Heading off to the Las Vegas G2E after the weekend for a jam packed trip. This will be my 4th time taking in this conference and exhibition. For the entire week, the world’s best in the gaming industry come together to shop the latest technology, share experiences and network like crazy.

In past year’s I’ve attended private industry parties at venues such as the Verona Suite in the Hilton Hotel or the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay where James Gandolfini was launching his new slot machine. It’s a great way to network and see some incredible venues in private settings.

I’ll be dedicating a page on the site during the conference with my take on it all.

www.alexleepr.com/g2e

November 29, 2009

The page mentioned above has now also been added into this post. When I take business trips I create a separate page to post current and specific information and write the link on my business cards.

If you received a card from me it would look like the one in the photo to the right. If yours read G2E then the information below took you to the page dedicated to my experience at that event. It’s my suggestion for a unique business card idea and a chance to engage in conversation past the handshake and card exchange (while still at the event!).

After the event has passed and all the contacts have been made and conversations have started it’s now all in one blog post here below.

November 15, 2009

I will be attending G2E and posting photos and my take on the conference this year on this page. It all starts tomorrow Tuesday.

Follow me on Twitter. I’ll be using the hashtag #G2E09

Monday, November 16, 2009

Left this morning for Las Vegas. Lots of people on the plane attending G2E as well! The flight was nice and it was certainly nice to leave torrential rain in Vancouver to arrive in sunny Las Vegas.

Checked into Caesars Palace, my home away from home, and settled into my favourite tower (Augustus). Love this hotel. Not only is it located in the best area of the strip (I think) but you really don’t need to really leave to experience the best that Las Vegas has to offer. Everything from the shopping to the casino games, they don’t hold back. It really is, hands down, my favourite hotel. Sure there are great rooms in other hotels but Caesars has the whole package hands down. Looking forward to my bath in the big soaker tub before hitting up the first industry party tonight at Carmel in the Bellagio.

Tuesday November 17

So the day started out with a bright a beautiful morning in Vegas and I was ready to tackle the busiest day of my week with client meetings and taking in the convention.

First meeting took place at Payard’s at Caesar’s. A newer feature of Caesar’s Palace and a great place to grab a quick bite and a great latte.

Then it was off to the convention centre. The thing with G2E is that in order to get invited to these massive parties in the evenings you have to find the right people to connect with and get that coveted invitation. Tonight’s affair is at the Joint at the Hard Rock and there were 8000 tickets handed out. Right now there’s a massive lineup and I’m not sure that’s my scene tonight. It’s hard to network with 8000 people there and loud music. So we’ll see if I even make out there.

The G2E Convention Center was packed. No surprise. All the vendors had amazing products on display and I would’ve taken more pictures if I wasn’t told not too. I guess people want to keep their new products under wraps. I have to say that I have noticed a bigger turn out this year than last. More companies are sending more people here as things pick up in the economy. Having said that it is still not the same G2E as years past but a definite improvement from last year to this year.

Overall this day has exceeded my expectations and I had great meetings with both clients and friends in the industry so far.

More to come…..

Thursday, November 19

So I do realize that I have skipped a day in this update. Mainly because took the opportunity to shop in Vegas since I didn’t have any meetings yesterday till dinner time. In my opinion there are some great shopping places in Vegas. My favorites are the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, the Premium Outlets and the Fashion Show mall.

I had a couple of meetings at Caesar’s at dinner before heading to the TCS John Huxley affair at the Palms. I have to say after a week of meetings and attending G2E parties TCS John Huxley did it up the best! Instead of competing for the attention of their clients on the convention floor they decided to take over the Palms. During the day on Tuesday they held their display and show floor in a VIP setting and then last night was the big VIP party at the Moon. Everything from their invitation materials to the executive car pickup was done masterfully and in true old school G2E Las Vegas style. And here’s the kicker… they saved money by doing it this way!!! The convention floor space is so expensive basically taking over Palms was a cheaper option! Unbelievable. Thank you TCS John Huxley for setting the bar this year!

Overall I thought this G2E was great. Last year you really felt the economic hit. Companies only sent their top 2 executives and the convention seemed dead… literally. But this year you saw the blood start to flow back into the gaming industry in North America. Numbers are up. Things are started to return back to where it should be. More bodies on the floor. Better parties again. Before the world tanked G2E Las Vegas was insane. Returning to those days of private parties and extravagant VIP client service has made a return and I anticipate that next year will be even better.

Thank you for following my G2E Las Vegas updates. If you want my play by play you can check out my Twitter page.

Thanks to Caesar’s Palace for my amazing stay (again). Service is impeccable and the Augustus Tower is my idea of heaven.