Schedule of Events
All DeskCon times in ET. Sessions and times subject to change.
Tuesday, October 5
DeskCon 2021 Kickoff
David Gale, Executive Director, North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries
Welcome to DeskCon 2021!
Noon - 12:15pm ET
Keynote Speaker
Think Different, the Disney Way!
Do you wonder why most of your best ideas come to you in the shower, during your commute, while falling asleep, or some other unexpected place?
Have you ever pitched a new idea, only to watch it get diluted or killed as it moves through the processes? Are you curious to know how Walt Disney came up with the idea for a Disneyland or how Netflix completely revolutionized the movie rental industry?
In his over-25-year career at the world’s most innovative organization, the Walt Disney Company, Duncan Wardle learned many important things about building a profitable business and a winning creative culture. The most important? If you want to be different, you have to think different!
Leaning on his experience as the Head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, Wardle takes audiences on a journey, providing them a unique set of innovation tools and techniques. These include the breakthrough “What If” creative thinking tool, made famous by Walt Disney himself, who used this concept to pivot his company from simply an animation house to an entertainment and theme park pioneer.
After this immersive crash course, you will leave with an actionable set of behaviors and tools that will immediately help foster a culture of innovation and creativity in your company.
12:15pm - 1:15pm ET
Powers and Ott Brown NASPL Scholarship Awards
The Powers Awards are presented in recognition of the significant contributions lottery and/or vendor employees have made through exceptional job performance. These awards are named in honor of the late Edward J. Powers, the “Father of U.S. Lotteries.” Ed spent more than 25 years in the lottery industry helping to define the most effective organizational structures that have become a blueprint for today’s lotteries.
The Ott Brown NASPL Scholarship was established in recognition of Ott Brown, the late President of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation. This award represents much of what was important to Ott and much of how he lived his life – creating opportunities for people to learn and grow. NASPL awards one lottery professional the Ott Brown NASPL Scholarship each year. The scholarship enables the recipient to participate in the weeklong NASPL Lottery Leadership Institute at no cost.
1:15pm - 1:45pm ET
Breakout Session
New Directions in Lottery Operations Continuity
Ray Bates, Honorary President of the European Lotteries and Past President of the Irish National Lottery
Nuno Sousa Pereira, Director of Business Development, Szrek2Solutions
Ryan Mindell, Lottery Operations Director, Texas Lottery Commission
Robert Beauparlant, Vice President of Global Development & Delivery, Lottery, IGT
Sam Hofer, Director of ICS Operations, Spectra Systems Corporation
The pandemic has been a major disruptor for most sectors, and the lottery and gaming industries are no exception. The growth of online gaming and the concerns about business continuity has been pushing players in the gaming industry to focus more on how to redesign the value chain to accommodate these new trends while improving efficiency, integrity, security, and flexibility.
This panel will discuss how uncertainty during pandemic times led lotteries to assess operations continuity and strategic priorities. Representatives from lottery, central gaming system providers, RNG, and ICS systems will discuss some of the challenges they faced, and how relevant changes were implemented to ensure operational alignment with new strategic priorities that emerged from the pandemic, including a strong push towards a sustained digital transformation.
The discussion will go beyond the pandemic, and the panelists will challenge each other to determine the best way to prepare and approach disaster planning for a potential upcoming crisis.
2:00pm - 2:45pm ET
Breakout Session
Self-Service Optimization
Clayton Atkinson, Vice President of Sales, IGT Indiana, Hoosier Lottery
Jeremy Sivis, Senior Division Sales Manager, IGT Indiana
Examine a case study on self-service sales growth supported by optimizing placements and focusing on out-of-stock mitigation strategies.
2:00pm - 2:45pm ET
NASPL Trade Show
New to DeskCon this year is our interactive Trade Show. For the first time, you can visit individual exhibitor pages representing our NASPL Associate Members, where you can view product videos, take part in interactive presentations, video chat with representatives, and more. You can also register interest in the company with a simple click of a button, and an associate will reach out to you directly with more information. It’s a great way to learn what is new in the industry from our most trusted and experienced vendors.
2:45pm - 3:45pm ET
Breakout Session
Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity Plans, and Continuity of Operations Plans
Charles Armstrong, Vice President of Security & Compliance, Louisiana Lottery Corporation
Todd Terrell, Deputy Director, Security & Regulatory Division, Arizona State Lottery
When catastrophes arise, lotteries must be prepared. Disaster recovery, business continuity plans, and continuity of operations plans are essential in helping lotteries get back on track during and after a crisis.
A disaster recovery (DR) plan is a written document that spells out the policies and step-by-step procedures and responsibilities to recover an organization’s IT systems and data and get IT operations back up and running when a disaster happens; this plan is a subcomponent of the organization’s business continuity plan (BCP). An organization’s continuity of operations plan (COOP) addresses emergencies from an all-hazards approach. It also establishes policy and guidance ensuring that critical functions continue, and that personnel and resources are relocated to an alternate facility in case of emergencies.
In this presentation, learn how participating lotteries successfully manage their BCP, DR and COOP, with case studies illustrating how each plan has been implemented.
3:45pm - 4:15pm ET
Breakout Session
We Are a Sports Betting Regulator… Now What?
Ridgely Bennett, Chief Counsel, DC Office of Lottery & Gaming
Peter Alvarado, Director of Regulation and Oversight, DC Office of Lottery & Gaming
Tune in for a panel discussion with the DC Lottery, where they will share their sports betting journey and offer insights and need-to-know information.
3:45pm - 4:15pm ET
NASPL Hickey Awards and Batchy Awards in New Media, Multicultural & Responsible Gambling Categories
The Hickey Awards are given for excellence in promotional and strategic marketing. These awards are named in honor of the late Owen Hickey, an industry leader who is remembered for the creative development of unique promotion and public relations techniques for the lottery industry.
Batchy Awards are presented to NASPL members for outstanding advertising and business communication achievements. This award is named in honor of the late Ralph Batch, elected as NASPL’s first president in 1971. It was through his efforts that the advantages of exchanging information and collaborating on joint ventures between lotteries were first recognized.
The New Media category includes advertising, promotions and educational programs or campaigns created and offered through social media or other digital channels instead of traditional TV, Radio or Print.
The Multicultural category includes advertising, promotions, and educational programs or campaigns created specifically for the many diverse audiences found across different lottery jurisdictions, offering culturally relevant and competent content and demonstrating cultural insights that help to effectively connect with our diverse market.
And the Responsible Gambling awards are given for advertisements that best convey a message of responsible or low-risk gambling, or raise awareness of problem gambling or treatment resources.
4:15pm - 5:00pm ET
