1251 – Annual General Meeting
The CGAO [Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario] will be hosting our Annual General Meeting in Toronto on the 28th May 2015. This meeting is open to any Member of Good Standing and the primary objective is election of Directors to the Board (4) and to receive the Financial Report.
The election & nomination process was released by my office last week. If you are a Member of Good Standing and have not received the information, please contact Ms. Sandi Nesbitt directly and she will forward a copy.
Please confirm with our Administrator, Ms. Sandi Nesbitt,via e-mail at nesbitt.s@sympatico.ca that you will be in attendance.
DATE: 28th May 2015
DAY: Thursday
TIME: 10:00am to 1:00pm
LOCATION: Holiday Inn (Airport East) Hotel, 600 Dixon Road
ROOM: Centennial B
REFRESHMENTS: Light Snacks & Coffee |
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1252 – Centre Trading Performance
Over the last few weeks it has been encouraging to hear some positive news of the Centre trading performance. After a challenging winter where we saw the admissions/visitations being challenged, the recent lift in the business has been promising.
However, this does need to be placed into context. This is our prime trading period of the calendar year and we should be leveraging this strong performance to bridge us through the leaner months of trading this coming summer, which traditionally sees a softer admission/visitation period.
I would encourage all Commercial Operators to think through any potential program or operational changes that can enhance performance without undermining the customer experience. Efficiency of service delivery, combined with targeted marketing/promotional spend, can bridge the business through the lean calendar trading period.
Our Key Performance Indicator should be placed on admission & visitation growth and having a measurement criteria in place will ensure we are truly focusing our attention and energy in that direction. If this measurement factor moves in the right direction the revenue performance would follow in due course. |
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1253 – Conferences
Canadian Gaming Conference
As we get closer to the Canadian Gaming Conference, just a quick reminder to sign up for this event, especially the Charitable Gaming portion which directly relates to our sector. There is a lot that is focused on the commercial side and once again it is encouraging to see the Commercial Operators taking an active & leadership role.
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1254 – Pan-Am Games - Fast Approaching
In July 2015, the City of Toronto (and surrounding area) will play host to a major sporting event. Although there doesn’t seem to be much excitement expressed about the games at the moment, the volume of coverage this is likely to receive will bring it to the attention of the majority of residents in the province.
In speaking with Mr. Michael Orser (Delta Boardwalk Gaming),he is thinking of creating mini (Pan-Am) lounges and a Canadian medal table within the Centre, which would ensure customers could have access to information as they happen.
Although he has not finalized how he will manage/promote his way through this period, it was encouraging to hear that Commercial Operators are thinking of ways to leverage the event. |
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1255 – Responsible Gaming
It is important, once again, to highlight to all Commercial Operators and Centre Staff the need to engage in this initiative constructively. In my quarterly meetings with the RGC & OLG representatives, I have been encouraged that we have seen positive improvements in the engagement and acceptance of this area of the business. We must stay focused and continue to seek improvement and weave this into the fibre of our operational culture. Without question, I see that those constructive seeds are being sown in the Centres.
I would remind everybody of the sensitives of dealing in this area, especially for the need of confidentiality of any information of data related to anyone who has expressed a need or desire to seek any level of assistance from our RG colleagues or support organizations.
Without question, we are moving in the right direction. This comes down to the acceptance, openness and willingness of our Centre staff in embracing RG culture into the business. Well done. |
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1256 – Stakeholder Engagement - Kicked Off
On Thursday, the 14th May in Mississauga, the new structure of Stakeholder Engagement was launched with the OLG, OCGA and CGAO. It now sets out the foundation pieces of how this new platform will function and provide a platform to drive though the various agendas.
There are four (4) key Committees, being Strategic, Operations, Marketing & Regulatory, which will drive forward the development of the c-Gaming platform. The focus on Thursday was confirmation of the ‘Charters’ and initial ‘Agenda’s’. The first date of each Committee’s formal working meeting was set and work is now underway.
Although the CGAO has representatives on each of the Committees, if you would like any issues raised this can be done by e-mailing our Administrator, Ms. Sandi Nesbitt,at nesbitt.s@sympatico.ca who will ensure it gets to the right Committee. What is important is your participation and engagement in the process.
We will be setting up a web page on our web site to deal with all information relating to these Committees and key items they are dealing with so that we have one central area for information to be reviewed.
I do wish to acknowledge the hard work undertaken by Mr. Bob Longman, Channel Manager c-Gaming (OLG), for all his work in the background to ensure the meeting was constructive and as smooth as it was, Well done Bob! |
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1257 – Marketing Versus Promoting
As the business develops further through the c-Gaming Platform, the difference between Marketing & Promotions is getting clearer. Currently the majority of our resources are deployed in or on the promotional side of this coin. Generally this is focused on retention of the current consumer base, which is important but recently Commercial Operators are questioning the level of resources deployed in this area, which is very encouraging indeed.
Over the last twelve (12) months various steps have been taken by key Operators to re-address this balance with Sudbury Bingo Group, Delta Boardwalk Gaming, Community Gaming & Entertainment (Windsor) and more recently Delta Gaming Group,who have or are switching focus to marketing and re-positioning the Charitable Gaming experience, reaching out to appeal to a broader consumer base with more entertaining themed events and focus on non-core consumers.
One example is the work currently being undertaken by Mr. Tony Rosa & Team at Breakaway Gaming Centre (Windsor) in their lounge area. This has a separate themed area and a differing marketing approach. Tony is looking at engaging consumers through his lounge area and then introducing them into the bingo space.
The key point is to have a focused/planned approach that can be measured and resourced effectively to obtain the objectives. Remember to think in terms of Brand & Consumer Experience. |
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1258 – Leveraging Suppliers/Vendors - Built-In Knowledge
I would bring to member’s attention the tremendous resources that are available to you if you only reach out and seek them. Our Suppliers/Vendors have tremendous knowledge to assist you in some of your business objectives.
For example, Arrow Games (Canada) is a totally underused resource to management. They have a collective global knowledge, especially around Bingo, Program Construction, Breakopen Tickets and Promotional Printing. The team, led by Mr. Jim McLean, is there to assist when called on and I would strongly encourage you to reach into his experience/knowledge around Bingo, etc.
The same goes for the various other key Industry Suppliers we have access to. I have listed below some key Suppliers:
Mr. Jim McLean
Arrow Games (Canada)
(T) 905-321-5488
(E) jmclean@tradeproducts.com
Mr. Peter Speck
Bazaar Marketing
(T) 905-688-7755
(E) pspeck@bazaarmarketing.com
Mr. Mark Newman
Pollard Games, Inc.
(T) 289-213-5044
(E) mark.newman@pollardgames.com
Mr. Peter Howard
Diamond Game
(T) 416-930-2158
(E) phoward@diamondgame.com
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1259 – Community Connections
In the month of May, Boardwalk Gaming Centre (Sudbury) completed their ‘50th Charity Night’ event.
These events have been designed to reach out to non-traditional players and generate exposure and or awareness of the tremendous work that is undertaken by our Charitable Groups in the communities they work and live.
Key data:
- 4,061- Visitations generated
- 70% - Non-Core Consumers
- $C104k - Raised for the Community via the events
These events are built-in within the current sessional structure and therefore it maximizes the operational cost base with little or no additional cost to the Commercial Operator.
The key question is why these events are so successful in Sudbury. The answer is simple, the leadership & commitment of two individuals who both have a clear understanding of the objectives and passion to make it work.
Therefore, full credit needs to be placed at the door of individual’s Mr. Denis Sivret & Mr. Richard Schwar. |
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