Situation

Foxwoods Resort Casino is one of the largest casinos in the world. Owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the entertainment complex is also the largest employer in Connecticut with over 13,000 employees. Foxwoods is home to three full-service hotels, 24 restaurants, a string of retail shops, and six casinos with more than 7,000 slot machines and 350 gaming tables. Patrons hail from all over the world, but 60% come from the neighboring states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For more than a decade, All Star has maintained a strong, results-packed relationship with Foxwoods, aimed at driving casino traffic, building player loyalty and brand recognition, making patrons feel valued and ultimately growing the casino complex into what it is today.

Solution

All Star has become a strategic partner with Foxwoods, managing an array of incentive solutions including the popular Wampum Rewards Mega Store and rewards program, the largest ongoing player rewards program under one roof in the casino industry. All Star began by helping Foxwoods with special event and promotions gift sourcing, and in 1998, partnered with Foxwoods on creating its now-popular Wampum Rewards program. All Star has also created a proprietary suite of customizable turnkey incentive solutions branded as PlayerRewards.™ Designed specifically for the gaming industry, the suite includes Player Events, Player Gifts and PlayerAwards.

Player Events – Player Events build customer loyalty and traffic at Foxwoods’ annual shopping extravaganza, slot tournaments, and high roller parties. Since 2001, All Star has managed Foxwoods’ holiday event, which is designed to drive gaming during the slow holiday season by creating an entertaining and relaxed atmosphere where Wampum Rewards members can earn and redeem points for merchandise on the spot. All Star handles this event from start to finish, and in 2005 expanded it to a larger Holiday Marketplace. For the 2005 Holiday Marketplace shopping event, All Star sourced $800,000 of additional merchandise, and secured temporary trailer storage to feed the store with more than 70 pallets of product during the event. With assistance from manufacturers, All Star also provided personnel to help assist customers and maintain product availability.

Player Gifts – Player Gifts help build and maintain relationships by making customers feel important and appreciated. These traffic generators include high roller gifts, pillow gifts, and event-specific gifts for giveaways, golf outings and slot tournaments. In 2005, All Star Incentive Marketing played an integral role in the sourcing and fulfillment of Foxwoods’ “Daily Specials” and “Enter to Win” drawings, as well as the “$195,000 Great Gift Giveaway.” These events are designed to help drive traffic in conjunction with the 11-day Holiday Marketplace. Each day, at selected times, a patron won a different prize, ranging from an Apple iPod Nano to a plasma television. Smaller items, such as the Nano and Nikon Coolpix digital camera, were given away on site. Larger items, such as the plasma TV and Dell computer package, were drop-shipped.

Player Awards – Player Awards allows players to earn points through gaming and redeem them for merchandise at Foxwoods’ on-site redemption store. All Star was instrumental in transforming Foxwoods’ former Wampum Trading Post into the new, ten times bigger Mega Store, which opened in 2004. To prepare for the grand opening, All Star used online consumer survey tools to analyze consumer trends and worked with top buyers to seek out desirable products. Customers wanted more merchandise they could take home rather than have shipped. Player Awards also includes an online component, which features the latest products available in the store and enables users to print a wish list. Web site traffic increases at the beginning of each quarter as players anticipate store changeover. To ensure the availability of quality merchandise, All Star delivers award merchandise to the store on a weekly basis; drop-ship items are sent daily.

Results

All Star’s strategic role and turnkey incentive solutions have helped Foxwoods to increase casino traffic, build the Foxwoods brand, establish customer loyalty and create positive gaming experiences. During this 10-year relationship, Foxwoods has grown from a regional casino to a world-famous entertainment complex. Following the $300 million dollar Rainmaker expansion in 2005, All Star kept Foxwoods incentive programs fresh, enticing and rewarding with cutting-edge merchandise, exceptional product sourcing and fulfillment, and enhanced customer service.

The Wampum Rewards Mega Store and rewards program is now the largest ongoing player rewards program under one roof in the gaming industry. It is also Foxwoods’ most successful retail-based loyalty establishment. The new Mega Store boasts more than 300 brand name awards in five featured product categories: home, electronics, lawn and garden, outdoor and kitchen. Manufacturers include Bose®, Nikon, Callaway, Weber, Audiovox, and Sony.