G2E: Taking in the Entire Show Experience

After 26 years in the gaming industry, G2E, is about the entire show experience and everyone in it: the anticipation of seeing old friends and industry contacts I haven’t seen regularly through the year, the excitement of bringing new products and technologies to the market, receiving customer feedback, and showing appreciation to everyone who is involved in making JCM the successful company we are today.

As a company, we put months of preparation into a show like G2E to give our customers a great experience. The event planning, preparation of drawings, technology roadmap decisions, artwork and content creation, and the massive amount of time and effort by everyone involved can be daunting, but it’s fun to start working through the project plan and bring the vision to life. Keeping our customers in mind every step of the way, we love planning our hospitality area in the booth where there will be plenty of seating and treats to go around for our industry partners.

With each day that gets closer to the show, my appreciation for the hard work of our team to pull off another successful event grows. Shortly before the show begins, everyone feels positive and optimistic, and the anticipation and the excitement build to reconnect with customers and create new relationships.

Going to the show each day is like walking out on to the field to play in the big game with the lights, the noise, and the energy in the air. We can feel the adrenaline, and it helps supercharge our team to showcase our latest and greatest technology. Once the last-minute checks are done, Cliff and I, like coaches, walk around to make sure our team is pumped up and ready to help customers develop their technology roadmaps toward future success.

I enjoy it when the show opens because everyone springs into action. We get a massive rush of people into the booth, then our hospitality team starts serving refreshments, our product management team conducts product demonstrations, our customer service teams keep everything working smoothly, and our sales team is talking, laughing, hugging, and joking with their customers. The marketing and public relations team also brings press and media to our booth throughout the show, which ramps up the excitement.

G2E becomes a frenzy of activity with us bouncing from one meeting to another. We are always grateful for the opportunity to talk about the company, our products, the industry, and the event itself with our partners, customers, and the media. I enjoy watching people’s reactions to our new technology, like the first time we showed our digital signage hanging cubes or our robotics system ICB ASAP®. I’m also proud of the hospitality experience we provide to guests in the booth. It’s our way of saying thank you for the relationships we’ve built over the years.

As the show hours wind down, it gets quiet. My teams are off to build new relationships, catch up with old friends, make deals, or just rest and relax with friends and family after a long day. When I have that quiet time in the booth, I like reflecting on the day: what went right, what worked well, what I could do better. It’s a nice moment to sit there in the afterglow of the day, being proud of our company, our team, and everyone involved whose efforts made it a success. That is the time where I look back and think how lucky I am to have strong relationships within the industry, be a part of this experience, and understand how good life can be. It only lasts for a few fleeting moments until I get up and start my walk out to the car, but I know I am lucky enough to get to do it all again the next day, the next show, and the next year!

Visit us in booth #4039 at G2E to experience the technology and hospitality that JCM has to offer.