Posts by Kell Houston

Through a committee, build a qualified wish list that meets your strategic criteria Kell Houston In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to be very diligent, accountable and responsible for the “Entertainment Budget” at a casino property. Upper management, CFOs and CEOs have to answer to a Tribal Council or a Tribal Board about…

We’re running into a costly snag here with our entertainment programs In today’s changing world of entertainment contracts, there is an issue that is becoming quite problematic, causing delays in contract processing, delayed marketing, lost revenues and higher costs due to the back and forth negotiation over terminology and legalese. The issue: The Tribal casino…

A budget and market guide for casinos In the close to two decades I’ve been writing for this magazine and even more years I’ve been in this business, there are some principles of entertainment that haven’t changed much. Pricing may change, faces and acts change, but the real challenge comes down to understanding where your…

Here’s a different way to look at your budget One of the more common discussions that I hear all the time is, “we lost money on the show.” For example, let’s say that your show cost you $50,000. You had ticket sales totaling $30,000. You comped your top tier players free tickets, you also provided…

In the entertainment industry, there is a lot of terminology that can seem confusing. As Tribal Gaming has evolved into a $32 billion dollar business, we have more and more attorneys involved, and it has become even more convoluted. Whether you handle all your entertainment booking in-house or if you use a buyer, being familiar…

Where does your property fit in? In Raving’s 1st Annual Indian Gaming National Marketing Survey, I noticed some very revealing information about entertainment: 83% of casinos have regular live entertainment, with almost half offering it only on weekends. 44% of casinos report that their entertainment programs are losing money. 38% are breaking even. 11% are…

The challenge for casino operators to accommodate these superfans There is a growing trend in the concert industry business that is beginning to impact casinos offering concerts. The VIP Experience is an add-on service that numerous Artists have brought on board to enhance the concert experience for their fans and fan clubs, to increase their…

Clearing up misconceptions about your talent program In my last Solutions Magazine article, I discussed five of the more common misconceptions concerning casino entertainment. This time around, I wanted to dig a little deeper. Here are the following myths: 6. The contract rider is nonnegotiable. Attached to all major agency contracts is a lengthy document…