Taylor Deboer, marketing director for Grand Slam Club/Ovis, represents Big Game when it comes to drawing lucrative meetings business.
The Birmingham, Ala.-based big-game hunting organization delivers a demographic that’s a jackpot for casino destinations, and Tunica played a winning hand in attracting them for major events in 2006 and 2007, both of which drew approximately 2,500 delegates and a little more than 100 exhibitors displaying everything from firearms and hunting outfits to jewelry, art and outfitters operating high-end hunting excursions.
“We run a pretty good track record in the casinos because our group is such a high-end group, with a large disposable income to spend on hunts and things like that,” Deboer says, adding that the organization’s prime profile helps with securing a good deal. “[Casino properties] can actually go to our previous year’s hotels and pick up what we did on gaming, and that definitely helps when it comes to negotiating a lower room rate—they definitely consider that part of their income.”
Because of Hurricane Katrina, however, Deboer was faced with relocating the show after the Beau Rivage was put out of commission—it has since reopened—with precious little time available for contingency planning.
“We were left with four months to reschedule to Tunica,” Deboer says. “We needed somebody who could put on a decent-size convention, with a lot of evening banquets.”
The result was a success, Deboer says, particularly in the area of F&B.
“In 2008 we went to Las Vegas, and people were still talking about the food in the Grand Casino Tunica,” he says. “It was the best banquet food we’ve encountered. It knocked our socks off—you don’t expect that with convention food.”
The Tunica Grand Slam/Ovis event used Magnolia Tours for airport transfers and transportation between the casino (now named Harrah’s Tunica) and events. Off-sites used by the group included a spouse brunch program at Tunica RiverPark & Museum, which overlooks the Mississippi River, and also at Bluesville, located in the Horseshoe Casino Hotel.
“One of the highlights of the program was the opening ceremony in Bluesville bar,” he says. “We find the opening ceremony really sets the tone of your convention, and it really knocked their socks off.”
In the end, according Deboer, Tunica was a trophy destination for his big-spending group.
“I would say that it has been our most profitable destination so far,” he says. “The prices were so good, and people really liked it. I think we’ll be going back there. If you’re looking to stay on budget, and for a real nice event, do it in Tunica.”
