Hard Rock, MGM Resorts, and Wynn Top Executives on Keynote Panel for 2021 G2E

Posted on: September 12, 2021, 09:34h. 

Last updated on: October 4, 2021, 01:34h.

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Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Note 9/13 – This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Apoorva Gandhi’s name.

Three of the top US gaming executives will share the stage at this year’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E). They will provide their insights on the industry’s recovery from COVID-19 and where the casino business is moving in the years ahead.

The G2E Oct. 6 morning keynote session, one of three organizers announced late last week, will feature Hard Rock International Chairman and Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen, MGM Resorts International President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle, and Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox. According to organizers, it will mark the first time those individuals appear together.

We’re excited to welcome a robust lineup of the top names and brightest minds in this industry,” said American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller in a statement. “These collective insights couldn’t be more important as we forge the path ahead after one of the most challenging years in gaming history.”

G2E will take place Oct. 4-7 at the Venetian Expo, which was formerly known as The Sands Expo and Convention Center. Registration details can be found here.

Sisolak, Titus to Talk Nevada Recovery

The keynote sessions will begin on Oct. 5, and the first will be a joint appearance by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and US Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev. The two elected officials will discuss their state’s recovery and the role that gaming has played in it.

However, the state was also one of the country’s first hotspots for the delta variant. That prompted Sisolak to order masks in public gathering areas where the virus was allegedly transmitting at a high rate. When that order went into effect on July 30, it included the Las Vegas area and its casino resorts.

Two weeks ago, G2E officials announced attendees must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine two weeks prior in order to attend the industry trade show.

Titus, meanwhile, serves as the co-chair of the Congressional Gaming Caucus in Washington. When casinos across the country closed in March 2020 because of the pandemic, Titus and other lawmakers from Nevada and the caucus led the effort to ensure the gaming industry received the help it needed from Washington to stay in business.

Miller will open for Sisolak and Titus. He’s slated to give remarks on where the gaming industry in general stands as the recovery from COVID-19 continues.

G2E Panel to Discuss Importance of Diversity in Gaming

Besides addressing the recovery from COVID-19, another key G2E topic will be embracing diversity. Another Oct. 5 keynote panel brings together top gaming and hospitality executives to discuss how making that a priority will help their customers and employees.

That panel will include MGM Resorts Chief People, Inclusion, and Sustainability Officer Jyoti Chopra, Marriott International Senior Vice President for Multicultural Affairs, Social Impact, and Business Councils Apoorva Gandhi, and US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark.

CNBC anchor and reporter Contessa Brewer will moderate that panel, as well as the Oct. 6 panel with Allen, Hornbuckle, and Maddox.

G2E organizers will announce the fourth keynote session, also set for Oct. 6, in the weeks ahead.