Where Ideas Become Your Blueprint for Success

As a casino marketer, it is crucial to understand your casino’s position in the marketplace. This session aims to equip you with the tools and knowledge necessary to conduct a do-it-yourself (DIY) market analysis, enabling you to make informed strategic decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of what market analysis entails and why it is vital for the success of your casino business. Learn effective techniques to identify and define your target audience, segmenting the market to cater to their preferences and needs better. Explore methods to analyze your casino’s competitors, evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, and strategies, and gain insights into how to differentiate your offerings. Discover how to stay updated with the latest trends in the casino industry, such as emerging technologies, customer preferences, and regulatory changes. Learn how to conduct a comprehensive Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for your casino, uncovering valuable insights about your organization’s internal and external factors.

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, successfully connecting with new and inactive customers, and reintroducing 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.

LinkedIn     Website     Facebook     Twitter     Instagram  TikTok

Achieving your revenue goals requires understanding your role in your market and the ability to spot emerging trends. In this highly informative session, we will delve into the power of your casino database and equip you with the tools to identify and capitalize on key trends to fuel your marketing success in 2024.

We’ll guide you through proven techniques to unlock valuable player insights and leverage them to drive revenue growth. Discover how to maximize overall revenue by fully understanding the competitive landscape and the database levers that can be turned to generate growth in slowing markets.

Session Coach: 

Mary Loftness, Profitable Customers

Mary Loftness is a 35-year veteran marketing strategist with extensive experience in the hospitality, travel, gaming, entertainment, non-profit and technology industries. Having spent her career driving the measurability of marketing and the need to define and track acceptable returns on investment, she understands how to quickly assess marketing issues and propose solutions that yield immediate and impressive results. She learned the importance of effective project management, total quality management, value-based pricing, and yield management working with Radisson and Westin hotels. By the time she had moved to become the Vice President of Relationship Marketing at Station Casinos, she knew how to combine direct marketing, an effective call center and the web into a powerful marketing engine to drive 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. Lured by the opportunity to move to Colorado, she joined Gorp.com to create and manage the operations and call center for a 100,000+ page adventure travel website. The center earned the Travelworld Silver Medal for exemplary customer service in its first year.

Since founding Profitable Customers in 2000, Mary Loftness has been called upon to provide strategy consulting and tactical direct marketing assistance to a wide range of organizations. Her expertise includes hands-on database management, marketing return on investment, customer profitability measurement, call center improvement, and customer and employee satisfaction measurement.

Mary graduated from Southwest State University of Minnesota with a Hotel and Restaurant Management concentration. She is a frequent instructor at the University of Nevada Gaming Extended Studies program and a speaker at conferences including G2E, Indian Gaming Conference and the Casino Marketing and Technology Conference.

LinkedIn     Website    Twitter   

Effective communication with casino customers is more crucial than ever in today’s fast-paced world. This session will explore the channels and tools to engage, inform, and retain our most valuable customers. We will delve into the benefits and strategies of leveraging traditional and digital advertising, SMS and email to connect with your casino audience in a personalized and impactful manner. We will discuss how these communication channels can enhance your customer experience and drive tangible results for your casino marketing efforts.

Session Coach: 

Aaron Harn, Wild Rose Entertainment

Aaron Harn is an esteemed expert in casino marketing, currently serving as the Vice President of Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Player Development at Wild Rose Entertainment – an independently owned gaming company that owns and operates three casino hotels in Iowa: Wild Rose Casino & Hotel Clinton, Emmetsburg, and Jefferson. With an impressive background in the industry, Aaron possesses nearly 20 years of invaluable experience in various aspects of casino and property marketing.

Throughout his career, Aaron has held key positions at renowned establishments such as Isle of Capri Casinos, Boyd Gaming, and Delaware North, where he has excelled in database marketing, player development, advertising and brand management, and creating profitable events and promotions. His extensive expertise encompasses a broad range of disciplines critical to casino marketing success.

As the Vice President of Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Player Development at Wild Rose Entertainment, Aaron’s responsibilities extend beyond providing the overall marketing strategy. He also delivers strategic and tactical direction to senior executive leadership, corporate teams, and property marketing teams. With a keen focus on areas including database marketing, casino and property marketing, player development, advertising and brand management, and events, Aaron expertly guides his colleagues in achieving (and surpassing) marketing goals. Furthermore, his guidance in operations ensures a cohesive and effective business strategy.

Aaron’s track record includes designing and implementing innovative marketing strategies that have driven significant business growth and fostered strong customer engagement. Recognizing the importance of adapting to changing consumer behaviors and evolving communication strategies, he is deeply committed to researching, testing, and deploying new and modern tools and methods to attract, retain, and expand the customer base. With his visionary approach, Aaron consistently positions Wild Rose Entertainment at the forefront of digital communication in the industry.

