Casinos Score With Corporate Groups

As seen in M&IT Magazine

 

If you want to plan an event at a venue where you’ll be sure to score big, place all bets on a casino.

 

After holding five annual conferences at casinos, and well on their way to making it six, partners Geordie Watson and Ilija Parojcic, of Watson Parojcic Benefits and Pension Consulting Firm, say the action-packed environment of a casino helps transform an average conference into an experience.

The partners, with support from employee Cherie Boyak, have planned two conferences at Niagara Falls Casino, one at Casino Windsor and two at Casino Rama, including the most recent, which took place in June of this year.

 

“Our objective is to make those three days more than just a conference. We want our delegates to really enjoy themselves,” Watson says, adding that it appears to work, considering the post-event feedback often includes requests for more casino-based conferences, even from some of the non-gamblers in the group.

 

Recognizing that some people are not comfortable with gaming, the partners decided against making slots and cards a formal part of the agenda. Instead, they scheduled plenty of free time (½-hour breaks in the morning and afternoon, plus a 1 ½-hour lunch) for delegates to do as they pleased.

 

And at Casino Rama, there is a lot to do, says Annette Bennitz, Casino Rama’s director of hotel sales and catering. For a change of pace, she suggests The Balance in Life Spa, which offers treatments for men and women like deep pressure massage and facials. Or delegates can swim a few laps in the indoor pool and browse the hotel’s boutique stores including Reflect, a First Nations art gallery.

 

The First Nations theme is carried throughout the 9-storey hotel and meeting venue in its art and architecture, but nothing illustrates it better than the Rotunda’s Storyteller’s Lodge.

Here, you’ll watch an eight-minute multi-media presentation of the history of the Mnjikaning First Nations people, which includes spirit masks that come to life through three-dimensional special effects.

 

In the evening, the 5,000-seat Entertainment Centre, which boasts the latest in sound technology, attracts big-name performers like Jay Leno, Diana Ross and Ringo Starr.

At last year’s conference, Watson and Parojcic purchased tickets to the Randy Travis concert, which they said was a huge hit with the delegates.

 

But it’s Casino Rama’s superior level of service and meeting facilities that makes the partners really happy.

 

“There’s always a face around at Rama,” says Parojcic. “The staff give you their cards and always carry cell phones.”

 

As for the meeting facilities, which cover more than 19,000 sq. ft., including pre-function space, a grand ballroom and five breakout rooms, the partners have no complaints, even with the lack of windows (a security feature found at all casino venues).

 

“Not having windows worked well for us,” Parojcic says. “A few years ago we held a conference at the Marriot in Niagara Falls. There was a huge picture window overlooking the falls and that was a real distraction.

 

“It was a gorgeous setting,” he concedes. “But people were looking at the window instead of the material.”

 

Casino Rama, located in Orillia, ON, is a 1 ½ -hour drive north from Toronto.

 

Casino Windsor

Back in 1999, Patricia Papp, office manager for the Canadian Association of Moldmakers Inc., was looking for a local venue to hold their annual trade fair and conference. Papp had never planned an event at a casino before, but with 70 to 80 exhibitors plus an estimate of 2,000 attendees, she knew what she needed was a venue that could handle a large group and a hectic environment.

 

“Holding our event at Casino Windsor started off as just an idea. We weren’t committed to it,” Papp recalls. “But when we sat down with the staff and asked, ‘What can you do for us?’ it turned out that they could do a lot. They really opened the door to us and did everything they could to help.”

 

Since that day, Papp has continued to take her business to Casino Windsor. And she hasn’t looked back.

 

In the area, Casino Windsor offers more meeting space than any other hotel or convention centre, says Holly Ward, Casino Windsor corporate communications manager.

 

The entire facility, which includes a 4-diamond hotel, health club, five restaurants, 15,000 sq. ft. of combined meeting space, the 250-seat Showtime Lounge and the casino, spans a whopping six city blocks, she adds.

 

“Our catering office is now amalgamated with our sales office, so it’s one-stop-shopping,” Ward continues. “Groups will normally be dealing with only one or two contacts, which means we provide personalized service and we know what’s going on.”

 

The casino also has an in-house multi-media department with experienced staff who will assist with groups’ audio-visual needs.

