The University of Arizona’s Race
Track Industry Program today released the tentative agenda for the 2013 Global
Symposium on Racing & Gaming to be held December 9-12, 2013 at the Westin
La Paloma Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Scheduled topics cover a wide range of
issues and include:
Current Legal and Policy Issues in
Racing and Gaming
Speakers will look at topics that
have moved across the radar screen of policymakers, regulators and operators.
Speakers will address issues like Florida’s Gretna case; the rise of
geolocation as a regulatory tool; the status of interstate Internet poker and
other gaming in the U.S.; the possibility of federal legislation on medication
in racing; and how the seismic change in the SARP in Ontario has changed the
landscape and outlook for that province and the cautionary tale it provides.
New Strategies in Regulating Racing
Racing regulators face the same
problems as other stakeholders. Budgets require doing more with less, which in
some cases has led to doing things differently – more efficiently, more
transparently, and more creatively. One strategy calls for out-of competition
investigation and testing to help insure integrity. But in creating an
out-of-competition testing scheme, regulators face new issues, privacy issues,
confidentiality issues and others need to be addressed, to name just a few.
This panel will address these issues and more.
New Ways to Look at Numbers
Sports fans are traditionally a
group of people who have an insatiable hunger for facts, figures and
statistics. Racing is a sport that is data rich but that attribute hasn’t been
marketed. Panelists look at new data that could be presented to the racing
audience, new ways to present the information we currently provide as well as
how all of it can be used to attract new customers and increase the frequency
of current players.
From Bridge Jumpers to Bettin’ the
Chalk
From the creators of “JOCKEYS” comes
a new racing-based reality show, but this time it’s the handicappers who are
the stars. Get a sneak preview of the characters and story line for their
new project, “HORSEPLAYERS,” from the executives from Go Go Luckey
Entertainment.
The Mark Kaufman Workshop presented
by the Turf Publicists of America
Pro-Active and Re-Active reporting:
How can racing control the message instead of the message controlling us?
Handicapping Contests – Are They an
Area of Real Growth in the Racing Industry?
Handicapping contests are attracting
a lot of attention and a lot of players. Learn about the different mindset and
strategies of the tournament player as compared to the traditional pari-mutuel
player and find out how to cater to them. You’ll also get a perspective
on the track’s and ADW’s goals for the tournaments as well as the results.
Being Prepared
Planning for the “worst case”
scenario is a must today for all businesses. From large tracks on their biggest
international days to a weekday at a small track with only simulcast racing –
tracks must have a plan in place for a myriad of “what if” situations. Speakers
will address security issues and strategies for preparing for the unexpected
that are appropriate for organizations of all sizes.
Horse Racing and Social Gaming – The
Untapped Potential
Social Gaming has exploded over the
past five years. From games like Candy Crush Saga and Words with Friends to
Zynga Poker and IGT’s DoubleDown Casino, more people are playing and making
money on social games than ever before. Panelists will explain how the racing
industry can tap into this fresh new market.
Muckraking Journalism as a Positive
Force – The Second Annual Presentation of the Stan Bergstein Writing Award
At this year’s Symposium, Team Valor
will present a $25,000 award to the writer of a story embodying the work of the
late Stan Bergstein. Stan was a columnist and racetrack executive who worked
tirelessly to promote horse racing and shine a light on integrity
issues. Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin will lead a discussion with journalists
on timely horse racing topics and the importance of addressing issues for the
good of the industry. Team Valor International is the
Thoroughbred ownership group that campaigned Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup
winner Animal Kingdom.
Cyber Security (or Lack Thereof)
As the Internet has grown, so have
the threats to Internet security and e-commerce. Current issues range from DDoS
(distributed denial-of-service), infiltration, and social
engineering to hacking. The racing industry must be prepared for a wide variety
of security challenges. Panelists will identify and explain the potential
threats, their impact on business operations and solutions to greatly reduce
the risks.
Collaborating on Track Safety
Participants from the 12th
Annual Track Superintendent’s Field Day held at Del Mar report on the latest
technologies affecting track maintenance, as well as other issues presented at
the August conference.
Speed Networking
Don’t miss this new opportunity to
participate in a fast moving event designed to put you in contact with a number
of other racing executives. Speed networking is a meeting format designed to
accelerate business contacts and involves multiple people who gather in order
to exchange information. Participants greet each other in a series of brief
exchanges and share their professional backgrounds and business goals thus
giving them exposure to new markets and/or expansion of their pool of vendors.
Workshops:
• Event
Marketing — Building an Event to Grow Your Racing Brand
• Aftercare —
Managing and Supporting the Business of Caring; Racehorse Aftercare
http://www.ua-rtip.org/symposium_racing_gaming/2013agenda
The Early Bird registration deadline
to save $100 is October 14 – plus save $50 more by completing registration online.
