TUCSON, Ariz. (Oct. 21, 2002) - More than half of the racing industry executives pre-registered to attend the 29th Annual Symposium on Racing also have signed up for the new Racing & Gaming Summit, which precedes the Symposium. They will be joined at the Racing & Gaming Summit by top executives from the lottery and gaming machine industries, as well as Wall Street analysts and investors and educators.
"Early registration figures have confirmed what we suspected - that the timing is right to bring together leaders from the racing, lottery and gaming machine industries," said Doug Reed, director of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP), producer of the 29th Annual Symposium on Racing, which attracts about 1,000 attendees annually. "The strength of this concentrated one-day program and its diverse line-up of speakers and panelists are attracting attendees from throughout North America. And the networking opportunities for lottery, racing and gaming machine executives is proving to be a major draw."
The opportunity to bring the racing and lottery industries together led to the recent decision by the Multi-State Lottery Association to hold one of its video lottery group meetings in Tucson the week of the Summit and the Symposium. "We periodically hold group meetings to discuss issues of importance to those lotteries offering VLTs," said Chuck Strutt, executive director of MUSL. "Many of our key people will already be at the Summit, so it's easy for us to bring the rest of our group in for one of our regular meetings."
Ron Sultemeier, president of Sportsystems Corp. and a member of the RTIP Advisory Council, also will be attending Racing & Gaming Summit. "After reviewing the topics and speakers, I know the Summit will be a great added value for a wide audience," he said. "My company has racing and gaming operations in five states, so I'm glad the Summit doesn't have a narrow focus. It will generate many questions and create a buzz of opportunity throughout Symposium week. I applaud the RTIP and GEM for recognizing the need to add a day for this topic."
Since the Summit takes place one month after the November elections, participants and attendees will have had a chance to digest election results and explore what they mean for gaming in their jurisdictions. This can only enhance the discussion opportunities during Symposium week.
Racing & Gaming Summit officials recently announced the addition of three new speakers to the already-strong line-up, including:
* State Rep. William San Bento Jr., Rhode Island Lottery Commission member, and Committee on Finance secretary.
* Bruce McKee, General Manager, Harrington Raceway's Midway Slots, Harrington, Delaware
* Steve Rittvo, President, The Innovation Group
They join keynote speaker Ron Barbaro, Chair and CEO of Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corp., and almost two dozen other speakers from the lottery, racing and gaming machine industries.
Reed urged attendees to both the Racing & Gaming Summit and the 29th Annual Symposium on Racing to make their hotel reservations soon. The headquarters hotel, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, is already sold out, and nearby hotels are filling up fast, he said.
Both the Racing and Gaming Summit and the 29th Annual Symposium on Racing will be presented at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson. Registration for the one-day Racing and Gaming Summit is $295. Registration for the Symposium on Racing is $400. A reduced combination rate of $595 will be offered to people who attend both the Racing & Gaming Summit and the 29th Annual Symposium on Racing. Registration information and the most current information about the Summit, seminar topics and speakers can be found at www.rgsummit.com, or at www.ag.arizona.edu/rtip.
The 29th Annual Symposium on Racing is produced by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program. The three-day event annually attracts 1,000 attendees, primarily from the United States and Canada, with more than a dozen other countries represented. The Race Track Industry Program is teaming up with gaming industry media leader GEM Communications to produce the one-day Racing & Gaming Summit. GEM publishes IGWB, Casino Journal, Slot Manager and seven other gaming and entertainment publications; and produces leading regional trade shows, including American Gaming Summit, Bingo World, New York Gaming Summit and Southern Gaming Summit. Visit www.gemcommunications.com to learn more.