Rubeschips
Gold Gambler
Today we say goodbye to the Tropicana but also say goodbye to the one and only casino to really embrace the idea of preserving Las Vegas Casino history. Thanks again to Steve Cutler for allowing us to share his story and pictures about the birth and conclusion of the Casino Legends Hall of Fame. In case you missed it this story was run as a 10-part story on Facebook with the last part being posted today. Thanks again Steve.
THE CASINO LEGENDS HALL of FAME
Part 1 (The Pitch)
The Tropicana in Las Vegas had been a client of mine for the past year, and I had a great relationship with them. I had pitched my idea regarding the relocation of the Nevada Gold Museum to the Tropicana and there was no interest. I then dug into my old playbook and found a suitable area that was currently losing money and suggested it would be better served with an attraction that would bring patrons into their building that weren’t already staying there. Apparently, that got their attention, and they contacted me the following week and asked for a meeting. This was the first time I met with the President of the Tropicana, Jonathon Swain. Up until this point all my dealings have been with Todd Moyer, V.P. of marketing. They told me they had an idea and they hoped I would be amicable to it. Of course, I was anxious to hear their thoughts as my attraction would soon be homeless. They did not like the name of the attraction and asked if I would consider a new concept. There was no problem there, as I didn’t like it either.
Part 2 (The Casino Legends Hall of Fame is born)
They laid out a well thought out plan and said we would re-brand the attraction as “THE CASINO LEGENDS HALL of FAME. Their idea was to create Las Vegas’s version of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or The Baseball Hall of Fame. It would be a ticketed attraction 365 days a year and we would hold periodic induction ceremonies that would honor Las Vegas legends in various categories. These events would be invited guests only and would include the Who’s Who of Las Vegas including local politicians, legendary entertainers, and the casino’s best customers. The ceremonies were held in the Tiffany Theatre, home to The Follies Bergere. Attendance for these events was standing room only and numbered around 1100. Needless to say, I was excited as this was an opportunity to create an institution, something that would be around long after I was gone. I told them that this was a brilliant idea and by getting celebrities involved we would get an incredible amount of free advertising because of the positive press and all other forms of media. There was one problem here, I had assembled a world class collection of Nevada gaming artifacts, but it didn’t include the entertainment related items I believed were needed to tell the story. After sharing this thought with them they assured me the artifacts I currently possessed would work.
Part 3 (The Deal is Signed)
The focus would be on Las Vegas and my thought was to always have ten to fifteen thousand artifacts displayed at any one time. I knew there was no way anyone could possibly absorb everything and that would ensure return visits. Remember my job was to bring bodies into the building. I was still very concerned about my lack of entertainment content. Nevertheless, we entered into contractual negotiations at this time. By this time, I had done many contracts and waived having an attorney to represent me. When we reached an agreement, their attorney would draw up the document. That move saved me $10,000 dollars and a lot of aggravation. I was told going into this venture that this would be a year-to-year deal as they planned on imploding The Tropicana and rebuilding a mega resort in the future. This would be a partnership, different from any deals I have done thus far. They would own all the intellectual property, provide security, public relations, marketing, housekeeping, ticket sales and virtually all maintenance.
Part 4 (VIP treatment)
My obligation was to make my entire collection available to them, work with their marketing and public relations departments closely, change displays at my discretion (at least quarterly), head up the selection committee for future inductees, work closely with the production of all induction ceremonies and any other special events related to The Casino Legends Hall of Fame. In addition, my agreement was exclusive and precluded me from offering my services to any other gaming companies. I was also required to make myself available to all forms of media and act as a spokesman for The Casino Legends Hall of Fame. I was not an employee of The Tropicana; I was an independent contractor who entered a business relationship with a large gaming company. I knew I would be entertaining inductees and media at some point, so I requested the ability to sign for whatever I needed. They gave me a comp number and at this time, I probably became the first non-employee to ever be extended this privilege. They even provided me with Tropicana business cards and stationery. My monetary compensation was very generous as the one-year deal turned into seven. My first multi-million-dollar deal and it wasn’t dependent on having chips made. After mutually agreeing to all these terms their attorney drew up the paperwork and we all signed.
Part 5 (Space for Legends)
The space that was provided was around 7500 Sq. Ft. About 1000 Sq. Ft. would be devoted to a food outlet called “The Legends Deli”. I covered the walls with framed pictures of legendary Vegas entertainers and displayed vintage Vegas restaurant menus. All the food had celebrity names attached such as “The Liberace Reuben” or “The Rat Pack Club”. This restaurant became the most profitable in the building per Sq. Ft., it was always packed. This restaurant belonged to the Tropicana, they owned and operated it, I only assisted with the theming. Attached was The Casino Legends Hall of Fame gift shop, it was also about 1000 Sq. Ft. This was my store as it was part of my compensation package. I operated it for a brief period but found it to consume too much time and I had nothing to spare. It was open seven days a week and ten hours a day. Fortunately, I put a clause in our contract that allowed me to sublet it and become a landlord. The store did amazing, it sold authentic memorabilia as well as manufactured souvenirs, it received “Best of Las Vegas Awards”. You entered The Casino Legends Hall of Fame through the gift shop and that is where you purchased your admission ticket. The space was about 5500 Sq. Ft. I purchased all of the custom-made display units and the Tropicana was responsible for the construction of pony walls, flooring, lighting, painting and the production of all interactive video displays throughout the attraction.
