With the 6th Annual London Affiliate Conference in full swing -  hosting several industry best practice panels and presentations, and plenty of opportunity for the 2,500+ attendees to network and broker deals – the only thing I’m curious about (In fact, dying to know) is how the Fire and Ice Party turned out last night. For all our faithful followers out there, you may recall that we’ve been reporting on this event every year. And if you need a reminder or just want to take a walk down memory lane, check out this review of Fire and Ice back in 2010.

If this is your first time hearing about Fire and Ice, well then, get ready to lose your virginity. There’s a good chance you would have lost it anyway, had you actually attended either of the last two years. That’s because Fire and Ice is a notoriously “grown up” party known for it’s sexually sinful flare.

I suppose I should explain what I mean by sexually sinful flare. I’m not talking about the interstate strip club or Amsterdam’s red light district (not because I don’t have the faintest idea what either one of those is like). Nope, this kind of sexually sinful flare is more like the kind of stuff you are likely to see at a show in Las Vegas. A good one, that is.

Before I go on any further, let me just say that I didn’t even get to attend last night’s party. In fact, I’m not even at the conference. I suppose that’s why I’m blogging about it – to expunge all the jealousy, bitterness and flat-out rage that’s turning my face more sour looking than a baby with a mouthful of lemonheads. But seriously, folks, that’s how crazy the Fire and Ice Party is. It’s so crazy good, I can’t even bring myself to read about it. Yep, you heard that right. I’m actually reporting on an event that I know nothing about. But thanks for being here for me, all the same.

What I can tell you is that the 6th Annual Fire and Ice Party was being hyped to hearken back the days of original sin. Yep, you may want to get your bible’s out for a history lesson. But then again, maybe not. According to Lyceum Media’s Michael Caselli, this retelling of the Book of Genesis and Revelations is told with a “new perspective”. How new, you ask? Caselli put it this way: “You’d be better off bringing a moral conservative to Bangkok’s back alleys than to this event”. Is the suspense killing you too?

Many in the online gambling community will be visiting San Francisco, California next month for a high-profile summit and expo. PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker won’t be attending, of course, because they’re too busy trying to remain in business and keep the owners out of jail. I would advise those who attend this convention to be on the lookout for unmarked black SUV’s suspiciously following your every move.

Anyway, from May 17 to May 19, the Global i-Gaming Summit and Expo is being held in beautiful northern California. It is doubtful that the Justice Department will stop by so they can meet the legitimate businessmen of the online gambling industry. That’s a shame, because they could learn a lot. Still, there will be other good representatives at the convention. Delegates from Caesars Entertainment, bwin.party digital entertainment, the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the New York Lottery, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and more will be there.

Also scheduled to appear are two California politicians who are trying to bring online gambling regulation about. Lou Correa, a California state senator who has sponsored legislation regulating intrastate online poker, and John Campbell, a U.S. Representative for California’s 48^th district who has sponsored a bill to repeal UIGEA will both be there to talk about regulation. Over 300 delegates from elsewhere in the gambling industry are set to attend.

You can expect the Black Friday online poker domain seizures and indictments to be a hot topic. While most of the charges against the eleven defendants were for fraud and money laundering, the general feeling is that the case is an attack on the poker community. By meeting on month later in San Francisco, the industry will get a chance to discuss their options and meet in a productive way.

Businesspeople love conventions. I’m not sure why, perhaps because I’ve never been invited to one. Their main stated purpose is networking and the ability for various people in an industry to discuss relevant topics for the business. I imagine that for a lot of people, though, the main appeal is the free food, drinks and entertainment. Conventions for the gambling industry tend to be pretty big events. When you consider all of the glitz, big productions and, of course, money that goes along with the casino industry, it makes for a good get-together.

Next week the National Indian Gaming Association is hosting its annual convention, called Indian Gaming 2011, in Phoenix, Arizona. Again, I am not invited to this convention, even to cover it, but if you are, remember that it is from April 3 through April 6. And if so, be sure to tell me how it was, okay?

Event organizers are expecting more than 18,000 people to attend the convention, which will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center. As the gambling industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, events like this are important for tribal gambling. Among many issues facing them is whether to embrace online gambling and take part in the industry or continue all attempts to block states from offering it.

The event organizers say that over 200 tribal governments will be in attendance and there will be many events designed for networking purposes. In addition, the convention will offer more than 200 hours of workshops, training and certification programs. If that all of that isn’t the kind of thing that excites you, you can also take part in three different golf tournaments on Indian-owned golf courses. And if that does excite you, then you have an odd idea of what’s exciting (sorry, I don’t get golf).

There will also be entertainment provided by the bands Blues Traveler and Sawyer Brown. Come on, haven’t the Native American people suffered enough? Why subject them to those bands? The National Indian Gaming Association needs to learn what kinds of “entertainment” attract people and which kinds drive people away. John Popper’s singing falls under the latter.

