GIGSE Update - May 1

1 May 2003

It's happening! With time of the essence, the Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo has been rescheduled for June 17-19 at the Palais des Congres in Montreal.

Over the past 48 hours, the industry has kicked into gear with the change.

We're pleased to say that we've spoken with all exhibitors/sponsors, and close to 100 percent are making the move. Currently, 40 companies that were previously committed to exhibit and/or sponsor events at the summit are on board for Montreal. In addition, we're already adding another two new companies as sponsors and/or exhibitors due to the relocation. The list includes five payment processing companies and 10 software companies among others.

We again beg your indulgence as we work quickly to reconfigure and reallocate show floor space. We will have the floor plan in place on the summit Web site as soon as possible.

In terms of speakers, we've had only one who has told us that he cannot make the new dates due to scheduling conflicts (and another three who are attempting to reschedule other commitments). Therefore, while there may be a slight modification or two, it would appear that the program will remain pretty well intact.

In terms of attendance, we have had six cancellations from attendees who are unable to make it due to previous commitments on the new dates. We're beginning to get in the registrations now from the folks who were holding off due to their reservations about the venue and expect the number of attendees to grow quickly. As we mentioned in Tuesday's update, we are extending the early-bird discounts to attendees until June 12 when online registration ends. The online registration can be found at
http://www.gigse.com/2003/index.cfm with those rates in effect.

We have now secured three nearby convention hotels for the event with rates that are more competitive than those previously scheduled... an effort to save you money. (The third confirmed today and will be posted on the site shortly.) There are now adequate room nights available at great rates for the duration of the event. Some of you have figured out that the Montreal Grand Prix is scheduled for the weekend before GIGSE. If you're trying to come in early for that, you may well have serious problems finding lodging; but, for our event, you will find adequate room availability. However, we do suggest that you book your rooms early to avoid lodging problems.

The industry has risen to the challenges we're all facing and is moving forward with building a great marketplace event June 17-19. The show floor will be full of companies with new products and there will be lots of new business opportunities arising among the attendees. And I can tell you that there are a variety of great parties in the works. We found out that we can all work quickly to pull off miracles when the situation warrants it and, again, we're grateful for the encouragement, support and great ideas on how to make this happen.

Sue Schneider