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Leadership in Destination Marketing: Insights from Kate Wik, CMO of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
00:20:30
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- [00:00]
Ken Jeong
Discover the future of AI powered digital experiences. Adobe Summit is live in Las Vegas March 17th through the 20th. If you can't make it to the conference in person, join Summit online for free from anywhere. Access inspirational talks from global brand leaders like Coca Cola, Unilever, Marriott and more in live streamed insightful keynotes and Adobe Sneaks co hosted by comedian Ken Jeong. Plus select from over 30 expert led sessions. Register for free@adobe.com Go Marketing Vanguard Las.
- [00:36]
Kate Wick
Vegas is DNA, is hospitality. And I think anybody that works in this town, whether you're a frontline worker, you're checking people in at the front desk at Luxor, Bellagio, whatever the property, right. Whether you're a guest room attendant, there is an expectation about treating our guests as family. We love our visitors. It is, I said this earlier, it is the lifeline for this community. We want them to have the best experience ever. I think that's a unique difference with Las Vegas that you don't experience everywhere else.
- [01:13]
Jenny Rooney
Hi, everyone, and welcome to the Marketing Vanguard podcast. I'm Jenny Rooney and I'm thrilled to be here with Kate Wick.
- [01:20]
Kate Wick
Kate.
- [01:20]
Jenny Rooney
Kate is the CMO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
- [01:26]
Kate Wick
That's right.
- [01:26]
Jenny Rooney
Thanks for being here. We are in Las Vegas during CES Week and we're here at Abbey House and we're thrilled to be here. And I'm excited to have you as my guest. I mean, you basically are the CMO of Las Vegas, right? Like, I mean, this is your backyard, this is your city. You know the ins and outs of this. And there are very few cities in this country that have as many easier events that come through, and CES is obviously one of the biggest. You seem so relaxed considering, but tell everybody about you and sort of let's start with talking a little bit about how you got to this point, and then we'll get into what you're focused on.
- [02:02]
Kate Wick
Well, first and foremost, welcome to fabulous Las Vegas.
- [02:05]
Jenny Rooney
Thank you so much.
- [02:06]
Kate Wick
We love all of our 41 million visitors a year. It's the lifeblood of Las Vegas in this community. Tourism is by far the biggest industry for us. So it's important to have all of our visitors show up. And it's wonderful to be here. This is a dream job for me. So, yes, I do like to say I'm the CMO of Las Vegas. I work with all the resorts up and down the Strip, really make sure that we're putting a spotlight on Las Vegas. We're keeping Las Vegas top of mind, and we're keeping that visitor Flow coming. But I wasn't always in this role. I actually started on the agency side of things, so come from ad agencies. Started my career at Chiat Day in la, which was a phenomenal learning experience. Moved into really small boutique agency, G and M Plumbing. Moved out to one of the largest at the time, independent agencies, Kramer Krasalt. And then it was there, where I was working on the MGM grand business that I actually got tapped on the shoulder to come to Vegas and run the business from the property and be the VP of marketing. So never in a million years did I think I would be moving to Las Vegas. And I think that's the story of so many of our amazing colleagues and the community here. We're all transplants, but we've all found that there is something magical and special about this destination that keeps us here.
- [03:26]
Jenny Rooney
You know, it's unlike any place else, really. I mean, it's in the middle of the desert, everybody knows this, and yet it's. It's sort of just this extraordinarily dynamic, multifaceted city. In that narrative, what's the aspect that you really want to heighten or that you're spending a lot of your time focused on, you know, is it the dining? Is it the, you know, the culinary? Is it the arts beyond the Strip and the casinos, the entertainment, which is off the charts, like, but of that narrative and of that brand, what do you want people to know more about?
- [03:55]
Kate Wick
Vegas is known for constant evolution. People don't really think about that, but we are this super dynamic city that is innovating and evolving on a daily basis. It's actually why having CES here since, gosh, the late 90s is so perfect, because that is the epitome of innovation. Technology, but innovation. But that's who we are as a core. So when you think about Las Vegas, it was, you know, this dusty desert town that started as a gaming town and then we evolved to a hospitality town, and then it was about entertainment and fine dining and then specialty dining and constantly reinventing nightlife. Daylife. Daylife became this massive thing in the early 2000s. The next frontier for us that we've been focused on the last probably five, ten years has been sports. Globally, we're known as the entertainment capital of the world. We've been working really hard to be known as the sports and entertainment capital of the world.
- [04:58]
Jenny Rooney
Why? Just because it's on such a trajectory. Sports is.
- [05:02]
Kate Wick
Yeah. For the past 10 years, its growth has been like no other industries. Growth, especially in terms of viewership, eyeballs, Fandom. It is not just US culture, but every single international country. If you look at, like, the core of what drives the community and population, there is a layer of sports. It's different sports, right? You get football overseas, soccer, but you get American football here. Very different. But that's getting the attention in the hearts of the consumers. And so, through a lot of really smart and strategic infrastructure developments over the past about 10 years, we've been able to slowly chip away at putting together the infrastructure to become the sports capital of the world.