Still, it should be a good time for those in attendance and registration is still open. Indian Gaming 2011 is “the only national trade show and convention for Indian gaming by Indian gaming,” according to their website.

But you have to admit it is close. After all Zynga’s Texas Hold ‘em Poker is their largest source of revenue. Although I am sure Farmville cannot be far behind it. But the Texas Hold ‘em Facebook app alone is worth $7 billion. That is more money than there are Facebook users. And speaking of users, AppData.com says that a little more than 7 million people play Zynga Poker every day. So you can begin to see just how big and how popular Zynga’s poker app is. Take that, Farmville!

The Zynga Texas Hold ‘em poker game is played online through Facebook as an app for the social networking site. Unless you are friends with the people you play with, you are playing poker online with strangers. Not unlike you would be in an online casino except Facebook is serving as the middle man.

But next month Zynga is going to try to bring their flock of poker players face to face for the Zynga PokerCon. The conference, which you have no idea how tempted I am to simply refer to it as ZyngaCon, will be held March 18th and 19th at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. The cost to interested Zynga Texas Hold ‘em fans is $125 for both days.

As for the PokerCon itself, attendees will be able to take part in a real life poker tournament, playing each other face to face rather than through a computer or mobile device. The winner of the live tournament will receive a $100,000 prize. There will also be a celebrity event for players to see. Professional poker players will be on hand to give demonstrations to present pro tips and tricks to improve one’s poker game. And what would a conference be without a party? Thankfully Zynga Poker fans will not have to find out as their $125 ticket will also allow them to attend a party given just for them.

What I am wondering is how amateur online poker players who play through the Zynga app will do when not playing from behind a computer or mobile device. Online poker pros can usually go from behind the screen to face to face and back to behind the screen with relatively little difficulty. Either way someone at ZyngaCon—I mean—PokerCon will be taking home the $100,000 tournament prize.

Another thing I am wondering is if Zynga is hosting a conference for their top performing app, would they do the same for those that play the infamous Farmville? While it is not the flag ship of the Zynga app fleet, the extremely popular farming app is definitely the battleship. And if there ever were to be a FarmvilleCon, what would the events be? Real life cow milking? A crops harvesting race? Wagon wheel making? A sheep shearing contest? And to cap the FarmvilleCon off a hoe-down.

The idea of FarmvilleCon aside, the online poker players of Zynga Texas Hold ‘em app have got to be pleased with the two-day conference that Zynga is hosting for them.

I suppose it’s never too late to start planning for the next Global Gaming Expo. Lovingly referred to as G2E, the Global Gaming Expo is one of the largest and most attended conference events for professionals in the gaming industry (check out the video at the bottom of this post for a look at the exhibition floor). Having just wrapped up earlier this month at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is where the conference is normally held, G2E organizers have revealed that – for the first time – the premiere casino-entertainment event will be held at the Las Vegas Sands Casino.

The date to mark on your calendar is October 3-6, 2011. If you’re a casino operator and/or are looking to provide a product/service for the gaming industry (both land-based and online), now is the time to consider exhibition and sponsorship options. As mentioned, the G2E is always a large event and will very likely sell out. If you want to attend, online registration is available (not just yet for 2011) at a discounted price, while same-day tickets go for at least 25% more (depending on the attendance package).

A straight ticket to peruse all of the exhibitors on the main conference floor costs $99 online and $175 if purchased at the door. There are several packages to choose from – the most expensive and comprehensive being the 4-day All-Access Conference. Although the price tag is more hefty at $1,600, the benefits are numerous. Think of it as a crash-course, real-world gaming education with free continental breakfasts. Oh, and let’s not forget the keynote speaker luncheon.

Speaking of keynote speakers, this year’s was none other than Harrah’s Entertainment CEO, Gary Loveman, whose address was titled: “The Stockholm Syndrom: Why Addressing the Misinformation That Plagues Gaming is our top Priority”. Sounds good to me.

What also sounds good is the UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI) Certificate of Completion, which is awarded to all attendees who complete at least five sessions. This is a great opportunity for anyone just starting out or seeking to make a career in the casino gaming industry. With a state-of-the-art casino laboratory for testing casino games and software, as well as a high-tech surveillance center for teaching casino floor security, let’s just say that UNLV’s IGI accreditation carries some serious weight to it.

But the G2E isn’t just for professionals in the brick ‘n mortar casino industry either. As we all know, the online and offline gaming worlds are merging. Harrah’s itself is has an interactive department and has already launched two Euro online casinos, WSOP Casino, not to mention WSOP Poker. And let’s not forget about Caesars Online Casino catering to the UK crowd. In fact, the hot topic at this last G2E was all about online gambling regulation and how Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, holds the cards for getting gaming regulated in the States.

Check out the G2E website at globalgamingexpo.com for updates on the next conference held at the Las Vegas Sands Casino Resort October 3-6, 2011.