Congratulations to this year's Great Women of Gaming Proven Leader and Rising Star honorees. Now in its fourth year, the awards recognize and celebrate the amazing contributions and achievements of female executives in our industry. When I read through the nominations, as I do each year, I was humbled and amazed--every nominee embodied what it means to be an incredibly strong, vibrant, talented and dedicated professional.
I feel this celebration is extremely important based on my personal history. I was raised by a single mother who was involved in the field of education. She provided for me (I was more than a handful, too), worked full-time as a teacher and attended graduate school--all in the 1960s, not exactly a time known for fairness. I saw firsthand the frustration and disappointment she experienced as she moved up the ladder in her career. While considerable improvement has been made in the area of gender equity since then, there's still much work to do. The old boy's club mentality and fraternal solidarity are alive and well but a toxic way to look at the world around you. People stuck there often miss key assets right under their noses.
The women honored in the pages of this issue are significant players, key ingredients and critically important to the continued success and growth of our industry. They are our peers in every sense of the word. Take the time to let them know it, and show them how important they are to you and the success of your organization.
Congratulations also to all the winners of this year's CEM Slot Floor Technology Awards, proving innovation is alive and strong in our industry. The lineup of clever products gets better each year. We should be proud of what our gaming equipment manufacturers detail out and develop for casinos year after year. Think for a minute how much of each dollar earned by a casino is generated on the gaming floor. The relationship between the operations executives, who must understand, accept and implement gaming technologies, and the manufacturers, who develop and produce them, is really a partnership whose health and vitality supports us all. One association more than any other strengthens this relationship: the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM).
Beginning this month and going forward, CEM has been given the important distinction as the "Official Publication" of AGEM. This is a wonderful privilege and acknowledgement. I want to extend my personal thanks to AGEM's executive director, board of directors, marketing committee and general members for entrusting CEM with this awesome responsibility. All of us at CEM take this very seriously and are honored to serve an association we have so much respect for.
As a B2B publisher for the gaming industry, a big part of what we do is work with gaming equipment manufacturers. We observe and report on emerging trends and innovations they put forth. Every day for many years, CEM has had the privilege to work with some of the greatest visionaries and thought leaders our industry has to offer. This interface with gaming equipment manufacturers is a big part of why we love what we do.
AGEM is young as far as trade associations go but has accomplished much since it launched in 2000. Under the management of AGEM's Executive Director Marcus Prater, the membership ranks have more than doubled in the last year alone, and there's a really good reason for this. AGEM has steadily delivered on its commitment to benefit the gaming industry through meaningful political action, gaming education, good corporate citizenship and promotion of the expansion of responsible gaming for the benefit of all its members and the industry. There will be many more AGEM successes to report on in the future, and we're grateful to officially be part of this incredible story.
Peter Mead
Publisher, Casino Enterprise Management