Comedy Club in Casino’s A Win Win Situation
With the incredible growth in the casino industry in the last few years it is plain to see that the public loves the excitement and entertainment they offer. While the gambling will always be the number one draw many people are attracted by the entertainment these venues offer.
The popularity of the comedy clubs in Las Vegas and Atlantic city casinos is causing many other casinos to offer this fun entertainment option. Comedy and casinos are a great complement to each other. The comedy club can draw new customers to your casino and give a little break for your regular patrons.
So how do you go about putting a comedy club in your casino?
It is not difficult to prepare a banquet room or lounge for a comedy show but some things are required for a successful event. The room should hold 100 to 300 people with good seating and tables. You want the audience to be seated as close to each other as possible, laughter is contagious. A stage or riser is necessary to give the audience a good line of sight. Stage lighting is also required to get the full effect of the show and to help give the room a show biz feel. The number one thing required for a good comedy show is a good sound system. The greatest act in the world will fail if the audience can’t hear them.
The next thing you will need is to draw a crowd. Many comics claim to have a large fallowing but most do not. The venue will have to draw a crowd because the acts will change each week. You must become known as the place for a great comedy show.
Provide a quality funny show with good acts and provide great service to improve your revenue. Watch the little details and the word of mouth will spread like wild fire and your room will do very well.
Your ongoing relationship with a radio station can be a great way to get the word out. Most stations love to be a part of such an event and the DJ will often MC the event giving them exposure at a great venue. You should also use in house posters, direct mail and e-mail. News paper adds are an option and you will definitely want to send out a press release. Some of the booking agents or acts have publicists to do this for you. Many clubs will offer a discount admission to their VIP players which adds value to the VIP membership.
With all that taken care of you need a good show that will make the audience want to come back for more. There are a number of booking agents including “Killer Comedy Online” that have extensive rosters of comics and specialty acts. Who ever you work with make sure they have experience with casino events. While stand up acts will do fine it is always good to have visual and verity acts to offer something different.
In most cases you will be responsible for paying the agent and they in turn will pay the talent. You will also need to provide hotel rooms for the talent. It is good to use a booking agency that can put your room in as part of a tour to provide a multi night run for the acts. This will make it more profitable for the comics and will give you a better quality talent for the show.
Most comedy club shows will last about 90 minutes but in a casino it should be 45 minuets to an hour. You want to offer the customer a break but you also want them back on the casino floor.
Loud talking is very distracting and can ruin the show. The comics will usually take care of any heckling but if someone won’t be quiet they should be asked to leave. Your patron paid to see a professional show not someone in the audience that want s attention.
This kind of event has proven successful for decades and the market is wide open. It is necessary to do it right and get good talent and guidance. If you offer a good fun show and watch the small details your comedy night can provide substantial revenue for you, and offer your customer a welcome relief from the stress of every day life.