LinkedIn     Website

This interactive workshop will explore the leadership practices that activate vibrant, sustainable brands. During our time together, we will learn how your brand purpose is connected to profitability and what leadership skills are required to activate it. We will also dive into how leaders (and brands) are evaluated by the market and what leaders can do to increase the energy around their brands. At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to effectively;

• Evaluate marketing and operational alignment utilizing the Purpose-to-Profit™ process
• Identify moments of truth that establish your brand’s character
• Increase the energy of your brand through intentional communication frameworks

Session Coach: 

Chris Province, MA, Player Performance Group

Founder of Player Performance Group, an organizational performance agency for gaming and hospitality based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Chris is passionate about translating data into compelling narratives that develop a shared understanding of an enterprise’s current state and bring into focus an inspired future vision that can be achieved.

Chris aims to support courageous leaders to develop and launch unrivaled marketing and operational strategies that capture premium market share while becoming more sustainable and vibrant. He has guided hundreds of gaming professionals to new heights of personal, team and organizational performance through strategic facilitation and coaching excellence.

Chris began his career in the corporate world, working in global analytics and product development for multiple public companies, including WorldCom, MCI, and Williams Communications, before diving into his passion for gaming and hospitality as a Director of Marketing and General Manager for Cherokee Nation Entertainment.

With an undeniable calling to tap human potential, he established the first performance agency for casino gaming, blending analytics, marketing, operations, and organizational development expertise to empower industry leaders to recognize and develop their organization’s potential by executing effective learning agendas.

As a Maxwell Leadership accredited trainer, speaker and coach, Chris places courage and curiosity building at the center of his work, utilizing his Purpose-to-Profit™ process as an empirically researched model for performance improvement in gaming and hospitality organizations.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma, he holds specialized certificates through the University of Nevada – Reno and Project Management Institute.

LinkedIn     Website     Podcast     Twitter   

In this session, we will delve into the intricacies of player development and explore the notion that merely setting goals is insufficient to drive success. To truly excel, casinos must create comprehensive plans to reach their objectives. However, with staffing challenges and limited resources, the luxury of adding more staff may not be a viable option. Instead, we must leverage our existing teams and cultivate a culture of player development as a collective goal. This session will guide participants through practical strategies and actionable insights to make player development a shared objective across the entire casino property.

We will explore the critical role of team culture in achieving player development goals. Discover practical methods for optimizing existing resources, fostering collaboration, and creating a unified approach to player development across your entire casino property. Together, we will unlock the potential of your team to cultivate a memorable and rewarding experience for your valued players.

Session Coach:

Jatonia Ziegler, Playersoft Technologies

Jatonia Ziegler is Vice President of Marketing & Sales for Playersoft Technologies. Playersoft is a technology solution provider that allows staff to service players using mobile software for club enrollments and other delivery services, such as managing invites, groups, comps and offers. 

Jatonia has 30+ years of experience in casino gaming, player development, hospitality, and retail.  Known as “JZ” to colleagues, she has worked for casinos such as Agua Caliente, Ameristar, Morongo and Station Casinos. She is the co-founder of the Casino Player Development Association LinkedIn Group, with over 900 members sharing specific conversations about player development and hosting jobs available around the country.

Jatonia has designed and implemented casino player development programs for several properties across the U.S. Her colleagues have recognized her as an expert in business & casino player development. Her written work on player development has been featured in Gaming & Leisure Magazine and The Strategic Casino Host by Jackie Parker – Chapter 5, Maximizing Your Dinner Party. You can read more of Jatonia Ziegler’s work by visiting LinkedIn to view her posts & articles.

LinkedIn     Casino Player Development Association    Website

As operators, we constantly strive to enhance our player’s card programs to drive more frequent visits from loyal customers while enticing new ones. But what truly cultivates customer loyalty? Is it the accumulation of points? The progression through tiers? The array of benefits offered?

In this interactive session, we will delve into the intricate world of player card programs, focusing on a highly competitive market scenario. Together, we will explore innovative strategies and uncover the keys to designing player card programs that customers not only adore but are irresistibly drawn to, time and time again.

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, successfully connecting with new and inactive customers, and reintroducing 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.

LinkedIn     Website     Facebook     Twitter     Instagram  TikTok

Understanding what your customers truly want should never be left to chance. Yet, we often find ourselves relying on anecdotal information or limited observations. Customer insights play a pivotal role in ensuring the long-term success of our operations. Marketers need to uncover actionable intelligence to drive informed decision-making. But where do we start, and how can we establish a robust customer insight program?

We will explore a range of approaches — from do-it-yourself (DIY) methods to formalized programs — that enable you to develop ongoing insight initiatives tailored to your market and property. Discover the key techniques and best practices for building effective surveys and panels, allowing you to unlock valuable customer data and gain a deeper understanding.

Learn how to leverage advanced survey design principles, leverage technology to collect and analyze data efficiently, and interpret findings to extract actionable insights. We’ll also explore strategies for engaging customers in panel discussions, fostering meaningful conversations, and creating a vibrant feedback loop.

Don’t leave customer understanding to chance; equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to gather valuable customer insights effectively.

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, successfully connecting with new and inactive customers, and reintroducing 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.

LinkedIn     Website     Facebook     Twitter     Instagram  TikTok