If there is one thing that Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s
Entertainment keeps emphasizing it’s efficiency. Following the
company’s merger with Caesars on June 13, Harrah’s meetings
division is putting customers first.
“The easier we can make their lives, the more they’ll call us and
utilize our business,” said Michael Massari, vice president of
meeting sales and operations.
What Harrah’s Entertainment offers to planners and clients is a
one-stop shop. With one telephone call, they can access all parts
of the planning process, from sales to catering to convention and
banquet services, at any of the six properties. In Las Vegas,
Harrah’s Entertainment is comprised of Rio All-Suite Hotel &
Casino, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Bally’s Las Vegas,
Paris Las Vegas and the Flamingo. By bringing the leadership at all
six properties under one command, Harrah’s has formed a team of
sales and event professionals to work with 17,000 hotel rooms and 1
million square feet of functional space. By making one call, one
contract and receiving one master bill, planners and agents can
book grand-scale meeting events at multiple Vegas properties
interchangeably.
Only two months after the merger, Las Vegas Meetings has already
seen its new philosophy in action. Its Paris Casino Resort was the
headquarters for a recent conference hosting 750 associates. The
conference held its program at three different Harrah’s facilities.
“To be able to do that and do it incredibly well, 35 to 40 days
after the merger,” said Massari, “we’re pretty proud of that.”
To ensure the smooth running of Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s,
operational leaders were assigned to each of the six properties.
Their job is to help execute the meetings and generate growth at
their assigned hotels. But like any manager who has been confronted
with huge shifts in personnel, Massari had some initial doubts.
“Our biggest concern before the merger was that since we were all
different businesses and had different leaders, there had to be a
cultural shift that we had to make happen so that we were all
thinking the same thoughts and moving forward in the same direction
as a team.”
In spite of the difficulties, what is important to Massari is that
Harrah’s Entertainment is breaking the mold of casino conference
hosting and optimizing six prime Vegas properties in one market.
The key difference between their facilities and that of others in
the country is that they both sell and operate the business. So
what clients hear from the sales side is what they get from the
operational side.
“I definitely think it changes the dynamic ... and that will be
something meeting planners will really enjoy, Massari said. “Travel
agents who work with meeting planners will see the same benefits,
which are quick responses, multiple options, thinking about their
business as a whole, not just as individual pieces.”
888-669-3840
www.harrahs.com