- [05:45]
Jenny Rooney
And so it's interesting, too, at a time when, you know, frankly, the world, a naysayer's view would say that technology is driving people apart, right? And like social media and, you know, all the sort of good, but also sort of not so good with that. And yet you're creating an environment where people are literally coming together. Obviously, getting through Covid must have been quite an experience.
- [06:04]
Kate Wick
It was the only time in our history that we had to figure out how to lock our doors. Our casino doors don't have locks on them because we're a 24 7, 365 business. We literally had to put chains around the handles because there's no locks on it. And, yeah, we closed down for, I think, 12 weeks. It was unbelievable. But we are in the business of live experiences. Whether it's from a business point of view, bringing the world's largest trade shows to our town, or just driving, leisure, business, whatever it is, we are in the business of live experiences. And I don't look at technology and digital as negative to that world. I look at it as it fuels the need for more. It's, in a way, the best platform to be able to say, here's all the amazing things that are going on in Las Vegas. Come and experience it for yourself.
- [06:56]
Jenny Rooney
Yeah. Now, that's very much a story that you want to share with consumers, but there's a huge business to business aspect to this. You are a CMO yourself, telling a story to your marketer or peer community around. What are the opportunities for them? Especially as we're seeing more marketers invest dollars in live experiences and creating opportunities for people to sort of feel something, be together, you know, curating audiences. What do you want to tell the marketer community? What do you want to tell them about what's new?
- [07:24]
Kate Wick
That's a great question. I think a big part of what I've been trying to do this past year with some of the large events that we brought to town, like Formula One, like Super bowl, we just held our first Ever super bowl here is showing them how different brands show up in this town because there is an opportunity for them to reach this concentrated amount of visitors that are then going back to their respective communities and towns or whatever. But they're here to be inspired, to feel fully engage and to immerse themselves in new things. And it's not often that as a marketer, you find somebody in that mindset that is right for something new. And so I think Vegas is uniquely positioned to be able to fill that void for marketers in terms of like a new territory. Your previous speaker was talking about the beauty of Con and how it's the convergence of all these different industries. That's what Las Vegas is on a daily basis.
- [08:19]
Jenny Rooney
Yep. Talk a little bit about the impact the Sphere has had on Vegas because obviously that's such a massive. I went to the Delta activation last night, which was pretty extraordinary, you know, but that has become. You talk about sort of the, the visibility, the reach that marketers have here. You know, I mean, my mind goes to the physical manifestations of brands. You know, it's not unlike Times Square or something like that. I mean, the out of home opportunities and the on the ground opportunities to actually be present. And obviously then the Sphere takes it to a whole new level with just this unique orb that sits in the middle of the cityscape where, you know, the projection opportunities for brands is like off.
- [08:54]
Kate Wick
Limitless. Limitless, really? Yeah.
- [08:56]
Jenny Rooney
Talk a little bit about that and the other activations and platforms that exist.
- [09:01]
Kate Wick
So I think Sphere is the perfect manifestation of what Las Vegas is. And that's that constant innovation that I was talking about. I don't think anybody dreamed of the largest spherical building that could be lit up and fully programmed. Not just visuals, but there's audio components, there's drone components, there's pyrotechnics, if you want it. The sky's the limit on what you can do there. And it's. It just creates a sense of creativity and possibilities. And for a marketer, that's a marketer's dream. It's literally why I've stayed in this town. I thought I'd be here for one year and I'm here, what, almost 15 years later, because there's just so much going on. But when the exoskeleton turned on for the Sphere, back in 4th of July of 2023, all of a sudden the world took notice. Our skyline completely transformed. Now all of a sudden, I had to go reshoot all new, like skyline photography and all this stuff. But Great problem to have. Yeah. But it dominated on social media, it dominated headlines. I think there was this sense of, yeah, there was a lot of buzz about, okay, this two and a half billion dollar project going on in Las Vegas. It's not going to happen. Not only did it happen, but it has exceeded expectations in terms of the experience. Not just for our visitors, those that are passing by, those that go in like you got to experience Delta last night, but it's just for the artists themselves. It's this new level of creativity. And so they're excited to come and perform and create and take their artistry to the next level as well.
- [10:35]
Jenny Rooney
A lot of what I talk about with guests on the Marketing Vanguard podcast is as much about them as people, as human beings and leaders within their organizations. You and I just met recently.
- [10:44]
Kate Wick
Yeah.
- [10:45]
Jenny Rooney
But you strike me as somebody who, you know, you're so first thing you said to me is, anything you need, here's my cell, like reach out. And I think there's a unique accessibility to you. How do you think about that in the work that you do? Why do you think that's so important as a cmo? To be accessible and to sort of be willing to just discover the future.
