Potawatomi Bingo Casino Sets the Stage with State

CASE STUDY
Potawatomi Bingo Casino Sets the Stage with
State-of-the-Art Theater
by Bob Rech
L
as Vegas casinos set the standard for
including live entertainment in their
business models. Live shows, coupled with
gaming and dining, have proven to be the
perfect mix for drawing guests to the elaborate desert properties. Native American
casinos across the country have followed
Las Vegas' lead in offering these shows to
their guests.
When Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, undertook a $120 million expansion in 2000, the stakeholders
announced that the renovated complex
would include a two-tiered, 500-seat theater.
For the operators of the property, this meant
a foray into an entirely new industry.
Potawatomi Bingo Casino would need to
learn everything from booking and pricing
acts to the marketing and actual production
of the shows.
The dream of bringing a true Las Vegas
casino entertainment experience to
Milwaukee has been realized in the
Potawatomi Bingo Casino's popular Northern Lights Theater. The road to achieving the success of this theater wasn't
easy. The trick was finding the right balance between the types
of shows and the number of shows the guest population
would sustain.
Native American casinos have an extremely diverse clientele and many different types of acts are available on any given
date. A major Potawatomi marketing strategy utilizes live
shows as a means of introducing new audiences to the casino
experience. With that in mind, many acts are scheduled that
will appeal to people who might otherwise be unfamiliar
with the casino.
In the past five years, the Northern Lights Theater has
hosted a diverse array of performers, including rock acts like
the Doobie Brothers, country acts like Big and Rich and jazz
performers like Al Jarreau. Iconic veteran Don Rickles and
up-and-comer Frank Caliendo have put on hugely successful comedy shows and early response to September's “The
Amazing Jonathan” show has been great. The theater was fortunate to host some huge national names, like Larry the
Cable Guy, before they “hit it big.”
Of course, first-rate entertainers don't mean a thing if the
audience experience isn't first-rate. Another key to Potawatomi
Bingo Casino's entertainment success rests in a commitment
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October 2005
made in the original design phase. The Northern Lights
Theater was digitally designed to make sure everyone “has the
best seat in the house.” Guests are able to see the show perfectly from both the theater style seats in the balcony and the
booth and table seats on the lower level. At the Northern
Lights Theater, guests truly feel like they can shake the
artist's hand from any seat in the room.
The sound system is second to none, with sound quality
remaining consistent throughout the theater. Using threedimensional digital images of the room, Clearwing Productions, Inc., of Milwaukee and Phoenix, helped design a sound
system offering very precise, laser guided sound control and
extremely high fidelity. The Northern Lights Theater boasts
a DV-Dosc Compact System from French speaker manufacturer L-Acoustics. The theater is one of only two venues in
Wisconsin and the only casino in the state with a sound
system of this quality. A state-of-the-art theater has significantly helped Potawatomi Bingo Casino attract high caliber
acts to the Northern Lights Theater.
Although the Las Vegas model of including live shows has
been a huge success, it was necessary for the Potawatomi to
make adjustments for their Milwaukee market. Unlike Las
Vegas, Milwaukee, as a city, is not a destination for casino
entertainment. That creates differences in the market demand.
Early on, the casino faced the realization that Milwaukee
audiences would not support five nights of national entertainment every week. It would, however, support ticketed shows
in the Northern Lights Theater two to three nights a week.
There are exceptions. Certain acts lend themselves to multiple shows, with performers appearing on consecutive nights.
Rick Springfield, for instance, is booked for five nights in a
row every year. The shows all sell out and his fans come from
across the country to see him on multiple nights.
Potawatomi Bingo Casino has also taken measures to
introduce the Northern Lights Theater venue to potential
patrons. Special events, free music on Fridays and free
Bonkerz Comedy Showcases on Saturdays, spotlight the theater and encourage guests to attend ticketed shows. Free
music Fridays feature larger local and smaller national acts,
giving the performers a unique opportunity to showcase
their talents in a room of this quality. All shows are marketed
through advertising, public relations, and promotions in
conjunction with the casino's various media partners.
Conversely, the casino's promotions department continually strives to be creative in establishing ways to use the
theater to introduce customers to other aspects of the casino.
By offering “dinner and a show” discount packages and
providing bonus play certificates to concertgoers, the investment in the theater has become an important driver for other
areas of the business.
Las Vegas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? The Potawatomi
Bingo Casino, with its Northern Lights Theater, has shown
that audiences everywhere can truly appreciate a total entertainment experience with gaming, dining and live entertainment. The challenge of balancing a variety of acts at a
frequency that coincides with the market demand is well
worth the effort. A state-of-the-art theater helps attract top
name national acts, and, more importantly, an audience that
may not otherwise visit the casino. Cross marketing brings
those customers into the dining and gaming areas, proving
that live shows can prove to be an extremely worthwhile
investment for a casino entertainment property. ♣
Bob Rech is Entertainment Manager at Potawatomi Bingo
Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He can be reached by calling
(414) 847-7377 or email brech@paysbig.com
October 2005
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