing strategist with extensive experience in Customer Relationship Management. Having spent her career driving the measurability of marketing and the need to define and track acceptable returns on investment, she understands the need to quickly assess marketing issues and propose solutions that yield both immediate and impressive results. She learned the importance of effective value-based pricing and yield management working with Radisson and Westin hotels.
As Vice President of Relationship Marketing at Station Casinos, she knew how to combine direct marketing, customer needs and value data, an effective call center, and the web into a powerful marketing engine to drive both new and repeat customer behavior. She drove the project planning and launch of one of the first, and to this day, most successful multi-property loyalty programs in the industry.
Profitable Customers, Inc specializes in tailored solutions for improving revenue and profitability at casinos large and small. This ‘hands-on’ approach couples customer data analytics, market research, strategic and tactical planning, and leadership coaching to improve overall revenue, profit and return on marketing investment.
Mary’s company, Profitable Customers Inc., has been providing CRM consulting to the gaming industry for more than 21 years. She teaches Casino Marketing courses in the University of Nevada Reno Extended Studies program and frequently speaks at industry conferences including the Global Gaming Conference and National Indian Gaming Conference.
Immersive Session: Out of the Box Promotions
Guests tastes are ever-changing, as is the casino marketing world, but if your promotions seem to look the same month after month (or even year after year), we’ve got the perfect session to get you out of your rut and create promotions and events that will have guests talking (and wanting more).
In this session, Nicole Martz will guide you to create unique and engaging promotions for your casino customers.
She will provide easy resources for themes and get you started with your very own idea box. We will also work on ways to add that extra special touch to some of your favorite tried and true promotions and events.
Promotions created in this session will provide memorable experiences for your guests (and fellow team members) and will keep them and YOU excited for what’s to come.
Fun games will be played. Great ideas will be had. Phenomenal promos will be created.
Get ready to step out of your comfort zone as you create and present a brand new promotion or event for consideration.
Session Coach:
Nicole Miller, IP Casino Resort Spa
Nicole is a creative marketing professional with a degree in Marketing and Business Management as well as over thirteen years of experience in marketing within the fast-paced casino industry. Nicole has a vast knowledge of various areas of marketing and an undeniable passion for event planning and her community. She is an enthusiastic and hardworking individual who believes that teamwork, attention to detail, and communication are essential to success as both an individual and a company. Nicole works for IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi, as the Special Events and Promotions Manager. There, she and her team create memorable moments and exciting offerings that entice visits from casino guests all over the nation. Nicole serves her community through volunteering with many local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, and Excel by 5, just to name a few. She is the Chair-Elect for Coast Young Professionals, an organization dedicated to developing young leaders. In her free time, Nicole works to support tourism in her area by showcasing all the Mississippi Gulf Coast has to offer in her YouTube vlog, Gulf Coast Gal. Nicole lives in Vancleave, Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Curtis. She enjoys crafting, gardening, DIY projects, exploring new places, and spending time with her three dogs, many chickens and other animals.
The Treasures of Google Analytics (or The Hunt for Meaningful Metrics)
Of the tools available to measure our marketing, perhaps none is more ubiquitous than Google Analytics. The volume of data Google Analytics provides makes it an essential component of any marketer’s toolbox, but the volume can also present a challenge. What metrics matter? How can you use the data provided to make an impact in your marketing and, ultimately your revenue? If you’re still reporting in terms of hits and views – or worse, not reporting at all – this session will put you on the road to success by identifying the metrics that matter to your property. No two websites are alike and neither should your metrics. Clues will guide you on a “treasure hunt” through your Google Analytics.
Session Coach:
Jill Manty, MantyWeb
Jill Manty is the owner of MantyWeb where she helps companies solve business problems with technology. Jill believes that technology exists to make our lives easier, not more complicated, and helps business owners and marketing departments define where their digital marketing technology is a help or a hindrance. Her favorite question is “what problem are we trying to solve?” In the 12 years that MantyWeb has been in business, she has managed the development processes, launched hundreds of websites, and untangled many technological webs. Jill has a background in education and teaches SEO at the college level.
Interactive Session: Creating Content that REALLY Engages, part 2
Part 2 of our discussion on creating content will include a review of the content provided by attendees.
Session Coach:
Justin Shank, Shank Marketing
Justin brings an operations-driven perspective to marketing with career experience in casino marketing, hospitality, event management, advertising and as a publicist for movie studios. He specializes in marketing strategy, social media marketing, reputation management, and marketing technologies. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the digital marketing world and drives innovation through creativity and adaptability to the ever-changing digital landscape.
His casino gaming experience started with Swinomish Casino & Lodge in 2010, where he assisted in expanding the digital footprint of the property, launched the first online interactive slot catalog, developed an internal digital marketing team focused on social media content and in-house video production. His experience also includes work as an Account Director for OfferCraft, and consulting for Raving Consulting Company.
He launched Shank Marketing in April 2017 to provide tribal casinos with more accessible and affordable digital marketing resources. The agency has grown to include 10 team members working with casinos, entertainment venues, tribal enterprises, restaurants, resorts, bars, c-stores, golf courses, and healthcare centers, with clients in California, Wisconsin, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
Justin enjoys exploring the world with his wife Mackenzie, hiking, camping, kayaking, fishing, and is a Seattle Seahawks fan. His bachelor of arts degree is from Western Washington University.
Immersive Session: Card Shark Tank
In this highly immersive session, attendees will be presenting new programs, changes, or amenities to our guest panel of general managers. Using everything they have learned during their stay, attendees will be quizzed on pro-formas and the marketing of their proposed programs.
Optional Roundtable Discussion
The final roundtable has become a hallmark of Boot Camp. It provides coaches and attendees with the opportunity to discuss how they will implement new thinking and identify their STRS – what they want to Stop, Turnaround, Reactivate, or Start in their marketing.