CAESARS EXPANDS ITS BRANDS

What happens when Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and Nobu Hospitality (the global lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper) decide to expand their longstanding partnership? You get two new Nobu Hotels and restaurants at Harrah’s New Orleans and Caesars Atlantic City, a Nobu restaurant at Paris Las Vegas, and a refresh of the first Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, opened originally in 2013.  Nobu Hotels and restaurants blend modern, cool luxury and minimal Japanese tradition into a lifestyle with products, services, and unparalleled personalized touches. Each location provides a local experience coupled with Nobu’s signature style. Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace was the first Nobu Hotel with 182 guest rooms and suites, including the extravagant rooftop Nobu Villa and one of the world’s largest Nobu restaurants. The multimillion-dollar refresh of the guest rooms and public areas will be completed by the end of 2021. Early in 2022, Paris Las Vegas will open a Nobu restaurant and lounge. Nobu Hotel Atlantic City is projected to open in the summer of 2022 within Caesars Atlantic City. Nobu Hotel Atlantic City, including a Nobu restaurant, is part of Caesars’ $400 million investment into the destination by 2023. This investment includes high-end remodeled room towers and suites; freshly appointed interior design elements; enhancements to the casinos’ gaming floors; and more additions within the next three years. In 2024, Nobu Hotel New Orleans and restaurant are set to open within the newly created Caesars New Orleans, following a multimillion-dollar transformation of Harrah’s New Orleans.

www.CaesarsMeansBusiness.com; www.CAESARSFORUM.com; www.caesars.com/corporate.

Caesars Entertainment breaks ground late 2021 for Caesars Virginia, its $500 million, 500-room resort in Danville, VA. ““Caesars Virginia will be an economic driver for the region, both as a tourist and entertainment draw and through the more than a thousand good-paying jobs the resort will create,” said Anthony Carano, President and Chief Operating Officer of Caesars Entertainment. Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones, who served as a co-chair on the “Caesars for Danville” campaign committee, added that he is “Confident that Caesars Virginia will honor the old Dan River Mills’ Schoolfield site and become a pillar of pride for Danville and its people.” Plans include more than 1,400 cutting-edge slot machines and table games, Casesars Sportsbook, WSOP Poker Room, and 40,000 sf of meeting and convention space with an entertainment venue that can host up to 2,500. Architect for Caesars Virginia is Marnell Companies. The anticipated opening is late 2023.

www.caesars.com/destinations or www.facebook.com/CaesarsVirginia.

LUMINARY HOTEL GIVES A SHOT TO ITS CSR

I didn’t get to recognize the gift Luminary Hotel & Co. gave their Fort Myers, FL community before it happened, but I think the idea so terrific, I want to share in case other properties wish to replicate the occasion. The hotel hosted a free COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Sept. 24 in the neighboring Caloosa Sound Convention Center. The public was able to schedule a timeslot by visiting Sugeni.us/WrqF. All members of the public who got vaccinated were entered into a random drawing for an overnight stay at Luminary Hotel & Co.

TECHNOLOGY

Restaurants, stores, and live events aren’t the only places using QR codes these days. I know you can easily use them on both Androids and IPhones (though I still prefer looking at a written menu instead of browsing through my phone), but I honestly didn’t realize how many other ways QR codes are being utilized until I read the article by PixiWeb (https://www.pixiwebapp.com/blog/qr-codes-and-everything-you-need-to-know-about-them?mc_cid=33065763b7&mc_eid=34de729af9). The lengthy article describes how to acquire a QR code (for free), as well as the background and evolution of them as a solution for “touchless” in the post-COVID hospitality, meetings & events industries. Multiple ways to use them at in-person events (such as: placecards at tables, on drink coasters at the bar, event tickets or name badges, and alongside sponsorhip logos) are cited before describing how QR codes have now been integrated into the PixiWeb Virtual Photo Booth. Pixilated Co-Founder and CVO Patrick Rife said the Baltimore, MD based company’s PixiWeb software platform is designed to be easy to use for live, virtual and hybrid events, a solid reason to “build an integration with bit.ly (shortened links that provide click-tracking data) as well as a QR code generator directly into the PixiWeb platform.” When using the PixiWeb for a virtual booth or live event gallery, “All you have to do is click a button that says “Create QR” and a unique QR code tied to your campaign URL is instantly generated, displayed and available for download.” In the future, the company wants to “provide PixiWeb users with click and scan data so they can better assess the effectiveness and impact of their events & campaigns.” Also, attention members of Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Pixilated is offering a 15% discount on photo booth rentals and virtual photo booth services. Use MPIMember15 when booking.

www.pixilated.com

Eventeny has a new 30-day guarantee for all new paid account sign ups. It’s part of their promo to introduce September updates. They’ve added a ruler for scaling, keyboard shortcuts, booth rotation on map, and booth reordering to their map. Buyers can now update vendor payment information as an admin, include check box survey question types, export ticket activity reports, and add tags on tickets. Two new pages include one for community feedback and another that compares the Eventeny platform with others.

www.eventeny.com

Saving paper and enacting COVID-motivated touchless procedures has increased Resmark Systems’ WaiverSign business by 32 percent compared to the same time period in 2020. The Salt Lake City, UT-based Resmark Systems offers comprehensive tour operator software designed to manage all functions of a tour operator’s business from online reservations and marketing to finances and accounting. WaiverSign is a digital liability waiver and electronic liability release solutions, using an Application Programming Interface to allow other reservation and customer relationship databases to connect data directly to and from WaiverSign. Sports facilities with multiple venues across the country, such as WhirlyBall and Big Shots have found digital documents are easier to store and access than sometimes illegible, hard-to-file paper waivers.  Businesses want clients to commit by signature their understanding of the risks involved in pursuing a particular activity and to acknowledge the liability they individually assume when entering a venue.

https://www.waiversign.com/; (877) 741-7705; http://www.resmarksystems.com/; (888) RESMARK (737.6275).

