Marketing / 06.03.20

Intimacy and Innovation: Vegas Entertainment's Legendary Past Points the Way to an Exciting Future

Access Staff

Las Vegas Weekly (05/14/20) Radke, Brock

The coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity for Las Vegas' entertainment industry to renew itself and forge new paths based on past success. That success is rooted in the city's combination of fun, freedom, and guests' sense that they are in good hands. In May, the Nevada Gaming Commission passed safety policies mandated by the Gaming Control Board, which casino resorts must comply with when they reopen on June 4. MGM Resorts' Seven-Point Safety Plan includes physical distancing measures like no-touch ticketing, modified queuing, and new food and beverage protocols with touchless points of sale and grab-and-go ordering and pickup. Employers will require staff to wear protective gear, and venues will both "strongly encourage" guests to wear them and also provide them on request. Adapting to the current circumstances could ramp up a trend already unfolding, wherein smaller venues like restaurants, bars, and clubs are hosting a mix of live entertainment that calls back to Vegas' original winning combination of music, comedy, and intimacy. "This will turn the clock back to the early 1980s, and it's going to be the mom-and-pop shows, as I call them, which don't need to make a million dollars a night to break even," predicts performer Frank Marino.

Read the full story from Las Vegas Weekly. 

Tags: Music , News , Venues , COVID-19 , Coronavirus