Final Southern Gaming Summit Program Includes NIGC Meeting, Industry Leaders
BILOXI, Miss. (April 29, 2011) – The final program is set for the 18th annual Southern Gaming Summit to be held here May 4-5 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center and it includes an important tribal meeting hosted by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and a speaker line-up of leaders from across the gaming industry
The NIGC’s tribal consultation meeting at Southern Gaming Summit will be the latest in a series of regulatory reviews led by the agency. The meeting will be held Thursday, May 5, from 10:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Hall C1 in the convention center. It follows a 9 a.m. conference session on the federal politics of tribal gaming. The NIGC will be represented at the session by Steffani Cochran, Vice Chairwoman, and Lael Echo-Hawk, Counselor to the Chair.
“The Southern Gaming Summit is honored to be chosen by the NIGC to host next week’s government-to-government meeting between tribal leaders and tribal gaming regulators,” said Kim Fritz, Interim Executive Director, Mississippi Casino Operators Association (MCOA). “This gathering reflects our commitment to make the Summit an indispensible destination for all gaming segments across the region.”
The final Southern Gaming Summit speaker line-up features an exceptionally strong Executive Roundtable, composed of Thomas Burke, Senior Vice President Regional Operations, Penn National Gaming; Stephen J. Ditchkus, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Grand Biloxi Casino Hotel & Spa, W. Owen Nitz, Senior Vice President, Secretary and Co-Trustee, IP Casino Resort & Spa; Ramesh Srinivasan, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bally Technologies, Inc. This question-and-answer session, to be held Wednesday, May 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be led by Chet Harrison, General Manager of Hollywood Casino - Bay St. Louis in Bay St. Louis, MS, Vice Chair of MCOA.
Prior to the next day’s general session, the MCOA will award a University of Southern Mississippi scholarship to Richard (Rick) Fitzsimmons, currently Director of Slots for Hollywood Casino, Bay St. Louis. The award presentation will be followed by speeches from Mayors A.J. Holloway of Biloxi and George A. Schloegel of Gulfport.
The Southern Gaming Summit and its companion show BingoWorld Conference & Expo is the largest regional gaming trade show in North America. The pre-registration list includes well over 2,000 attendees, with high-level representatives from commercial properties across Mississippi, Louisiana and many other commercial jurisdictions as well as tribal casinos stretching from Florida to Oklahoma and beyond. All full conference attendees will have access to the general sessions and the full educational program, which includes more than 20 breakout sessions and in-depth workshops.
There are also plenty of networking opportunities available throughout the event, with evening entertainment that includes the opening night reception Tuesday, May 3, at the IP Casino, Resort, & Spa, the annual Taste of the Casinos – Southern Sunsets dinner, as well as the trade show floor, which has grown again this year and includes both Southern Gaming Summit and Bingo World exhibitors. Trade show hours are expanded this year with the floor opening daily at 11:30 a.m., allowing more time for interaction between vendors and customers. Full details on every aspect of the show are available at www.sgsummit.com.
Media Contacts (including press passes): Charles Anderer, Executive Editor, BNP Media, andererc@bnpmedia.com or (914) 948-5758; Kim Fritz, Interim Executive Director, Mississippi Casino Operators Association, executivedirector@mscoa.org (228) 388-0087.
