hollywood billionaire

Chapter 308 The craze spreads

In 2016, Las Vegas had a total of 167730 rooms.

For comparison, Los Angeles has only 98646, Chicago has 105000, and Orlando, which has both Disneyland and Universal Studios, has 119800. Even New York, the most famous metropolis in North America, only has 123000 units.

Las Vegas deserves its title as the Tourism Capital of the World.

The Mad City Music Festival, with a maximum capacity of 7 people in a single day and a total of 21 spectators in three days, will never be able to challenge the reception capacity of the casino.

You know, even if the EDC music festival has 17.5 visitors in a single day and can attract a total of 52 people in a weekend, it is impossible for Las Vegas to be short of housing. If you book a hotel just a few days before the music festival, it is very likely that you will not be able to book the popular choices on both sides of the Las Vegas Strip, and the average hotel price will soar to a level that makes you doubt your life, but in any case, as long as If you are willing to pay, you will definitely have a room.

But being able to live there and living well are two different things.

A large number of consumers who choose to purchase tickets to attend Mad City this year have high requirements for the quality of their living.

Because they represent the top purchasing power in the North American performance market today.

For the 2016 EDC Music Festival, which just ended four months ago, early bird tickets were US$335, regular-priced pre-sale tickets were US$355, and VIP tickets were US$699. Including taxes and service charges, they were US$377.39, US$398.04, and US$753.29 respectively.

What about the Mad City Music Festival during Halloween?

Three-day early bird tickets, $450. Three-day GA pass, $580. Three-day VIP pass, $1172. Three-day VVIP pass, US$3038, including tax and ticketing platform service fee.

In other words, the average ticket price that attendees of Mad City Music Festival need to bear is 155% of that of EDC Music Festival attendees.

Especially the tens of thousands of VIP ticket and VVIP ticket holders, the ticket price they paid was higher than that of the Desert Journey Music Festival where six legendary superstars performed. The latter's three-day on-site pass is only US$1599, which is only half the price of Mad City's three-day VVIP pass.

Although the two ticket types have different rights and the themes and lineups of the two music festivals are also very different, the prices will not deceive people. People who can spend $3000 from their wallets to attend a music festival must have high standards and strict requirements for all other aspects of travel.

The 10400 VIP visitors will basically only choose the luxury resorts located on the Las Vegas Strip. More importantly, they will not be satisfied with the basic room types at Caesars Palace Hotel or MGM Hotel. A high-floor Octavian executive suite with avenue view.

As a result, the top-end rooms in several five-star hotels unexpectedly became the first to be sold out.

The seven sky villas at the Aria Hotel overlooking the Vegas Strip, the magnificent penthouse suite at the Venetian Resort, the Mark-Anthony three-bedroom sky villa at Caesars Palace with an area of ​​more than 10,000 square feet, and the Bellagio Resort facing the musical fountain The Cypress Suites, the top paradise in Sin City, were quickly booked within a few days after Mad City tickets were released.

It is said that the unique Mark Anthony Villa at Caesars Palace was booked by Brian Chesky, who just entered the Forbes North American Rich List this year. Chesky is the co-founder of Airbnb, the world's largest homestay website. Although he is only 35 years old, he is already the helmsman of a unicorn company with a market value of 95 billion, and his personal wealth has exceeded US$ billion.

As a music lover who is keen on Hollywood social parties, often hangs out with celebrities, and attends SXSW every year, Brian Chesky will naturally not miss this annual music event, which is known as comparable to the Grammy Awards.

Yes, this is what many media call Mad City Music Festival - the Grammys during Halloween.

"One of the most iconic music festivals of 2016...and perhaps one of the most iconic music festivals of our time."

Time Warner's "Entertainment Weekly" commented in their in-depth report released on October 8.

"This is destined to be an October that will go down in history. For the West Coast, we once again witnessed a cultural victory. Desert Trip Music Festival in Indio, California, nicknamed 'Oldchella', was a A sunset carnival for the baby boomers. The upper class wearing Bermuda hats sipped margaritas, and many wealthy people even made the pilgrimage from Europe. In the songs of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, we realized The last golden age of music is gradually leaving us as these geniuses age.