THE CASINO LEGENDS HALL of FAME
Part 1 (The Pitch)
The Tropicana in Las Vegas had been a client of mine for the past year, and I had a great relationship with them. I had pitched my idea regarding the relocation of the Nevada Gold Museum to the Tropicana and there was no interest. I then dug into my old playbook and found a suitable area that was currently losing money and suggested it would be better served with an attraction that would bring patrons into their building that weren’t already staying there. Apparently, that got their attention, and they contacted me the following week and asked for a meeting. This was the first time I met with the President of the Tropicana, Jonathon Swain. Up until this point all my dealings have been with Todd Moyer, V.P. of marketing. They told me they had an idea and they hoped I would be amicable to it. Of course, I was anxious to hear their thoughts as my attraction would soon be homeless. They did not like the name of the attraction and asked if I would consider a new concept. There was no problem there, as I didn’t like it either.
Part 2 (The Casino Legends Hall of Fame is born)
They laid out a well thought out plan and said we would re-brand the attraction as “THE CASINO LEGENDS HALL of FAME. Their idea was to create Las Vegas’s version of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or The Baseball Hall of Fame. It would be a ticketed attraction 365 days a year and we would hold periodic induction ceremonies that would honor Las Vegas legends in various categories. These events would be invited guests only and would include the Who’s Who of Las Vegas including local politicians, legendary entertainers, and the casino’s best customers. The ceremonies were held in the Tiffany Theatre, home to The Follies Bergere. Attendance for these events was standing room only and numbered around 1100. Needless to say, I was excited as this was an opportunity to create an institution, something that would be around long after I was gone. I told them that this was a brilliant idea and by getting celebrities involved we would get an incredible amount of free advertising because of the positive press and all other forms of media. There was one problem here, I had assembled a world class collection of Nevada gaming artifacts, but it didn’t include the entertainment related items I believed were needed to tell the story. After sharing this thought with them they assured me the artifacts I currently possessed would work.
Part 3 (The Deal is Signed)
The focus would be on Las Vegas and my thought was to always have ten to fifteen thousand artifacts displayed at any one time. I knew there was no way anyone could possibly absorb everything and that would ensure return visits. Remember my job was to bring bodies into the building. I was still very concerned about my lack of entertainment content. Nevertheless, we entered into contractual negotiations at this time. By this time, I had done many contracts and waived having an attorney to represent me. When we reached an agreement, their attorney would draw up the document. That move saved me $10,000 dollars and a lot of aggravation. I was told going into this venture that this would be a year-to-year deal as they planned on imploding The Tropicana and rebuilding a mega resort in the future. This would be a partnership, different from any deals I have done thus far. They would own all the intellectual property, provide security, public relations, marketing, housekeeping, ticket sales and virtually all maintenance.
Part 4 (VIP treatment)
My obligation was to make my entire collection available to them, work with their marketing and public relations departments closely, change displays at my discretion (at least quarterly), head up the selection committee for future inductees, work closely with the production of all induction ceremonies and any other special events related to The Casino Legends Hall of Fame. In addition, my agreement was exclusive and precluded me from offering my services to any other gaming companies. I was also required to make myself available to all forms of media and act as a spokesman for The Casino Legends Hall of Fame. I was not an employee of The Tropicana; I was an independent contractor who entered a business relationship with a large gaming company. I knew I would be entertaining inductees and media at some point, so I requested the ability to sign for whatever I needed. They gave me a comp number and at this time, I probably became the first non-employee to ever be extended this privilege. They even provided me with Tropicana business cards and stationery. My monetary compensation was very generous as the one-year deal turned into seven. My first multi-million-dollar deal and it wasn’t dependent on having chips made. After mutually agreeing to all these terms their attorney drew up the paperwork and we all signed.
Part 5 (Space for Legends)
The space that was provided was around 7500 Sq. Ft. About 1000 Sq. Ft. would be devoted to a food outlet called “The Legends Deli”. I covered the walls with framed pictures of legendary Vegas entertainers and displayed vintage Vegas restaurant menus. All the food had celebrity names attached such as “The Liberace Reuben” or “The Rat Pack Club”. This restaurant became the most profitable in the building per Sq. Ft., it was always packed. This restaurant belonged to the Tropicana, they owned and operated it, I only assisted with the theming. Attached was The Casino Legends Hall of Fame gift shop, it was also about 1000 Sq. Ft. This was my store as it was part of my compensation package. I operated it for a brief period but found it to consume too much time and I had nothing to spare. It was open seven days a week and ten hours a day. Fortunately, I put a clause in our contract that allowed me to sublet it and become a landlord. The store did amazing, it sold authentic memorabilia as well as manufactured souvenirs, it received “Best of Las Vegas Awards”. You entered The Casino Legends Hall of Fame through the gift shop and that is where you purchased your admission ticket. The space was about 5500 Sq. Ft. I purchased all of the custom-made display units and the Tropicana was responsible for the construction of pony walls, flooring, lighting, painting and the production of all interactive video displays throughout the attraction.
