LAS VEGAS (July 6, 2006) – Two gaming marketing pioneers – Bill Harrah and Phil Satre –will be honored with the Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award July 19. The luncheon presentation is part of the Third Annual Casino Marketing Conference, July 18-20 at Paris Las Vegas.

Bill Harrah is the pioneer and founder of the casino company that bears his name, and Phil Satre is immediate past CEO of the company. Gary Loveman, current President and CEO of Harrah's Entertainment, will accept the award on behalf of the late Bill Harrah.

“These two men stand out for their lifetime of service, dedicated to the powerful notions that customers and employees matter most, and that effective casino marketing can be strategically scientific,” said Dennis Conrad, President and Chief Strategist, Raving Consulting Company, co-presenter of the Conference.

From the early days of Bill Harrah walking his casino floor, building the first rudimentary player reward program and pioneering casino entertainment, to the modern day Phil Satre planting the seeds and framing the vision for the marketing wizardry that would catapult Harrah’s into the 21st century as an industry leader, these two gaming giants from different eras have changed the face of casino entertainment forever. “They are being honored for their significant contributions to the casino marketing field and for their passion for their customers, their employees and their communities,” Conrad said.

The 2006 Casino Marketing Conference also features the second installment of the Romero Awards: Recognizing Excellence In Casino Marketing, to be presented at a breakfast ceremony July 20. Keynote speakers this year are Jan Jones, Senior Vice President of Communication and Government Relations, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.; and Tim Gard, CSP of Comic Visions, who is a nationally recognized humorist and authority on stress reduction through humor.

New this year is the one-day conference, Hispanic Gaming Summit on July 18, prior to the opening of Casino Marketing. Learn more at www.casinomarketing2006.com and www.hispanicgamingsummit.com.

Casino Marketing 2006 is presented by Ascend Media Gaming Group and Raving Consulting Company.

Media requests: Stephen Gibbs, sgibbs@ascendmedia.com.