This may be the last time we see so many music legends together.

And two weeks later, in the deep south of Nevada, under the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, we will witness another unprecedented three-day carnival. Tell me, when have you ever seen Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Martin Garrix and Blink-182 share a stage?

Mad City Music Festival does not divide artists into several grades like traditional music festivals, and arrange them in order of fame. The performance planning team did not set up a sub-stage, nor did they consider using newcomers and unknowns to fill the time. Each of the twenty-four groups of guests was a conqueror of the Billboard music chart - in fact, the opening of the first day The guest, Madison Beer, has just topped the singles chart for three consecutive weeks with "Cold Water."

This is the gold content of Mad City Music Festival. If Desert Trip Music Festival is a precious legacy dedicated to the baby boomers, then Mad City is a music Olympics for Millennials and Generation Z to participate together. It is undoubtedly a celebration of another wonderful era for the world music industry after the advent of the streaming media era. "

The words of "Entertainment Weekly" contributing editor Lynette Rice expressed the sentiments of the vast majority of ticket-buying audiences.

From the moment the lineup was announced, the success of the first Mad City was already doomed. Because its scale, thickness and purpose have completely surpassed the scope of ordinary commercial music festivals.

It blends together the musical memories of this era and reveals them all. Want to hear the biggest hit of the past decade? Come to Mad City. Want to see some of the most compelling singers of the past decade? Come to Mad City. Want to use a performance to showcase the essence cultivated by the modern music industry? Come to Mad City.

Although it does not have the lengthy list and historical significance of the life-saving charity concert, if future generations want to understand the pattern of the music market in 2016 through a single event, then the Mad City Music Festival is the most suitable project.

If this lineup-building strategy is maintained, every Mad City in the future will be a closing ceremony to sum up the year.

Such a luxurious and almost extravagant music festival is actually held in Las Vegas, a sin city with all-encompassing sensuality, and on Halloween, a time when people want to release their desires and emotions the most, but super-large music The festival is held at a very limited time... The time is right, the place is right, and the Mad City Music Festival has everything in place. How can those at the top of the world who already have money and leisure not feel sad?

Although this festival is full of fun, there has never been a fully influential event that attracts elite players from all over the world to one place. Now, the emergence of Mad City may completely change this situation.

As long as the first edition is successful, Mad City will occupy a place in the upper echelon. In the future, it may become an indispensable part of the October travel plans of billionaires around the world, along with the Frieze Art Exhibition.

Han Yi realized this, the team at Hanscene realized this, the media who were observing from the sidelines realized this, and celebrities from all walks of life who are always looking for fresh excitement also realized this.

The actual performance and comprehensive experience of the music festival have yet to be evaluated, but based on the information currently known, Mad City does have the potential to become the next Woodstock.

And everyone wanted to go to the first Woodstock.

Before it was officially recorded in history, dancing with Jimi Hendrix in the new millennium was an experience that may be difficult to repeat in life.

And the unreplicable experience is precisely the magic weapon that most attracts ultra-high-net-worth people.

Therefore, after the most popular casino suites are sold out, the less popular high-end rooms are gradually being sold out. The nearly 2000-square-foot Sake Suite at the Nobu Hotel, an affiliate of Caesars Palace, the Avenue Suite at Planet Hollywood with a rooftop terrace and private pool, the Lanai Villa at the Dream Hotel with a private chef and in-room spa, and the Rio Hotel in A palace suite with a jacuzzi on the balcony... These top-of-the-line templates that far exceed the standards of a four-star hotel show that there are no rooms available during Halloween in late August.

In mid-September, the gambling craze set off by Mad City also began to spread in the mainstream market. The first to achieve 100% bookings were undoubtedly the three four-star hotels closest to the venue - Circus Circus, Sahara Hotel, and Hilton Grand Vacations Club. Hilton was the first to put up a sold out sign on September 9, followed by Sahara three days later, and Circus Circus eight days later. The three hotels combined have a total of 21 rooms, almost all of which were sold at prices three times higher than the average price for the same period.

