Entertainment Successes
By: Alan S. Kornstein and Billy Brill
American casinos grow at a rapid rate so does their need for quality entertainment that brings in gamblers
who will have a significant impact on gambling drops and other casino revenues. Recently, Billy Alan Productions
(BAP) asked several industry executives to share their experiences in working for these goals by responding to
seven key questions. The respondents were Fernando Campa, Entertainment Coordinator at Desert Diamond
Casino in Tucson, Arizona; Sharon Farrell, Marketing Director at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde,
Oregon; Leanna Hoffman, Special Events and Entertainment Manager at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho
Mirage, California and Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, California; Allan Krantz, Director of Marketing at
Sycuan Resort & Casino in El Cajon, California; and Elaine McFarland, Entertainment Manager at Chukchansi
Gold Resort and Casino in Coarse Gold, California.
When asked to identify the most successful act booked this year, Circo Luci at Sycuan, Tony Bennett at Spirit
Mountain, Jay Leno and Bill Cosby at Desert Diamond, Bill Medley’s Celebration of the Righteous Brothers at
Agua Caliente and Engelbert Humperdinck at Chukchansi. Leanna Hoffman pointed out that they measured the
success of the Bill Medley show was “not only by the sold-out status of tickets, but by the large number of VIP
players we had in attendance; Bill Medley represents the kind of entertainment.” Engelbert Humperdinck was so
successful that he is returning to her casino “for another sold out show,” reported Elaine McFarland.
Shows that surprised these executives with their level of success, both as performances and in terms of their
drops included the Chinese New Year Ethnic Concert at Sycuan and Air Supply at Spirit Mountain. With the Air
Supply concert, Farrell stated that, “Sales started slowly, but picked up tremendously at the end. We had a
great mixture of age demos … and the casino was very active.” Keith Sweat and Tracy Lawrence did the job at
Desert Diamond. At Agua Caliente Casino when Rich Little performed that show was another one of the most
successful shows that they have hosted. Leanna Hoffman’s comments point to some of the considerations that
determine success when she said, “And it surprised me; or, rather, it exceeded my expectations. We booked the
show because Rich Little appeals to our loyal casino guests and the Palm Springs set, and the production was
an overall great value to execute. The talent fee was reasonable and the rider was minimal, since Rich Little is a
comedian and not a musical group. Because Rich Little has been performing for decades, I wasn’t sure how
many of his fans would come out to see him again. But he hasn’t been in our market in quite awhile and the fans
did not disappoint and neither did he; it was a funny show. Attendance was great and most importantly, we had
a large number of VIP players in the audience. Rich Little and Bill Medley are among those entertainers who
have been playing in gaming markets for as long as there have been gaming markets. It’s good to pay attention
to what works, because chances are that it will work for you.” Elaine McFarland’s response, regarding the
Ronnie Milsap concert at Chukchansi, also highlights the factors that define success for casinos. “He [Milsap]
gave a wonderful Valentine's day performance which the audience just loved not to mention our gaming revenue
was outstanding. Ronnie was a real crowd pleaser and signed autographs at the merchandise table until the
last person left the room. My favorite moment of the evening was when Ronnie asked his tour manager just
before the show what color his jacket was. When he heard the answer was red he replied, "Of course, it's
Valentines Day!"
In the contest among newspaper, radio and the internet for ticket sales, the range of responses also point to
the many considerations that must go into building success for entertainment events. At Spirit Mountain, Sharon
Farrell said that, “It really depends on the type of act we have. For instance many of our country acts sell best
on radio and outdoor. Our headline comedians get strong internet reaction. All of our entertainment acts get
prime newspaper location in the Oregonian at least three times a week leading up to the show.” Leanna
Hoffman values the radio, calling it “one of the most effective advertising mediums because people listen to the
radio in the car and when they are at work. You can target your radio dollars to the station or stations that play
your artist’s songs. For example, if you have Gary Allan coming in concert, you buy ads on the country radio
station and you do ticket giveaways and/or artist interviews on the station and you invite the morning show host
to introduce the show. All of which equals tremendous added value that you do not pay for. You are leveraging
your advertising budget and gaining great exposure to the people who will buy the tickets.” However, she does
not ignore other methods of getting her message out. “Internet is a great resource when you can speak directly
to the players in your database. If you know your players, you have the ability to send email blasts to those
casino guests who like country music. And it goes without saying that it’s critical to have timely and complete
information on your casino’s website. Newspapers usually have a weekly entertainment or calendar section that
you need to advertise in because if you do not, people seeking entertainment will only see ads for your
competitors’ shows. But newspapers do not offer much or anything along the lines of added value. The short
answer is that you have to have a well rounded and targeted marketing plan.” At Chukchansi, “Radio is the best
source of advertising for us,” reported Elaine McFarland. She continued, “We book a lot of popular acts who
have been out of the spotlight for a while and it's important for people to hear those older hits to put a name to
the music. Tony Orlando, who recently gave us a fabulous performance, was very forthcoming when he told the
audience that he hadn't had a hit record since the 70's. It was a great laugh but those old 70's hits haven't left
us and are just as fun to listen to today.