 

Casino Windsor will pull out all the stops for themed events, which are often – but not always – worked around the casino itself. Ward says some groups set out bowls of tokens for their delegates, who have the option of throwing one into a slot to “see what happens.” For something a bit more formal, groups can partake in one of the free gaming lessons that are offered on the floor throughout the week.

 

The number one challenge - for all casinos - is the enforced age limit, Ward admits. Children under the age of 19 are not allowed on the casino premises. Therefore, groups that normally encourage their delegates to bring along family members should think twice before planning an event at a casino.

 

Special challenges related to casinos from the planner’s perspective are few. But Papp does have some words of advice about adjusting to the heightened security at casinos, which, she cautions, can feel a bit intimidating at first.

 

“Our exhibitors had to go through security, fill out forms and then get clearance at the loading docks,” she explains. “We weren’t used to that.”

 

Papp credits the casino staff for making the transition easier. They briefed her on what are acceptable and unacceptable items to bring on the premises. Papp in turn passed the details along to all the exhibitors and as a result, everything moved along smoothly.

 

Casino Windsor, located in Windsor, ON, is a 3 1/2 -hour drive west from Toronto.

 

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort

 

Having recently opened in June of this year, Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, located in Niagara Falls, is already making a big splash.

 

Fallsview has all the facilities you’d expect of a casino resort, but the goal seems to be to offer it up bigger and better.

 

Take for example the 50,000 sq. ft of meeting and exhibition space. The Grand Hall, at 28,320 sq. ft., can host up to 3,000 people or be sub-divided into five equal sections of 5,600 sq. ft.

 

The 819 sq. ft. boardroom holds up to 14 people and comes with state-of-the-art technology including plasma screen, DVD and VCR – all of which are built right into the boardroom table.

 

“The meeting space is very versatile,” says Ralph Sabourin, GM hotel operations.

At 200,000 sq. ft., with 150 gaming tables and 3,000 slots, this is one of the largest casinos in the world. The design of the casino emulates a village with its own network of streets that section off nine gaming pits, which are referred to as “neighbourhoods.”

 

Fallsview also offers an extensive restaurant and shopping network. According to Sabourin, guests will have “a choice of 10 restaurants and shopping in 30 to 40 on-site retail stores by September.” The Galleria encompasses three levels, 125,000 sq. ft and has great views of the Falls through full-length windows.

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, located in Niagara Falls, is a 2-hour drive west from Toronto.

 

::Sidebar::

 

Casino du Lac-Leamy

“We like to call ourselves an urban resort,” says Catherine Schellenberg, Casino du Lac-Leamy’s public relations and communications consultant. Only 10 minutes from downtown Ottawa, with stunning views of the parliament buildings, casino patrons have the capital city right at their fingertips.

 

At the same time, the casino complex is sandwiched between Lakes Leamy and Quarry, and it’s within a stone’s throw of Gatineau Park, where recreation trails abound.

 

In 2001, Casino du Lac-Leamy expanded their facilities to include Le Théâtre du Casino, the 349-room Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel and a brand new conference centre. “Since then, group functions have been going gang-busters,” says Schellenberg. “It speaks to the need of this kind of space here in the city.”

 

The conference facility, which is the largest in the area on the Quebec side, boasts a total of 33,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The versatile Ballroom measures 15,866 sq. ft. but can be subdivided into three separate rooms, ranging in size from approximately 4,000 sq. ft. to 8,000 sq. ft. - a helpful feature for planners.

 

Another example of Casino du Lac-Leamy providing planners with the right tools to get the job done includes what Schellenberg calls a “little gizmo.”

 

“It looks like a palm pilot and it controls everything from lighting, projectors, temperature and curtains,” she explains.

 

To blow off some steam, the casino offers groups private gaming lessons or they can walk onto the floor to join a free demonstration.

 

Casino du Lac-Leamy has a wide selection of restaurants, including Le Baccara, which is one of only seven restaurants in Canada with a 5-diamond rating by CAA.

 

The complex also has a year-round indoor/outdoor pool, on-site tennis courts, and a spa centre called Amerispa, which has15 treatment areas.

 

Casino du Lac-Leamy, (www.casino-du-lac-leamy.com) located in Hull, Que., is a 4-hour drive east from Toronto.