For 11 years, Global Gaming Women (GGW) hasn’t exactly embodied its name. The primary advocacy group for women in the industry focused heavily on the United States, with little attention internationally, but now they’re looking to expand their influence.
At GGW’s recent quarterly board meeting and during a subsequent strategy session, the non-profit group developed a game plan to establish an international committee aimed at Europe, Australia, and Canada, according to CDC Gaming Reports.
“We want to ensure we’re being true to our name, Global Gaming Women,” says GGW President Cassie Stratford, Boyd Gaming senior vice president for legal operations and regulatory compliance, “and we’re very strategic about that approach. We want to make sure that our offerings have consistency in terms of the value and quality of our content and events.”
Entain Group Corporate Affairs Director Grainne Hurst will oversee initiatives in Europe at gaming tradeshows and conferences and through other programming.
“We haven’t found good ways to stay consistently connected with those members,” Stratford said. “That’s where we’re trying to focus, and I feel like it’s a really good time to do that because we are now getting comfortable with the foundation we’ve laid and some of our core programming. At G2E this year, it felt to me more international than it ever has before.”
This initiative leans on development through education, mentorship, and networking opportunities. The non-profit also will increase its presence at overseas gaming industry events and heavily promote its online offerings, which include virtual master classes.
“Our goals are to create bridges—not just with women, but with allies throughout the gaming space,” Sightline Payments Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff Felicia Gassen said via email. “As gaming businesses continue to expand across the world, it’s essential that GGW expands in tandem to provide the connectivity, mentorship and leadership that helps drive our industry forward.”
Despite the emphasis on women, the organization will develop proposals to bring men into the fold too.
“I don’t want men to feel like they aren’t welcome at our events, or worse, that men aren’t welcome in this conversation,” Stratford says. “They are absolutely welcome, and more than that they’re absolutely crucial to us being able to make real progress. Their support and buy-in is absolutely to what we’re trying to accomplish, and what we think companies more broadly are trying to accomplish.”
