This year’s Global Gaming Expo is featuring something entirely new𑁋a chance for gaming industry start-ups and students to pitch their ideas and innovations in a setting based on the popular TV show “Shark Tank”.
G2E, as the annual Las Vegas mega-trade show and conference is known, will host one of the stars of the ABC/CNBC series, Fubu founder and CEO Daymond John, to serve as a judge along with Cindy Eckert, founder of Pink Ceiling and CEO of Sprout, as contestants present their creations before a live audience at the G2E Innovation Incubator on October 11.
The two will select a winner, the “Shark’s Choice,” who will receive $10,000 and a complimentary 10-foot-by-10-foot booth to showcase their product at the 2019 show.
Contestants have until July 27 to apply. A panel of gaming industry experts will select four finalists to present their concepts to John and Eckert, where they’ll submit to a fast-paced question and answer session as the two business leaders look to explore each of the opportunities.
The finalists will compete in four categories: gaming floor innovation; hospitality and resort developments; solving/streamlining regulatory challenges; and greater efficiencies for operators/suppliers.
There also will be a second-place “Customer’s Choice” winner, selected by the audience, who also will receive complimentary exhibit space at the 2019 show. Six additional runners-up, chosen by the panel of experts, will be able to present their ideas throughout the day on October 11 at the AGA’s Innovation Lab on the main show floor.
“The contest builds off the Global Gaming Expo’s commitment to featuring the newest technologies in the market,” said Allie Barth, vice president of industry relations for the American Gaming Association, co-producers of the show. “We’re excited to bring the business ideas of students and start-ups to the forefront through this new event.”
John, best-known for building urban clothing line Fubu into a $6 billion business, is in his eighth season as a “Shark Tank” regular. Eckert has headed venture capital and consulting firm Pink Ceiling since 2016 and has personally invested $15 million across 10 different health technology companies at various stages of development.
G2E, co-produced by Reed Expositions, will be held October 9-11 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
