New Success Story: Talking Stick Resort
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO
Foxwoods Resort Casino
As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods Resort Casino
in Mashantucket, Connecticut is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and offers a vast array of gaming in seven casinos, AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theater and exclusive retailers.
“It doesn't matter where you are, music helps create an atmosphere or an environment and can decide whether or not people are having a good time."
The "Eyes and Ears" of the Casino
Music has always played a major role in Lorenzo Ursini’s
life, both personally and professionally. After earning a broadcast communication degree and starting his career at MTV, Lorenzo has worked in the Entertainment Division at Foxwoods Resort Casino for over 30 years and a major part of his job is to act as the “eyes and ears” of the massive resort.
“It doesn't matter where you are, music helps create an atmosphere or an environment and can decide whether or not people are having a good time,” says Ursini. “My job at Foxwoods is primarily to make sure that the signage is right, the audio is right and making sure the announcements are right.”
That responsibility is not a simple task when you consider the wide demographic of guests that visit the sprawling 350,000 square-foot property on a daily basis.
But that’s where the expertise of New Level Radio comes in and helps make Ursini’s life much easier regarding the music and messaging heard throughout the property.
“When you’re talking about a property the size of Foxwoods, it’s imperative that the atmosphere isn’t stagnant,” explains New Level Radio VP and cofounder Nathan Green. “The demographic at one end of the casino could be completely different from the other end at any given time, so the music has to adapt and adjust on the fly. And that’s what we’re able to provide.”
“The right music creates emotion and activity. So with that, it helps people stay longer and spend more money. And the more they spend, the more we're doing something right."
Creating "Emotion and Activity" with Music
In addition to ensuring that each zone of the casino is playing tunes that hit home with the demographic of people eating, drinking and gambling at Foxwoods, New Level Radio also plugs into the busy schedule of entertainers that perform year-round at Foxwoods’ two venues – Premier Theater and Great Cedar Showroom.
For instance, if there is a classic rock band playing at Grand Cedar on a Saturday night, New Level Radio makes sure that the weekend playlist has a classic rock vibe and will even throw in a few songs from the particular band that’s on-property.
“The communication between us and New Level Radio is so important and they do a great job of being dialed in as to what’s happening at the resort and what musical acts are performing,” Ursini says. “What this does is build anticipation to the actual concert, which is so important. It enhances the whole experience for the guest. The guests are saying to themselves, ‘Man, this is going to be a great night!’
“The right music creates emotion and activity. So with that, it helps people stay longer and spend more money. And the more they spend, the more we're doing something right.
“I’ve been to numerous other properties that just aren’t doing anything to try and create that experience. We’re doing it all of the time, thanks to New Level Radio.”
"The messaging not only needs to be clear, concise and to the point, but it has to be timely and relevant and it needs to be played seamlessly in between songs so it’s not annoying or disruptive."
Timely, Relevant and Seamless Messaging
As important as it is to pump the optimal music into a casino, that perfect atmosphere can be ruined with a poor messaging strategy.
“The messaging not only needs to be clear, concise and to the point, but it has to be timely and relevant and it needs to be played seamlessly in between songs so it’s not annoying or disruptive,” explains Green.
For Ursini, trying to keep the messaging on point is a huge undertaking.
“I’m dealing with a lot of different people in a bunch of different departments and they all have different things going on,” he says. "New Level Radio does a great job of turning things around and getting the proper messaging into the playlists.”
Another major benefit of working with a privately owned, intimate company like New Level Radio is the personalized and responsive customer service each partner receives.
“It happens very seldom, but if I’m walking the casino floor and I hear a message that shouldn’t be playing, or a song that seems out of place, whether the problem was on our end or not, I’ll reach out to the team at New Level Radio,” Ursini says. "I swear sometimes they’ll get back to me in 30 seconds and the issue is fixed almost immediately. It’s refreshing because you just don’t see that kind of service nowadays. It makes my job a whole lot easier. And I truly appreciate that.”