$15,000 SCHOLARSHIP FOR ENTREPRENEURIALLY MOTIVATED STUDENTS IN WASHINGTON D.C & BALTIMORE METRO AREAS

Nov. 30 is the deadline to apply for the Innovators of Progress one-year pre-accelerator program designed to support entrepreneurially motivated students. Applicants must be at least 18, enrolled full-time at a U.S. accredited college, university or trade school in the Washington D.C or Baltimore, MD metro areas, as well as attend any of Maryland University System Institution, and be a full-time resident within the Washington DC or Baltimore metro areas. The one-year program provides up to $15,000 comprising of seed capital, tuition assistance, and internships. InnovatorsofProgress.org began the program to identify motivated students seeking to acquire an entrepreneurial mindset and provide them with financial aid and seed capital for their progressive ideas in science, technology, engineering, math, healthcare, finance, infrastructure/civil, education, literacy, and business (“applicable industries”). This program is designed to support students that plan to pursue a full-time career in innovation upon graduation. funding provided is non-dilutive. The application (due by Nov. 30) takes 30 minutes or less to complete. For full eligibility requirements: https://innovatorsofprogress.org/about/

FUN EXPERIENCES BEYOND THE USUAL

Looking for a twist on vacation experiences? Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort (Los Cabos, Mexico) has a new menu of experiences to add the zest, whether for a couple, family, or group. Take for example, the Hook & Crook. Pacifica’s chefs allow guests to surf-cast and then turn their catch into fresh fare like mesa de ceviche, the resort’s signature dish. For creative foodies, Hook & Cook’s ceviche bar features exotic, homemade add-ons such as smoked salsas, beet’s ink, infused oils, and emulsions. Even the chef-led cooking classes add a dose of local flavor. Guests select and prepare fresh veggies and herbs from the resort’s garden and local farmer markets before preparing a regional Baja cuisine, such as roasted chilies stuffed with smoked marlin and the classic Tiradito Gabina, seared fish cut into thin slices and served on a toasted flour tortilla with fresh garnishes. I think the Sunset Tepee Experience sounds very romantic if ordered for two. It’s a two-hour, four-course chef-prepared meal and craft cocktails served at sunset inside of a private tepee just as ancestral conch shells resound across the beach. The package includes curated DJ music and a photographer. Of course, there are other fun programs, from assisting to carry tiny turtle hatchlings and release them into the surf, or perhaps to taste and mix artisanal cocktails from varieties of tequila and mezcal.

https://www.pueblobonito.com/resorts/pacifica/pueblo-experiences; (800) -990-8250.

FESTIVALS

Oct. 1 – 2: The Canyonlands PRCA (Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association) is part of the All-American Pro Rodeo Series. Create your own rodeo warm-up on Moab Adventure Center’s Horseback Adventures. A professional wrangler leads the way on trails made famous by John Wayne himself.  Cowboy-trained quarter horse rides are three hours in the mornings and 90 minutes in the afternoons. https://www.moabadventurecenter.com/moab-horseback-riding

October mountain bike events in Moab, UT: Oct. 1-3 is Outerbike, a mountain bike expo. Oct. 16-18, Moab Rocks, a mountain bike race. Oct. 28-31,  Moab Ho-Down, a mountain bike festival. Join in the fun with Mountain Bike guided tours.

https://www.moabadventurecenter.com/moab-mountain-biking

Nov. 5 – 7: World Food Championships in Dallas, TX, indoors at Fair Park Centennial Hall. 1500 competitors. 20+ tasting experiences. Includes 2nd Annual Fire Woman Challenge, where lady pitmasters go head-to-head in a 90-minute, no-electricity, no-menu-limit barbecue battle. Their challenge will be to craft their best barbecue dish infusing the Official Sauce of the Firewoman Challenge: Sienna Sauce, a Texas-based barbecue sauce. Day and weekend passes, beginning at $15. The World Food Championships (WFC) is the highest stakes food competition in the world. This multi-day, live event culinary competition showcases some of the world’s best cooks who compete for food, fame and fortune in 10 categories (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Recipe, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup and Steak). Official Higher Education Partner is Dallas College, a seven-campus college serving more than 70,000 students annually in academic, continuing education and adult education programs. Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality Programs to the Dallas College School of Business, Hospitality and Global Trade, WFC will be integrating hundreds of student volunteers to help further their education.

www.WorldFoodChampionships.com

Karen Kuzsel is a writer-editor based in the Orlando area who specializes in the hospitality, entertainment, meetings & events industries.  She is an active member of International Live Events Association, Meeting Professionals International and the Society of Professional Journalists. She is now serving on the 20121-2022 MPI Independent and Small Business Owners Advisory Board. Karen writes about food & wine, spas, destinations, venues, meetings & events. A career journalist, she has owned magazines, written for newspapers, trade publications, radio and TV. As her alter-ego, Natasha, The Psychic Lady, she is a featured entertainer for corporate and social events. Karen@KarenKuzsel.com; www.karenkuzsel.com; www.ThePsychicLady.com; @karenkuzsel; @thepsychiclady.