From: LezGetReal.com – by Paula Brooks – Saying its “marketing strategy is coming out of the closet,” Harrah’s Atlantic City New Jersey operations announced this week they are courting gay and lesbian travelers in hopes of attracting new customers to a market that has been demolished by the recession and competition from neighboring states.
Harrah’s has been catering events to gay and lesbian travelers at its Las Vegas casinos for a sometime now, but now says it will launch a similar campaign in its Atlantic City gambling operations with an event called “Out in Atlantic City” Sept. 25-27.
As a group, we gays and lesbians spend $64.5 billion annually in the U.S. travel market, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce and a study by Community Marketing Inc., a gay-market research group.
A national online survey conducted by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive found that gay and lesbian consumers planned to spend an average of $2,300 for business and leisure trips this summer as opposed to $1,500 by our heterosexual counterparts.
Harrah’s developed its marketing campaign with the help of an employee advisory board that included LGBT casino workers.
“We believe our customer base comes from all cultures, all sexual orientations and all backgrounds. We really believe that our customers will embrace this,” said Jennifer Weissman, regional vice president of marketing for Harrah’s Entertainment Inc last week in an article on Press of Atlantic City.com.
The push according to Weissman, in establishing Atlantic City as a “gay friendly” town not only emphasizes the need to expand the customer base of the casino, but also reflects a shift in the cultural landscape of AC as a whole.
Harrah’s gay marketing program is the first of its kind for any Atlantic City casino and is part of an overall effort by Atlantic City to make the city a gayer travel destination.
The Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority has also recently reached out to the gay and lesbian community through advertisements in gay travel media and by setting up a promotions booth at a recent gay-themed consumer show in New York.
In addition, a private, nonprofit organization called the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance was formed this summer to promote LGBT businesses in the surrounding area.
Harrah’s plans to host some of the best-known names in the gay and lesbian entertainment scene and the casino hopes the event will draw more than 1,000 people through its doors.
Amanda Lepore will kick things off with a party at Club Worship at Showboat Casino Hotel’s House of Blues.
The “Out in Atlantic City” weekend will also include appearances by singer and “Dyke Diva” Lori Michaels and the cast members of Showtime’s lesbian-themed series, “The L Word,” will be on hand for a Q&A with Pam Grier, Rose Rollins, Kate French, and Mia Kirshner.
Lance Bass, of ‘N Sync fame, and Jai Rodriguez, of the Bravo Network’s show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” will also be throwing a party at Harrah’s Caesars Atlantic City as well and Rodriguez will also host a game of bingo at Harrah’s Resort, with proceeds benefiting the South Jersey AIDS Alliance.
“It comes down to diversity in our company and diversity in our workers and our customers,” said Weissman. “We believe that by having different backgrounds and different perspectives, it will only make us a better business.”