没错，2015年10月29日至31日，Circus Circus酒店的客房均价为142美元。

2016年10月29日至31日，这个数字是382美元。

For the Sahara Hotel, the average price in the same period in 2015 was US$186, while in 2016 it was US$449.

Hilton Vacation Club, in 2015, it was US$199, and in 2016 it jumped directly to US$509.

When did these three plots of land located at the northernmost end of the Las Vegas Strip, far away from the core business, cultural and entertainment areas, ever have such a wealthy life? Even during EDC, they could only drink a few mouthfuls of leftover soup from other hotels. But this Halloween, they’re the most popular place to stay.

If you are lucky enough to choose a room in one of these three hotels facing the Las Vegas festival venue, you can even save money on music festival tickets.

After all, who wouldn’t want to stand on the balcony and look up to see Eminem or Bieber’s wonderful performance?

A ticket costs US$450 and a room costs US$382... In the face of the high ticket prices, the soaring room rates don't seem so unacceptable anymore.

Fortunately, Hilton has a big family and a big business, so it doesn't care about this revenue. But MGM Resorts International and SBE Entertainment Group are different. Circus Circus and Sahara are the two most troublesome projects for their respective groups, suffering losses for consecutive years and unable to recover. The hosting of Mad City brought old assets back to life and gave them a brief but valuable respite. Taking Circus Circus as an example, this resort has a total of 3767 rooms, which means that at an average price of US$382, this hotel will be able to generate more than US$431.7 million in revenue within three days. In the last quarter, their total revenue, including the casino, was only $4520 million.

For three days, the accommodation fee alone is equivalent to one-tenth of the total quarterly revenue.

In order to boost their performance, the three hotels have launched music festival packages with almost the same contents - with Mad City tickets, you can enjoy express check-in, late check-out, happy hour with all-you-can-drink drinks every afternoon, and complimentary meals according to the room type. Coupons and more. Not only that, after negotiating with Hanscene, the attached restaurants within the three hotels have also joined the ranks of suppliers in the music festival’s catering area. That is to say, the Chinese restaurant of Sahara Hotel, the seafood buffet of Circus Circus, and the steakhouse of Hilton Vacation Club will all be opened at the music festival site, and will be cooked and delivered uniformly by the central kitchen.

In addition, although they have not obtained the official After Party authorization from the Mad City Music Festival, Sahara, Hilton and Circus Circus still announced that they will host music festivalgoers in their open-air swimming pools from 12 noon until early morning. An electronic music party that ended at two o'clock.

In a word, these three hotels are determined to cling to Mad City, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and achieve this year's profit target in three days.

The star-rated hotels near the venue are making huge profits, and the famous resorts a little further away are also overcrowded. After Circus Circus announced that it was all sold out for Halloween weekend, the number of remaining properties on both sides of the Las Vegas Strip dropped rapidly, and prices rose sharply. At the Excalibur Hotel, a room priced at $199 sold for $544. MGM Grand Hotel, Mandalay Bay Hotel, Belle Hotel, Linnick Hotel, Dream Hotel, Paris Hotel, as long as they are resorts operating on the main road, the average room price has soared to more than 500 US dollars. The most exaggerated ones are Bellagio and Venetian, where the cheapest room types cost US$723 and US$802 respectively.

Think it’s not that exaggerated and want to place an order right away to grab a place to stay? Sorry, the cheapest room type was sold out three weeks ago. Now if I want to stay in the Venetian, there are only a few luxurious king-size bed suites in the exclusive club lounge to choose from. What’s the price? $3535!

It is no exaggeration to say that businesses in the entire city are becoming more and more crazy as Mad City approaches.

"During ordinary concerts, we can observe an increase in housing prices in the city center. But events like EDC and Mad City will make all boats float in the air with the rising water level." Government Affairs Director of GMA Consulting Brendan Bassman analyzed this in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I don’t have the exact numbers for the time being, and there will be a detailed report after the show...but I believe that this This music festival will not be inferior to EDC in June in boosting the local tourism market and consumer market."

