| EVENT REPORT 07.21.08 9:43 AM |
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| Rakin' in the Chips |
| Horseshoe Casino brought a taste of Vegas to downtown Chicago with a highly branded party that previewed a major renovation. |
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Instead of inviting Chicago’s downtown tastemakers and media types to make the 18-mile trek to Hammond, Indiana, to experience the unveiling of Horseshoe Casino’s recent $500 million renovation, the casino’s “Horseshoe Penthouse” party on Thursday night brought a slice of the action to its target audience on their own turf. For the event, Angela Wise, brand management director of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., parent company of Horseshoe Casino, worked with Horseshoe's vice president of marketing Joe Branchik and vice president and assistant general manager Kevin Kline as well as outside production firm XA, the Experiential Agency, to lease two floors of unoccupied retail space at Chicago Place, a Magnificent Mile shopping complex anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue.
“[Chicago Place] is an unbelievable location right on Michigan Avenue that most people have never been in, so it offered an element of the unexpected,” says Donna Pecci, producer and director of talent buying and entertainment management for XA. “Using an empty space also gave us the freedom to create and design an environment that was right in line with the Horseshoe brand.”
Wise added, “People are going to have no idea what they’re in store for, so we wanted to give them a feel for the kind of style and luxury that awaits them at the new Horseshoe. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | A step-and-repeat splashed with "08 08 08" reminded guests of Horseshoe Casino's imminent opening date.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | A Horseshoe gobo illuminated the entrance to the bi-level event space.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | Horseshoes adorned the lit-up, lucite cocktail tables that stood in the venue's temporary lounges, which XA event producer Donna Pecci said were "inspired by the Bauhaus movement."
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | In lieu of traditional high-boy tables, XA set up custom, high-gloss columns that bore messages about the casino's capabilities.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | Throughout the evening, atmospheric lighting changed from red to purple and blue.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | Guests rested their cocktails on logoed coaster keepsakes.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | At multiple illuminated bars, Limelight's catering staff served the evening's specialty drink, a blend of vodka and iced tea called the "Zinger."
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | D.J. Ravi Drums flew in from Los Angeles to perform at the event.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | Vegas-style showgirls greeted guests and underscored the evening's casino theme.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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 | A giant horseshoe lit up the pavement outside Chicago Place.
Photo: Tyler Curtis |
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Horseshoe is the largest casino in the Midwest and claims to rival Las Vegas properties in scale, but its mission, according to Horseshoe reps, is to provide each client with an intimate V.I.P. experience. That was also the goal of the preview party, and the 6,500-square-foot “penthouse” was divided into smaller lounge areas where guests congregated on angular Mies van der Rohe-inspired furniture topped with pillows embroidered with the Horseshoe logo. White carpeting covered the floors, and high-gloss black tables, bar structures, and buffets were meant to mimic permanent living room fixtures. Horseshoe managers circulated throughout the crowd, introducing themselves to guests and encouraging them to visit the casino.
The concept liberally incorporated elements of Vegas-style glitz, with showgirls (provided by Artists, Events & Entertainment Inc.) in sequins and feather headdresses greeting the night’s 500 guests at the entrance to the event and waiters offering specialty cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from trays trailing long white fringe. Reminders of Horseshoe’s renovation were presented to partygoers in the form of statistics about the casino painted on the walls and screened onto the wait staff’s branded T-shirts, and plasma TV's strategically placed throughout the venue projected video clips of unique gaming elements, future concerts, and other upcoming events at Horseshoe.
Kline took the stage at the party’s midway point to make a brief presentation about features of the casino’s renovation, emphasizing its 20-minute proximity to downtown Chicago. He then turned over the entertainment to D.J. Ravi Drums, a high-energy performer flown in from Los Angeles who adds live percussion to his music sets.
—Amalie Drury
RELATED TOPICS
Horseshoe Casino
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