Will Hodgson, new House of Blues GM: Residencies have taken venue to another level
Editor’s Note: Our sincere thanks to the guest columnists who filled in for Robin Leach during his two months of annual summer travels. Robin has returned from Mexico, and on Sunday we’ll have his story of the 100 new restaurants and vineyards that have sprung up north of Ensenada. We’ll continue with our columnists until his return here for Labor Day Weekend.
One of our guest columnists today is Sean DiCicco, VP of Food & Beverage at Caesars Palace who also serves as president of the Epicurean Charitable Foundation. Our other guest column is by new Las Vegas resident Will Hodgson, who has taken over general-manager responsibilities at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. A warm welcome to our new resident Will:
By Will Hodgson
I’ve been in Las Vegas for about three months, and one thing is certain: There is no other city like it. After being the general manager for House of Blues Houston, moving over as the general manager for House of Blues Las Vegas was a big change, but one I gladly took a gamble on.
As I settle into the city, I have noticed some remarkable things in the inner workings of Las Vegas and how HOB adjusted the brand to align with expectations. In my previous markets, entertainment was only a part of the landscape, not the entire scene. Here, entertainment drives the city and is incredibly important from a business perspective.
One thing I have learned is that businesses are co-dependent and drive revenue to each other. With HOB Las Vegas, the hotel encourages us to continue to host residencies like Billy Idol, Santana and Heart (and new ones coming soon!) because it attracts tourists and locals alike.
Likewise, we love it when the hotel has conventions, as it provides our brands, from Crossroads to Foundation Room, an increase in guests, from those looking for a great bite to eat or a place to entertain clients to those seeking a cool spot to enjoy a drink 63 floors above the Strip with breathtaking views or catch a show in an intimate venue.
When we look to entertainment from our perspective, we are looking at drawing people to our venues as a destination versus simply attracting visitors who are wondering what to do on any particular Las Vegas night, and this is really where our residencies come into play.
These residencies have really taken the HOB brand to another level. Where else can you see legends in such a cool, intimate space? The intriguing thing about these performances (besides the fact that you are thisclose to acts like Carlos Santana) is that the performers are on property.
You never know who might be spotted on the casino floor or in one of the restaurants. It’s the ultimate in people watching. The resident artists also attract celebrities, other artists and athletes who come to see them perform. That’s an added bonus for any avid concert fan. The celebrity sighting is definitely something I am getting used to in Las Vegas.
What does a residency look like for the artist? Because they stay and perform for two weeks, setup is done before the run begins. On show days, it only requires a little bit of time before the show, a quick sound check, dining on Crossroads cuisine in their green room, then show time.
We live and breathe this … all day, every day … finding the perfect rhythm during this process is turnkey for us. Since HOB Las Vegas was the first of our venues to explore residencies (my first day was on a crazy press blitz in March where the original Santana reunited to perform for one night only in the music hall), I was again brought into a whole new process.
I was a new resident getting settled into the rhythm of the residency. While it’s been a whirlwind, I am still relatively new to Las Vegas, but I’ve already taken notice of the variety of entertainment in the city.
From concerts and big productions, to comedy and magic, there is always something to do, and the culinary scene here is amazing. At HOB, we pretty much do it all — dining, entertainment, music, nightlife — under one big roof we call Mandalay Bay.
Be sure to check out our other guest column today about the supreme Las Vegas art of hospitality by Caesars Palace F&B VP and Epicurean Charitable Foundation President Sean DiCicco. Robin was busy over the weekend on the phone to Macau and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for stories from the Asian gaming capital and Summer Paralympics, respectively, that we’ll have in Friday Neon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