When it came to recommendations for the best time frame for booking a concert prior to an engagement the
range was from three to ten months, with six months the target for several venues. In this area, as in others,
factors unique to the entertainment field such as routing must be taken into account, as well as considerations
like planning and budgeting that any business must take. These lead times allow for a good selection of talent
as well as adequate planning time. However, as Elaine McFarland reminded us, one must always be flexible,
pointing to the untimely passing of Country Artist Chris Ledeoux this year who was booked to play at Chukchansi
Gold.
The interviewees were also unanimous in terms of the value they saw in “meet and greets.” Leanna Hoffman
described these as, “amenities for your VIP players. It’s important to have a meet and greet to offer your best
players because it makes the experience memorable and special to the people who are the cornerstone of your
gaming business. We are known for hosting well organized, small meet and greets of 10-15 people at the most.
Artists appreciate the efficiency and will give each person a minute or two to say hello and ask a question, which
you can’t do if you are cattle herding 30 people through a line. Have your own photographer, plenty of Sharpies
in hand, and a couple of support staff members to help run a meet and greet so that you can introduce each
person by name to the artist and you’ll know what each person wants out of the meet and greet, before they get
to the front of the line. Keep your eye on the objective. You are not in the concert business; you are in the
casino business, so take care of your good players when their favorite artist comes to your venue.” At Spirit
Mountain the feeling is much the same. Sharon Farrell called the meet and greets “extremely important.” It is a
special perk that our high rollers would not normally experience and is something they really look forward to.”
Elaine McFarland pointed out that the meet and greets “is a great way for our player development team to
provide a very special perk for our VIP guests.” As a result her casino tries to hold a meet and greet for every
show. With their emphasis on “comping” their very best players, Sycuan also regards the meet and greets as
very important according to Allan Krantz.
Finally, when the panel was asked to identify the most important factors for their casinos when booking acts,
answers focused on value. At Sycuan the goal is to draw the “right” players and to sell out quickly stated
Krantz. Leanna Hoffman shared her view that. “There are many aspects to take in to consideration when
booking a show. Is it a good value? Will the rider turn a good value in to an expensive proposition? Does the
total cost fit the scale of your venue? Will it reinforce your image as an entertainment destination in the eyes of
your casino guests and your market? When was the last time this artist has performed in your market and was it
successful? In what other venues is this artist currently performing? Most importantly, will your VIP players and
loyal casino guests want to see this show and consider it a great amenity to be personally invited?” Spirit
Mountain Casino’s Sharon Farrell said that her casino looks for “The viability of the artist to appeal to our
regular customer base as well as attract incremental traffic from new guests.” Elaine McFarland of Chukchansi
took a slightly broader view when she described her casino’s outlook. “Potential gaming revenue is of course an
aspect which we look at when considering booking artists but we also want to please the audience. Some
genres of music pull in more revenue than others in our market but we would not limit ourselves strictly based on
potential ROI. We want to provide quality entertainment to our guests that is unique to the area. Taking a
chance sometimes pays off such as with booking the Irish dance group "Magic of the Dance," and "Cirque des
Amis," a small troupe comprised of some of "Cirque de Soleil's" original members.” In the end, though, no one
disagreed with Fernando Campa’s one-word summary of his casino’s goal – “DROP!”
Billy Alan Productions thanks the contributors to this article. Their willingness to share their experiences is appreciated and will surely result in
a better booking process at many sites.
