30 Indian Gaming September 2011

Tony Averitt, Director of MarketingCliff Castle Casino Hotel in Camp Verde, AZwww.cliffcastlecasinohotel.com

Number of Seats: Up to 3,650(two venues)

Cliff Castle Casino-Hotel, locatedjust over an hour north of Phoenix,

AZ on I-17, has been voted the number one casino in Arizonafor 12 years in a row and has always utilized live entertainment

as an amenity, as well as part of our overall branding. Werealize that as an entertainment destination we need to offerour guest an inclusive entertainment experience.

Cliff Castle Casino-Hotel proudly offers gaming action, finedining, special events, promotions, family fun in our 20-lanebowling alley, Shake, Rattle & Bowl, and Kid’s Quest, a super-vised day care center located onsite. We combine the casino’samenities with our 3,500-seat Stargazer Pavilion (outdooramphitheater) to appeal to not only the local Sedona/VerdeValley market, but also to attract Guests from Phoenix andFlagstaff. This positioning allows us to brand Cliff CastleCasino-Hotel as one of Arizona’s most unique entertainmentdestinations for fun and excitement for the entire family.

We have had many successful shows including DwightYoakum, Clint Black, REO Speedwagon, Styx, CreedenceClearwater Revival, George Jones and Comedians RodneyCarrington and Bill Engvall, to name a few. We’ve also hadtribute bands and hypnotist shows. Add in our Dragonfly

ASK THE EXPERTS

From expansive performance venues to intimate lounge-style settings, live entertainment addsanother level of excitement for casino guests. This month we talk to entertainment executivesfrom six properties across Indian Country. Here is what they had to say…

Spotlight on Entertainment

Tony Averitt

September 2011 Indian Gaming 31

Lounge and casino floor entertainment, the entertainmentvalue we package is part of our overall marketing strategy.

Our next two concerts this month, ZiggyMarley on Septem-ber 10 andWillie Nelson on September 16, are both on trackfor sellouts. So whether it’s country, classic rock or reggae,people want to be entertained so we structure our budgets andticket prices to make sure we bring guests to our property.This strategy ensures hotel room sales and increases revenueper available room with both repeat and first time visitors.What’s necessary to the process is to carefully plan productionand talent costs and research ticket pricing.We always sell outour top tier tickets first, whichmeans people will pay to see head-line entertainers as long as it’s the right act at the right price.

Cliff Castle Casino-Hotel has also been successful inachieving added value in advertising entertainment with localmedia and other business partners. It is this meticulouspackaging with local businesses that has afforded us the greatestexposure to build anticipation which drives maximum volumeto each show. We also get our team members engaged as vol-unteers to work the events, which builds cohesion with our staffand provides word of mouth advertising and ultimate success.

In our market, country acts and comedians seem to havedrawn the best crowds, as well as supported the gaming floorrevenues. It’s all about controlling your costs and getting theright acts for your own market.

Tina Holt, Marketing ManagerBlueWater Resort & Casino in Parker, AZwww.bluewaterfun.com

Number of Seats: Up to 2,500

The main entertainment venueat BlueWater Resort & Casino isthe outdoor amphitheatre. Theamphitheatre seats up to 2,500

concert goers comfortably and has one of the most beautifuland unique backdrops in the State of Arizona – the ColoradoRiver. The river is just feet away from the Amphitheatre andquite often you will see many boats floating during one ofour outdoor concerts.

The Island at BlueWater is the next hot ticket and inSeptember BlueWater is producing our first event onThe Island,hosting a regional “AquaPalooza” concert. This event will allowconcert goers to either dock in our 164-slip marina or float on

Tina Holt

32 Indian Gaming September 2011

ASK THE EXPERTS

the river for a concert catered just for the boating enthusiast.BlueWater’s demographic is very diverse and evident; our

summer guests enjoy any classic rock band, while ourwinter visitors enjoy more traditional entertainment. TheAmphitheatre at BlueWater has been stage to favorites likeForeigner with the original four members, TheDoobie Broth-ers, JohnMichael Montgomery, Creedance Clearwater Revis-ited, Kool & The Gang, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and iconRamon Ayala just to name a few.

The Bluewater Resort & Casino also plays hosts and titlesponsor tomany events, including off-road and powerboat races.In the month of October alone we go from off-road to water;as host property and title sponsor for the BITD DesertChallenge two-day off-road race event, and later in the monththe calm waters of the Colorado River will test the mettle andwill power of the racers and their equipment in the “300”Enduro Boat Races. The unique venue for the “300” Enduroboat race is the calm waters of the Colorado River, and yourbest view is from your hotel guest room or from the River’s EdgeCantina on the beach as the racers make 60 laps right in frontof BlueWater.

