“What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas!”
That’s the slogan that the city of Las Vegas, Nevada embraced as a brand message. It seems that they had very little success with the marketing idea that preceded it, so they wanted to return to their earlier success and they decided to “dance with what brung ya” (stick with the concept that brought you to success).
Las Vegas has, since its inception, been a naughty town. With the Mob involvement, and gambling, drinking, and partying as their main tourist attractions, they were destined to be the “bad boy” of travel and tourism.
But many of the city leaders became uncomfortable with that image and they wanted to soften their appeal by becoming a family-friendly resort. I guess they were getting jealous of Anaheim, San Diego, and Orlando in that respect. They changed their marketing to emphasize their softer side; it’s just a resort town, nothing to worry about, so have fun and bring the kids.
The problem is, it didn’t work.
Whether it was the result of overall economic cycles or just poor marketing concepts, it didn’t matter. The gamblers and spenders weren’t coming to Vegas in large enough numbers. So they offered a new appeal: “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.”
In other words, come here for fun and don’t worry about folks back home finding out what you did here, as long as it’s mostly legal… wink, wink. And the whales came back to the sea. Vegas thrived again. Casinos grew, fabulous 40 shows increased, and the crowds returned to the betting windows.
Okay, I’ve just spent half a dozen paragraphs telling you what I don’t want you to do. Please don’t let what happened in Vegas at Expo stay in Vegas. We need to bring the learning home to our own businesses.
Let’s embrace a different mantra:
What Begins at Expo Grows from Expo!
On returning to your shop, everyone’s eager to hear your stories. They want to know what shows you saw, whether you won at the tables, and where you went.
But that’s just the surface appeal. What they also want to know – but may not realize it yet – is: What did you learn or discover in Vegas? What new products did you see? What systems or processes did you encounter? What stories did you hear from other operators that we can use here? Who did you meet? How can our existing business be better by adopting what you learned at Expo?
After Expo each year, GEARS does a recap of the show’s highlights: innovative products, systems, and solutions that advance our trade, powerful ideas shared by the keynote speakers and workshop leaders, and photos of the social events and show floor. We share the best-of-the-best thinking about how to succeed in this business and in today’s marketplace.
It’s our sincere wish that you use GEARS as a discussion tool with your team.
Read each issue and highlight the ideas that stick with you. Then show those highlights to your team. Ask for their observations, and get them thinking and talking about them. Do this in an actual meeting: Sit down and devote an hour to making your business better once each month. Get everyone’s input.
And tell them stories, too. Put some fun in the meeting: Tell them about the amazing resorts, Fremont Street, the Mob Museum, the shows, and the gaming.
But show them the value of being on the Expo floor, speaking with industry leaders and innovators. Let them feel some of the energy you felt on the show floor. Quote the speakers you heard and post the best ideas on the wall for a few weeks for all to see. Make everyone want to go to next year’s Expo, even if they have to pay their own way!
And don’t let what happens at Expo stay in Vegas.
Jim Cathcart is a member of the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame, a strategic advisor to ATRA, and regular contributor to GEARS Magazine. To see some of Jim’s 110 short video lessons for free, go to Thrive15.com and enter the code ”Acorn”. Contact Jim directly at info@Cathcart.com.