By: Alan S. Kornstein and Billy Brill
American casinos grow at a rapid rate so does their need for quality entertainment that brings in gamblers
who will have a significant impact on gambling drops and other casino revenues. Recently, Billy Alan Productions
(BAP) asked several industry executives to share their experiences in working for these goals by responding to
seven key questions. The respondents were Fernando Campa, Entertainment Coordinator at Desert Diamond
Casino in Tucson, Arizona; Sharon Farrell, Marketing Director at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde,
Oregon; Leanna Hoffman, Special Events and Entertainment Manager at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho
Mirage, California and Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, California; Allan Krantz, Director of Marketing at
Sycuan Resort & Casino in El Cajon, California; and Elaine McFarland, Entertainment Manager at Chukchansi
Gold Resort and Casino in Coarse Gold, California.
When asked to identify the most successful act booked this year, Circo Luci at Sycuan, Tony Bennett at Spirit
Mountain, Jay Leno and Bill Cosby at Desert Diamond, Bill Medley’s Celebration of the Righteous Brothers at
Agua Caliente and Engelbert Humperdinck at Chukchansi. Leanna Hoffman pointed out that they measured the
success of the Bill Medley show was “not only by the sold-out status of tickets, but by the large number of VIP
players we had in attendance; Bill Medley represents the kind of entertainment.” Engelbert Humperdinck was so
successful that he is returning to her casino “for another sold out show,” reported Elaine McFarland.
Shows that surprised these executives with their level of success, both as performances and in terms of their
drops included the Chinese New Year Ethnic Concert at Sycuan and Air Supply at Spirit Mountain. With the Air
Supply concert, Farrell stated that, “Sales started slowly, but picked up tremendously at the end. We had a
great mixture of age demos … and the casino was very active.” Keith Sweat and Tracy Lawrence did the job at
Desert Diamond. At Agua Caliente Casino when Rich Little performed that show was another one of the most
successful shows that they have hosted. Leanna Hoffman’s comments point to some of the considerations that
determine success when she said, “And it surprised me; or, rather, it exceeded my expectations. We booked the
show because Rich Little appeals to our loyal casino guests and the Palm Springs set, and the production was
an overall great value to execute. The talent fee was reasonable and the rider was minimal, since Rich Little is a
comedian and not a musical group. Because Rich Little has been performing for decades, I wasn’t sure how
many of his fans would come out to see him again. But he hasn’t been in our market in quite awhile and the fans
did not disappoint and neither did he; it was a funny show. Attendance was great and most importantly, we had
a large number of VIP players in the audience. Rich Little and Bill Medley are among those entertainers who
have been playing in gaming markets for as long as there have been gaming markets. It’s good to pay attention
to what works, because chances are that it will work for you.” Elaine McFarland’s response, regarding the
Ronnie Milsap concert at Chukchansi, also highlights the factors that define success for casinos. “He [Milsap]
gave a wonderful Valentine's day performance which the audience just loved not to mention our gaming revenue
was outstanding. Ronnie was a real crowd pleaser and signed autographs at the merchandise table until the
last person left the room. My favorite moment of the evening was when Ronnie asked his tour manager just
before the show what color his jacket was. When he heard the answer was red he replied, "Of course, it's
Valentines Day!"
In the contest among newspaper, radio and the internet for ticket sales, the range of responses also point to
the many considerations that must go into building success for entertainment events. At Spirit Mountain, Sharon
Farrell said that, “It really depends on the type of act we have. For instance many of our country acts sell best
on radio and outdoor. Our headline comedians get strong internet reaction. All of our entertainment acts get
prime newspaper location in the Oregonian at least three times a week leading up to the show.” Leanna
Hoffman values the radio, calling it “one of the most effective advertising mediums because people listen to the
radio in the car and when they are at work. You can target your radio dollars to the station or stations that play
your artist’s songs. For example, if you have Gary Allan coming in concert, you buy ads on the country radio
station and you do ticket giveaways and/or artist interviews on the station and you invite the morning show host
to introduce the show. All of which equals tremendous added value that you do not pay for. You are leveraging
your advertising budget and gaining great exposure to the people who will buy the tickets.” However, she does
not ignore other methods of getting her message out. “Internet is a great resource when you can speak directly
to the players in your database. If you know your players, you have the ability to send email blasts to those
casino guests who like country music. And it goes without saying that it’s critical to have timely and complete
information on your casino’s website. Newspapers usually have a weekly entertainment or calendar section that
you need to advertise in because if you do not, people seeking entertainment will only see ads for your
competitors’ shows. But newspapers do not offer much or anything along the lines of added value. The short
answer is that you have to have a well rounded and targeted marketing plan.” At Chukchansi, “Radio is the best
source of advertising for us,” reported Elaine McFarland. She continued, “We book a lot of popular acts who
have been out of the spotlight for a while and it's important for people to hear those older hits to put a name to
the music. Tony Orlando, who recently gave us a fabulous performance, was very forthcoming when he told the
audience that he hadn't had a hit record since the 70's. It was a great laugh but those old 70's hits haven't left
us and are just as fun to listen to today.