- [11:05]
Ken Jeong
Of AI powered digital experiences. Adobe Summit returns to Las Vegas March 17th through the 20th. There's still time to register for the in person conference and experience it firsthand. But if you can't make it to Vegas, join Summit online to access free live streamed events and select sessions from anywhere. Be inspired by keynotes from iconic brand leaders like Coca Cola, Unilever, Marriott, JPMorgan Chase and more. Explore how leveraging AI can help you deliver exceptional customer experiences, drive efficiency, improve measurable impact. Get an exclusive first look at never before seen technology during the popular Adobe Sneaks showcase co hosted by actor and comedian Ken Jeong. And learn from over 30 expert led on demand sessions. Grow your business and transform your marketing with insights only available at summit. Visit adobe.com GoMarketing Vanguard to register for free.
- [12:04]
Jenny Rooney
Obviously working with people is, that's advantageous to your business, certainly. But there's a leadership quality to you that I think is unique. How do you think about characterizing that for yourself and where do you think you obtained that?
- [12:16]
Kate Wick
I actually would say Las Vegas's DNA is hospitality. And I think anybody that works in this town, whether you are a frontline worker, you're checking people in at the front desk at Luxor or Bellagio, whatever the property. Right. Whether you're a guest room attendant, there is an expectation about treating our guests as family, we love our visitors. It is, I said this earlier, it is the lifeline for this community. We were the hardest hit city over Covid. So what it showed was the dependency of us on tourism and hospitality is more so than Detroit is on the automotive industry. And that was mind blowing. It was a wake up call for us. But it also goes to every single individual in this town. Like, we love our visitors. We want them to have the best experience ever. I think that's a unique difference with Las Vegas that you don't experience everywhere else. And so you don't have to stay at the most uber luxury resort in order to feel welcomed and valued. And that is something that I used to work for MGM Resorts prior to being with the destination. Our CEO there had this expectation that we were out walking the casino floors and engaging with our guests because they're why we're here, they're why we have our job. And so I think I learned from the best early on. But it's really that culture of what makes Vegas special. I think I've just tried to take personally.
- [13:48]
Jenny Rooney
You have a unique role. I asked the question of young people who are coming up in this industry and they're thinking about, I aspire to be a CMO someday, but they might be thinking more readily about, I want to go sell, you know, a company that sells sneakers or fast food or, you know what I mean? But how do you think about the journey to being a cmo? What advice would you give to people who are thinking or you think need to push outside the bounds of, of what they readily think about in terms of like where you can be a good CMO and, and sort of realize that goal.
- [14:16]
Kate Wick
I think the world is changing so rapidly right now. The creator economy, there's just the gig economy. It's very different. My trajectory was I started in advertising at an advertising agency, went over to client side at the time. That wasn't a traditional approach to make that lead. No, it's very common. It is very common. And I, I think stepping back from my path, the idea was learn from wherever you can. Make those connections, step back and understand your role in it all. Yeah, and figure out where those connections happen. Because to be able to see the bigger picture, it's going to be changing constantly. But the more you have an understanding of the shoes that everybody's wearing and how they're walking and what impacts their daily lives, just the better perspective you're going to have. And it just makes you more relatable, et cetera. So I think it's understanding how the ecosystem works, because that ecosystem is changing. But how the ecosystem works, that's where you're going to find that path. But I don't think the path is going to be so linear. Exactly. Which is also a good thing.
- [15:21]
Jenny Rooney
Can you share with me some sneak peeks as you go into 2025? What's on the horizon for Las Vegas? Break any news or share any fun news.
- [15:30]
Kate Wick
I am not allowed to break in any news here, but we do have a few announcements coming up. We will have an announcement next week that I'm excited about. I think for us, we are focused on continuing to bring big events to town. We will have a large WrestleMania event here, WrestleMania 2025, which has a huge fan following. It is a global media company and a global fandom that rivals traditional sports, really, quite frankly, which I was very surprised to learn that. So that is going to descend upon Las Vegas, which we're excited about. But for us, it's about how do we continue to secure these premiere events. We again will have Formula one in November. That has become a marquee event on our annual calendar that we love and are excited about. It puts a global style that only.
- [16:18]
Jenny Rooney
Has been here for what this will be.
- [16:19]
Kate Wick
The third year we just. Yeah, we just completed our second year is really unbelievable. We don't shut down Las Vegas Boulevard for many things. We do it for New Year's and we do it for F1. And so in November, the week before Thanksgiving, we have these famous global race car drivers going 218 miles an hour down Las Vegas Boulevard. You can open your window and see it. And it's unbelievable. It really is an experience that if you haven't done, you need to try it.
- [16:48]
Jenny Rooney
Yeah.
