RENO, Nevada (July 1, 2008) – There has never been a better time for casino marketers to understand the opportunities that different demographic and ethnic groups represent for their facilities, and the second Player Development Summit will help put those opportunities into focus. Set for July 22 at Paris Las Vegas, the Summit is the opening act of the fifth annual Casino Marketing Conference, which continues through July 24.

The Summit features five sessions, each examining a different player group. The first two sessions explore Asian and Hispanic ethnic populations – their potential as casino customers, their cultural nuances and the most appropriate way to design programs and marketing campaigns to reach them.

The next two sessions explore different age groups – the young audiences classified as Gen X and Gen Y and the mature seniors who have historically provided a large share of casino revenue. Casino marketers need to understand both the importance of developing customers when they are young and meeting the needs of their older patrons.

The last session of the Summit reviews the opportunity to reach tourists, especially for new or expanded resorts with a variety of amenities.

Confirmed speakers at the Summit include: Christopher Abraham, Vice President of Marketing for Golden Gaming, Inc.; Conrad Granito, General Manager at New Mexico’s Santa Ana Star Casino; Charles Harrison (Moreira), Managing Partner of Harrison & Montoya Associates; Deb Hilgeman, a Seniors Marketing Specialist; Scott Voeller, Vice President of Marketing for Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino; and Bill Zender, Owner of Last Resort Consulting.

“We have assembled a strong group of experts in these specific topics,” said Dennis Conrad, President and Chief Strategist of Raving Consulting Company, co-producer of the conference together with BNP Media. “They will help provide focus to casino marketers at a time when it is more important than ever to understand different market segments and the opportunities they represent.”

The Summit’s keynote speaker is Richard Schuetz, a candid and sometimes controversial consultant and former Corporate Vice President of Marketing for Lyle Berman’s Grand Casinos. In a presentation entitled “Sleeping Well at Night in a Sometimes Ruthless Business,” Schuetz will share his thoughts on the evolution of player development, where it is headed and how the marketer can survive it all.

After the Summit concludes, the gaming industry’s leading marketing conference and trade show gets underway. Casino Marketing has quickly grown into one of the premier events in the gaming industry, and its strong conference program is led by two diverse and dynamic keynote speakers: Dr. Bill Eadington, Director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno; and Don McMillan, a humorist whose unique background allows him to take a light-hearted look at computers, technology, and the high-tech life.

The conference also features two prestigious annual awards ceremonies – the Romero Awards: Recognizing Excellence in Casino Marketing; and the Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to Ginny Shanks, former Senior Vice President of Brand Management for Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.

Complete conference details and registration information are available at www.casinomarketing2008.com. A limited number of sponsorships and exhibit booths are available by contacting Lesley Grashow at (203) 938-2782; grashowl@bnpmedia.com.

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BNP Media Gaming Group is the world’s largest and most experienced gaming industry media resource and the leading producer of trade magazines, specialized conference and expos, websites, e-newsletters and targeted specialty publications serving the gaming industry worldwide. Raving Consulting Company is a Reno-based marketing company that has worked with more than 200 casino companies worldwide and trained more than 1,500 gaming executives in its insider-savvy gaming seminars.

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Media contacts:
Charles Anderer, Senior Events Manager, Gaming, BNP Media, (718) 432-8529; andererc@bnpmedia.com.
Dennis Conrad, President and Chief Strategist, Raving Consulting, (775) 329-7864; dennis@ravingconsulting.com.