All things considered, marketing is about storytelling, brand visibility and creating meaningful connections.

When we initially set out to tell the story of CAESARS FORUM, we realized that we had a blank page and it was for us to develop the story, as neither the brand nor the facility had been designed or built.

It started with making the decision that there was a need in the marketplace for an additional conference facility in Las Vegas connected to Caesars Entertainment hotels in the center and east side of the Las Vegas Strip. We surveyed our customers and organized focus groups to gather intelligence. Then, the layout—which is integral to a successful conference experience—was designed keeping the needs of existing and potential customers front of mind. Lots of dialogue took place.

Las Vegas is always reinventing itself and new facilities open all the time, so it is and was important that this conference center stand out in the marketplace.

Once we had a layout for the space and the US$375 million investment was approved by the Caesars Entertainment board of directors, it was our role to start marketing this facility. We needed a name, a design and a plan.

At that point, we only had a layout. We debated and discussed the importance of the name and the style of this exciting project. It needed to be timeless, modern and elegant. After much discussion, we all agreed that it was important to incorporate the Caesars brand into the name of the conference center. Caesars is an iconic and well-recognized brand, and Caesars Palace recently celebrated 50 years. Its Roman architecture is beautiful and inspiring. We wanted a modern version and agreed on naming the conference center CAESARS FORUM.

Forum: “The marketplace or public square of an ancient Roman city, the center of judicial and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people.” That was a perfect fit, as that is exactly the purpose of a conference center.

Once the name was decided on and registered, then we needed a strong logo depicting our brand. We agreed that a square made sense as it represents the “public square” of an ancient Roman city, as well as the laurel to represent Caesars Entertainment. After all, CAESARS FORUM would be at the center of it all.

Once we had our logo, then we needed collateral and a website. We launched CAESARSFORUM.com in December 2017.

We then identified all the marketing channels available to communicate CAESARS FORUM. An advertising campaign was developed incorporating large, impactful visuals with little copy. We determined how frequently and where we wanted to be seen. We decided on print versus digital in various outlets. A digital communication plan was put in place. Construction milestones were determined so that press and customer events could be incorporated into our plan. Sponsorship opportunities were identified to create even more exposure. There is a lot going on in our industry—how could we gain visibility and traction? It was key for us to be everywhere. We incorporated branded corporate gifts, gift bags used during meeting industry events, virtual walking challenges at trade shows, videos and so on.

Overall, the CAESARS FORUM campaign is intentionally bold, yet elegant and provocative, with large imagery and little copy to stand out. This is consistent in all communication—videos, brochures, advertising and corporate gifts.

The goal was to saturate the marketplace in a crowded industry. The ground-breaking ceremony for CAESARS FORUM took place in July 2018. We built a unique structure on the construction site with an enormous curved screen. We live streamed and got a lot of PR. It’s hard to believe that was only 18 months ago.

We installed cameras on site so that our customers could follow the build. Hard hat tours have become routine. We are getting ready to take our campaign on the road, literally, for six weeks before opening with a major social media push.

I am incredibly proud of what the Caesars Entertainment Meetings and Events marketing team has accomplished in such a short period of time. I am grateful for the energy and enthusiasm everyone has. We were thrilled to have received the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Award for best “Integrated Marketing Campaign” among 1,100 entries.

We are running as fast as we can, our energy is high and our excitement is just building. It won’t be long before March is here and we open CAESARS FORUM!