This past spring Ramon Ayala performed in theamphitheater. There were a lot of skeptics on his appearancebecause it had been awhile since an entertainer of hismagnitude had performed at BlueWater, and Ayala hadcancelled a couple of his shows prior to ours due to illness. Notonly did Ramon Ayala put on a spectacular show, that eveninghe elevated BlueWater by reaching to theHispanic market andcontinuing to garner BlueWater as the entertainment capitalof Western Arizona.

Sean Lujan, Special Events ManagerHard Rock Hotel & Casino Albuquerquein Albuquerque, NMwww.hardrockcasinoabq.com

Number of Seats: Up to 2,500

Take it center stage! The HardRock Hotel & Casino Albuquerqueis your destination for rock star

service and a one-of-a-kind experience. Just minutes fromdowntown Albuquerque and close to the AlbuquerqueInternational Airport, the property is a graceful combinationof striking architecture and rock & roll vibe. Impeccable

hospitality, with an array of amenities, provides each guest withan unmatched experience. The hotel features 201 guest rooms;an approximately 100,000 sq. ft. casino; a relaxing indoor/outdoor pool; convention space; a multi-purpose theater forconcerts and sporting events; restaurants and lounges.

The Hard Rock Showroom is the destination for greatlocal and national talent and there is increased interest fromentertainers to be showcased at the Hard Rock Casino. Thelineup has included great entertainment from Peter Frampton,Tesla, Cinderella to Ted Nugent and Gretchen Wilson.The 2,000 to 2,700 capacity Showroom can be customized toaccommodate any type of setting from smaller intimateconcerts to larger up against the stage events and special eventssuch as boxing and Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts events. TheHard Rock brand also appeals to a much wider audience thatcan experience all that we have to offer. In addition, the appealof the memorabilia has also helped drive new guests toexperience the property.

Los Lonely Boys/Los Lobos, Cinderella and Tesla havebeen a couple of the most recent sold out concerts and thediversity of the audience has been very beneficial for the casino.At Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Albuquerque, we have some-thing for everyone!

Stephanie Madrid, Marketing ManagerSandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, NMwww.sandiacasino.com

Number of Seats: Up to 7,200(two venues)

Take in the majestic views of theSandia Mountains while you enjoy

top-notch headliner entertainment under a canopy of stars atour intimate outdoor amphitheater, with seating for just over4,000. Or enjoy the elegant, warm ambiance of Sandia Resortand Casino’s deluxe 35,000 sq. ft. ballroom serving as theperfect venue for theatre-style shows and events.

Sandia Resort & Casino is the entertainment choice inNew Mexico. We utilize entertainment in a variety of waysincluding to enhance the brand, to garner community support,and entice new visitors from both inner and outer markets.Obviously, entertainment is used to reward high-end play,as well as drive incremental hotel revenue by couplingentertainment with hotel packages.

Sean Lujan

Stephanie Madrid

34 Indian Gaming September 2011

ASK THE EXPERTS

Sandia Resort & Casino’s most successful entertainmentact was BB King/Buddy Guy concert held in our amphithe-ater in 2010. The act is a top name, the demographic of theaudience mirrors the demographic of our players clubmembership, the show was held on a weekend evening andthe ticket prices were reasonable. These factors generatedplayer interest in the show, high public ticket demand, gavetime to our players to visit our dining facilities and gamingfloor before and after the show, and enhanced the brand ofSandia Resort & Casino. In September of 2011 we will closeour season with Santana and expect this to become our mostsuccessful act.

Raul Venegas, Marketing & EntertainmentDirectorSoaring Eagle Casino & Resort inMount Pleasant, MIwww.soaringeaglecasino.com

Number of Seats: Up to 12,485(two venues)

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resortoffers an indoor and seasonal outdoor entertainment venue fortheir players club member’s musical pleasure. The indoorvenue commonly referred to as our “Entertainment Hall”seats approximately 3,285 in a concert configuration and 3,100seats for boxing and MMA events. Our outdoor venue, whichoffers our Certified Hot Concert Summer Series can seat upto 9,200 entertainment enthusiasts. Both of the venues are largeenough for Soaring Eagle to attract acts from all over the world.Our production team has built an excellent venue and majorrecording artists are overly impressed with production capac-ity and accommodations that Soaring Eagle has to offer. Weaverage 40 shows a year that help us build customer loyalty andrepeat visits.We also feature local bands of different genres toplay in smaller and more intimate settings at the casino andresort. The Talon offers a dance floor with an awesomeambience that makes our customers feel like they are in anight club. Our Waterlily Lounge offers live entertainmentwhile guests relax and enjoy their favorite beverages and greatfood.