- [16:48]
Kate Wick
Yeah.
- [16:48]
Jenny Rooney
Well, I think we're.
- [16:49]
Kate Wick
Yeah.
- [16:50]
Jenny Rooney
Trying to figure that out. That would be fun.
- [16:51]
Kate Wick
We will. We will.
- [16:52]
Jenny Rooney
And I guess as you think about, you know, what you've done since you've been there, what's the one thing that you're proudest of that you feel like has really changed the trajectory in the role that you sit in, you know what I mean? In terms of thinking about your unique influence and your ability to affect change in the marketing of Las Vegas, what has been the thing you point to as being pivotal?
- [17:11]
Kate Wick
I love the work we did around Covid and reopening the Destination. And it's not that it's like work as in traditional ad campaign, the work on bringing the community together. You look up and down the Strip, there are fierce competitors, but everybody coming together with the common Goal of how do we reopen safely and then how do we exit the pandemic in a way that doesn't tarnish our reputation. You had other destinations say, no, we're not worried about it, it's not a big deal. Clearly it was a big deal. And so bringing together basically the entire C suite of all the resort operators here, I'm proud of how we came together as a community. That was a big one. And then I think the second thing that I'm proud of is leaning into social and the importance of that, because that's where consumers are today. And so I've heard you guys talk a lot about fragmentation and that the audience is everywhere, but they're all on social. And I am really proud that by putting a focus, a dedicated focus on it with my teams, we are the number one most followed destination on TikTok. We've had rapid growth across all channels and I think that's pretty great. At the end of the day. Yes. I'm also a very much a cmo and I'm interested in channels and I'm interested in driving performance and that's a pretty cool thing to feel good about. Just the massive growth and success we've had there.
- [18:36]
Jenny Rooney
Yeah. And I love that you were always talking about, you always go back to you're not just a US destination, you're a global destination and sort of making sure that you hammer that home in your thinking and in. In your activations and partnerships and everything you do. Last couple quick questions. As a leader, I use the metaphor of the soccer field as being sort of like a metaphor for where you play the game. Are you striker trying to score those goals at every turn? Are you the midfielder trying to kind of keep the connective tissue between protecting your goal from the off and scoring goals offensively, or are you at the back trying to protect your goal from the competitive set at all costs?
- [19:11]
Kate Wick
I would say I'm none of those. I like to sit on the sideline. I generally am not the person in the spotlight. That's not who I am. I have an amazing team and I want to get them out there. And I look at my job as how do I remove barriers, how do I set them up for success, and how do I have them just run? Because there is no shortage of stories to tell in this town. There's no shortage of marketing opportunities, opportunities of connections to be made, of partnerships to be made. I need them out there running a million miles an hour. And so I think my job is to sit on the sidelines. And make sure that they're able to do that.
- [19:47]
Ken Jeong
Who's next?
- [19:47]
Jenny Rooney
Who's somebody who I should invite to have on the Marketing Vanguard podcast? Can be somebody you know really, really well or a CMO you admire from afar. And tucked into that question is, where do you get inspiration for what you do? Because it is different than selling sneakers or it is different than selling cars or, you know, so who's next? Who do you admire?
- [20:05]
Kate Wick
You've probably spoke with them before, but again, going back to the ChatGPTs and how they think about really democratizing AI, making it productive, because it's. It is the next chapter for all of us. And I think we've all dabbled in it. We have tools that we use, but really understanding what they see that Runway looks like, I'd love to hear more about that. And where I get inspiration is these big conferences that happen here in our backyard. I love walking the floors to see all the innovation that's going on, because it ultimately ends up shaping a marketer's life.
- [20:38]
Jenny Rooney
What's the hottest innovation this year on the show floor?
- [20:41]
Kate Wick
Oh, gosh, I briefly walked through part of it yesterday. There's three floors you got to walk. Not just Aria, but the hub is the convention center, which is where I'm based, and then also over at the Venetian Convention Center. Automotive always has, or just transportation in general, always has a lot of the biggest innovations. So that part was cool to see.
- [21:01]
Jenny Rooney
Autonomous driving.
- [21:02]
Kate Wick
Autonomous driving, but also the personal vehicles. Delta talked a lot about their partnership with Joby last night. They've got some great demonstrations on the floor. So that's actually the one thing I would say to any marketers listening is you can't just come to Vegas for CES for the peripheral events. They're great and they're important, but you have to walk the floor because that's where the magic is happening.
- [21:24]
Jenny Rooney
Great advice. Thank you so much for joining me. It's been a pleasure. Kate and I look forward to continuing our friendship and getting to know you more and all the great things that Las Vegas has to offer for consumers and marketers alike. So thank you so much.
- [21:37]
Kate Wick
Thank you, Jenny. Enjoy.
- [21:39]
Adweek Podcast Team
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