SalesForceXP: March/April 2008 Meetings & Incentive Travel: Groups Find Gaming Far From Las Vegas

MEETINGS & INCENTIVE TRAVEL

SalesForceXP March April 2008 Groups Find Gaming Far From Las Vegas

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas for visitors, but from a business perspective, what works in Vegas quickly spreads to other casinos around the country.

"The intense competition in Las Vegas breeds experimentation to attract customers. It's the laboratory where new trends emerge," says Holly Thomsen of the American Gaming Association, an industry lobbying group.

That includes the proliferation of world-class dining and top-name entertainment, which now makes up about 60 percent of the typical casino's revenue.

Hulk Hogan and Mitchell Cyprus, the tribal chairman
of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, kicked off the
introduction of Class III gambling at the Seminole
Hard Rock Resort earlier this year.

It also means that casino resorts from Florida to Washington state and New York to California are competing to host the same business groups of 100 to 500 people that regularly stage events in Las Vegas.

"A lot of people we speak with have held meetings in Las Vegas and they want something different," says Mark Tascione, Director of Sales and Catering for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. (www.seminolehardrock.com).

But while these groups may be looking to avoid the hustle and rush of the Las Vegas Strip, they still want great food, solid entertainment options and, of course, the excitement of a gaming floor.

No problem, says Tascione. The Seminole Hard Rock has 17 restaurants, 11 bars, 22 shops and, just this year, upgraded from a Class II gaming license to a Class III, which allowed it to install 800 new Vegas-style slot machines and offer blackjack and baccarat.

Tascione says a group of 200 guests risks getting lost in the shuffle at a 3,000-room Las Vegas casino, but it rules the roost at his resort. The Seminole Hard Rock draws mostly from the Southeastern region and, during peak season January through March, Northeasterners looking to escape the winter.

Groups Find Gaming Far From Las Vegas

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