In order to have a successful entertainment program itmust meet the requirements of the casino philosophy, whichis to generate new visitors, build loyalty, and retain valued guests.

In the past year we have successfully done all three with a majorchange in our entertainment philosophy. That is to create anextreme value for the customer’s dollar, which we refer to asCertified Hot. Certified Hot promises that guests will leavefeeling that they’ve gotten much more for their money thanwhat any other entertainment venue in Michigan can offer!Traditionally the focus has always been to bring back selloutshows within certain periods, but our new focus is to alsobring in performances that have never been to Soaring Eaglebefore. Therefore we not only focus on varying the musicalgenres, but we also like to mix things up with special interestshows, and special events.

Soaring Eagle has featured performances from artists suchas Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Alan Jackson, Women’s ProfessionalBilliards, Boxing, King of the Cage, Sylvia Browne, ChrisRock, Tim Allen, Ron White, Stone Temple Pilots, REOSpeedwagon, Aretha Franklin, Earth Wind & Fire, LL CoolJ, Maroon 5, Train, Toby Keith, Reba Mcentire, and manymany more. We are very excited as we continue to havesuccess in various genres and are able to land first time acts suchas George Lopez and Betty White along with several otherswho are already on our schedule for the rest of 2011 and into2012.

Shawn Wilson, Director of Entertainmentand Special EventsCasino Rama in Rama, Ontario - Canadawww.casinorama.com

Number of Seats: Up to 5,028

The 5,028-seat state-of-the-art Casino Rama Entertainment

Centre is equipped with some of the most technically advancedproduction/backline equipment in the industry. This, accom-panied by excellent acoustics, great sightlines, video screens stageleft and right, highly qualified/experienced technical andcustomer focused staff, makes for a favourable show experiencein one of the finest sounding and visually appealing rooms inNorth America. In addition, the bleacher seating is fullyretractable, which enables us to maximize the room’s multi-functional capabilities using various floor- plan configurationsand to host a variety of different production shows, concerts,sporting events, consumer/tradeshows and produce amazingdécor driven themedprivate parties/ events for ourVIP customers.

Raul Venegas

Shawn Wilson

September 2011 Indian Gaming 35

As a destination driver, Casino Rama offers a diverse andexciting entertainment mix year round, which is integral tocontributing to customer satisfaction and retention, as wellas our property’s identity and overall success. Entertainmentis programmed to drive customer volume, increase visita-tions of both regular gaming and non-gaming customers,act as a prospecting initiative to attract new gamingcustomers, assist in branding the property and creating a“marquee buzz” thereby nurturing customer loyalty and toachieve a desirable retail component for each event.Entertainment is a vital component of our Players PassportRewards™ program and compliments other property offer-ings such as food and beverage/restaurants, luxury hotel andspa amenities.

By providing a high quality product with a variety ofentertainment, which encompasses various genres andevents, we are able to target a wide ranging demographic(from 19 to 70 years old plus). Our show/event mix includescomedy, magic, R&B, various rock, pop, country, alterna-tive, contemporary, oldies, production shows and sportingevents as well as various ethnic shows, to capture and retain

other cultural market segments. The show mix is format-ted to consistently drive property traffic and satisfy a vari-ety of customer needs and wants. Entertainment supportsCasino Rama’s ongoing initiative of maintaining its statusas one of the most successful casino resort entertainmentdestinations in Canada.

We continue to position ourselves as market leaders andhost many highly successful artists and events. Some high-lights include: KISS, Mixed Marital Arts, Miranda Lambert,Ricky Martin, televised Skins Curling (yes, we built an icerink in the entertainment centre!), Alan Jackson, JulioIglesias, David Copperfield, Cirque, ZZ Top, ImperialCircus of China, Robin Williams, Stompin’ Tom Connors,New Kids on the Block, World Championship Boxing,Stone Temple Pilots, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, CarrieUnderwood, Jeff Beck, First Nations Day with ShaneYellowbird and Crystal Shawanda, Alicia Keys, RussellPeters, Massimo Ranieri, and Aaron Kwok to name a few.What made these acts and events successful were thefavourable customer response and the positive feedbackfrom our customers. After all it’s all about the customer! �