When it came to recommendations for the best time frame for booking a concert prior to an engagement the
range was from three to ten months, with six months the target for several venues. In this area, as in others,
factors unique to the entertainment field such as routing must be taken into account, as well as considerations
like planning and budgeting that any business must take. These lead times allow for a good selection of talent
as well as adequate planning time. However, as Elaine McFarland reminded us, one must always be flexible,
pointing to the untimely passing of Country Artist Chris Ledeoux this year who was booked to play at Chukchansi
Gold.
The interviewees were also unanimous in terms of the value they saw in “meet and greets.” Leanna Hoffman
described these as, “amenities for your VIP players. It’s important to have a meet and greet to offer your best
players because it makes the experience memorable and special to the people who are the cornerstone of your
gaming business. We are known for hosting well organized, small meet and greets of 10-15 people at the most.
Artists appreciate the efficiency and will give each person a minute or two to say hello and ask a question, which
you can’t do if you are cattle herding 30 people through a line. Have your own photographer, plenty of Sharpies
in hand, and a couple of support staff members to help run a meet and greet so that you can introduce each
person by name to the artist and you’ll know what each person wants out of the meet and greet, before they get
to the front of the line. Keep your eye on the objective. You are not in the concert business; you are in the
casino business, so take care of your good players when their favorite artist comes to your venue.” At Spirit
Mountain the feeling is much the same. Sharon Farrell called the meet and greets “extremely important.” It is a
special perk that our high rollers would not normally experience and is something they really look forward to.”
Elaine McFarland pointed out that the meet and greets “is a great way for our player development team to
provide a very special perk for our VIP guests.” As a result her casino tries to hold a meet and greet for every
show. With their emphasis on “comping” their very best players, Sycuan also regards the meet and greets as
very important according to Allan Krantz.
Finally, when the panel was asked to identify the most important factors for their casinos when booking acts,
answers focused on value. At Sycuan the goal is to draw the “right” players and to sell out quickly stated
Krantz. Leanna Hoffman shared her view that. “There are many aspects to take in to consideration when
booking a show. Is it a good value? Will the rider turn a good value in to an expensive proposition? Does the
total cost fit the scale of your venue? Will it reinforce your image as an entertainment destination in the eyes of
your casino guests and your market? When was the last time this artist has performed in your market and was it
successful? In what other venues is this artist currently performing? Most importantly, will your VIP players and
loyal casino guests want to see this show and consider it a great amenity to be personally invited?” Spirit
Mountain Casino’s Sharon Farrell said that her casino looks for “The viability of the artist to appeal to our
regular customer base as well as attract incremental traffic from new guests.” Elaine McFarland of Chukchansi
took a slightly broader view when she described her casino’s outlook. “Potential gaming revenue is of course an
aspect which we look at when considering booking artists but we also want to please the audience. Some
genres of music pull in more revenue than others in our market but we would not limit ourselves strictly based on
potential ROI. We want to provide quality entertainment to our guests that is unique to the area. Taking a
chance sometimes pays off such as with booking the Irish dance group "Magic of the Dance," and "Cirque des
Amis," a small troupe comprised of some of "Cirque de Soleil's" original members.” In the end, though, no one
disagreed with Fernando Campa’s one-word summary of his casino’s goal – “DROP!”
Billy Alan Productions thanks the contributors to this article. Their willingness to share their experiences is appreciated and will surely result in
a better booking process at many sites.
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are going to shine down on the Bronx — New York City
will host the 79th MLB All-Star Game! With its storied
history and iconic design, Yankee Stadium is the
perfect setting for the Midsummer Classic. Sit up close
to witness the All-Star action in "The House that Ruth
Built." Come experience the excitement as the game's
biggest names compete and add another chapter to
baseball's rich legacy. Be there live for the 2008 MLB
All-Star Game, plus all 2008 All-Star events including
the MLB Fanfest, All-Star Sunday and the Home Run
Derby!
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