My Impressions of the World's Largest Gaming Industry Conference

I had the pleasure last week of attending G2E, the world’s largest annual gaming industry convention, with my client Apache Nugget in Las Vegas. I learned a ton, saw a lot of new/interesting things and left with a few key takeaways.

• Las Vegas’ Struggles are Real

  Over the years I’ve been to Vegas 20 times (give or take) for personal and business reasons…and I’ve never seen it quieter and less busy than I did last week. All of the buzz about this seems to be true – and if anything, it isn’t doing justice to just how bad things actually are.

  
  

  I asked a few good sources at the convention and around the city why. The main reason that kept coming up: a prolonged dip in international travel. And the main reasons for that: high/rising costs and political tensions. It sounds like Americans are hitting Vegas just as much as ever, but that can’t be said for others from around the world.  

  
  

  This is most definitely a trend…make of it what you will.

• Purse Strings are Loosening

  Due to the above trend, you might guess that casinos, online organizations and their vendors would be watching their cash very closely and only investing in mission-essential programs. But, mirroring what I’m starting to see in the macroeconomy, gaming industry execs are spending more freely than they were earlier this year. They’ve adjusted to the uncertainty out there, and they’ve decided they won’t be defined by it. There are things they need to do for their business no matter what conditions in the market are like, and it won’t get done if they stay as tight as they have been. So they’ve adjusted their plans and figured out how to proceed anyways…ramping up spending heading into 2026.

• The Gaming Industry is Just Like Any Other

  I’ve been blessed to work with clients and organizations in almost every corner of the economy, and they’re all way more similar to each other than they are different. They all make products and services that they bring to clients/customers. They all have to find the most efficient ways to sell those products and services. They all have to find and retail quality talent. And then some. News flash: the gaming industry is no different.

  
  

  I was struck by just how much the exhibition booths, the conversations, etc. looked and felt just like everything I’ve seen and experienced at high tech, CPG, venture capital and other conferences I’ve been to. And that tracks, because the kind of work we’re doing with Apache Nugget is very similar to all the other work I/Game Changer have ever done.

I’ll keep an eye on all of this, and keep reporting back to you all in future posts.