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Asian Entertainers Also Popular With Casino's Regular Customer Base
February 5, 2007
By CONNIE LEWIS • Courtesy of the San Diego Business Journal
While casinos have long counted on headliner acts to lure people to the tables — how do you think Frank and Dean stayed in the spotlight all those years? — Sycuan Resort & Casino employs a different strategy.
Regularly engaging big-name acts wouldn't pay off at the 2,000-slot tribal casino's existing 457-seat theater. Since it can't be expanded, a larger theater may be eventually built, but it's on the drawing board.
“If you have less than 1,000 seats in a theater, it's difficult to justify spending the type of money big-name groups and artists command, so we've elected to take a different approach,” said Allan Krantz, director of marketing.
Acts that could be booked for $50,000 a night four and a half years ago, when Krantz started at Sycuan, now get $75,000 to $80,000, and some of the more successful ones command as much as $150,000.
So instead of trying to rely on entertainment to bring in new business, Sycuan changed its strategy to appeal to its crowd of regulars.
By engaging an average of three acts a month, the theater holds between 60 and 70 performances annually, since some groups perform for one day and others for a few days.
Depending on the frequency and level of play, some Sycuan regulars are given complimentary tickets, while others are offered discounts. Ticket prices range from $30 to $40.
Catering To A Diverse Crowd
Most of the Dehesa casino's gamblers reside south of state Route 52. The diverse crowd includes a high number of Filipino and Asian natives, as well as Hispanics, Krantz said.
“We break our entertainment into three categories. Ethnic is one,” he said. “We book a lot of Vietnamese, Filipino and Hispanic entertainment.”
The acts are popular, he said, citing the example of Jasmine Trias, a Hawaiian performer who was a finalist on the hit TV show “American Idol.”
“She sold out two shows in December,” he added.
Well-known acts are still among the mix, however. Dionne Warwick's recent performance was sold out, as was that of Air Supply, a soft-rock group popular during the 1980s.
“A lot of our entertainment appeals to a crowd between the ages of 40 to 65,” he said.
A Competitive Market
Upcoming performances include: Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Spinners and the Smothers Brothers, Debbie Reynolds, Petula Clark, Tony Orlando, comedian Paul Rodriguez and country singer Tracy Byrd.
The third category of entertainment Sycuan focuses on is “production shows,” Krantz said.
The Rat Pack Tribute, a group of impersonators, and one of San Diego's best-known and longest-playing musicals, “Forever Plaid,” are among the upcoming production shows.
The Peking Acrobats are scheduled for June, followed by the Country Legends, another group of impersonators, in August.
“San Diego is a very competitive entertainment market now,” he added. “Between the concert venues and casinos, it's one of the biggest and most active markets for a city its size in the country.
“Obviously, New York and Los Angeles are bigger, but relative to its size, San Diego is extremely competitive.”
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CONTACTS: |
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Adam Day
Sycuan
619-994-4855 |
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