Virginia Valentine, president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association, echoed this sentiment in an email sent to members last Thursday: “Las Vegas is hosting a series of special events in late October. It's bringing in big crowds. Occupancy rates, room rates and flight occupancy all reflect that. It should be another strong weekend for the Las Vegas economy."

With the event so popular, Kanye West's team suddenly notified the organizers only two days before the opening of the festival that they needed to increase the number of entourage and rooms. Moreover, ordinary rooms are not accepted and must be arranged in presidential suites or accommodation of the same level.

How can this be?

Even if Hanshi is subjectively willing to meet Kanye's unreasonable demands, objective conditions do not allow it.

In the core area of ​​Las Vegas, where more than 100,000 people poured in at the same time, there were really no rooms left.

"You've confirmed it with every hotel, right?" Han Yi flipped through the laptop handed to him by Blair-Shuman, which clearly displayed the latest reception instructions sent by the SB Projects management team.

"Yeah, let alone the presidential suite, the suites are not connected together anymore." Blair sighed softly and replied. That’s right, not only did Kanye demand five more presidential suites, but all five presidential suites had to be on the same floor.

"What is your solution?" Han Yi pondered for a moment and continued to ask, "If there is one."

"Of course, Mr. Han." Blair nodded quickly and responded, "Kardashian...Kanye West's temporary accompanying team requires accommodation conditions above the presidential suite. Although there are no rooms in the hotel now, There are still many more luxurious accommodations in Las Vegas than the Presidential Suite.”

"You mean private residences, right?" Han Yi understood instantly, "Airbnb?"

"It wasn't Airbnb exactly because the property wasn't listed on the website, but we did ask Airbnb for help."

Adam Cohen opened a PDF on his computer, raised it with one hand and brought it to Han Yi's eyes.

“27 Eagle Ridge Blvd., 0.89 acres, 9049 square feet of interior space, a total of 7 bedrooms, 7 and a half bathrooms, is located in the most luxurious Summit Club community in Las Vegas with panoramic views of the Strip. It’s only 13.4 miles away from the venue, and it’s east-west, not the most congested north-south direction.”

"I think it's no problem." Han Yi nodded slightly. He was quite satisfied with the team's emergency response capabilities. "What's the price?"

"USD 38330, rental price, taxes, cleaning fees and labor costs are not included." Adam scrolled down a few pages and checked the quote for Han Yi, "It's very expensive, but not as expensive as five presidential suites."

"Then this is it." Han Yi pointed to the screen, "Have you communicated with Kanye's team?"

"Not yet, because it involves a budget increase. We have communicated this matter with Mr. Gelfand's team and Ms. Beto. They said you will arrive this afternoon. When you arrive, you will make the final decision. .”

"Where are they now?"

"The accountant team is in Room 4, which is not connected to the lobby. As for Ms. Beto..."

"I'm here, boss."

A slightly rapid breathing sound came from outside the conference hall. When Han Yi raised his eyes, Jacqueline Berto had already entered the door with Ori Blistan.

"Sorry, I just came back from the site and followed up on the progress of the construction." Jacqueline Berto put her hands on her hips, took a few breaths, and glanced at the house information in Adam's hand, "We are watching "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" The location for filming this season, right?”

"That's almost it." Han Yi couldn't help laughing, "Blair and Adam just told me about Kanye's new requirements."

"What do you think?" Jacqueline asked.

"It's a tragedy in terms of financial management, but it's inevitable in terms of artist reception." Han Yi spread his hands, "I think we have no choice."

"I agree with you." Jacqueline agreed, "I am from a financial background. If I want to follow my true thoughts, then I will never give in. Not only will I not give in, I will also take apart every reimbursement. Crushed and scrutinized, their team couldn’t get a penny from us. But..."

"Many of the viewers who chose to buy single-day tickets on Sunday came to see Kanye West's rare music festival performance. For the overall effect of the event and the reputation of the first edition, I think... we should bear the unexpected losses , we have to bear it too.”

"Very good, Jackie, I agree very much." Han Yiyang raised his hand, "Inform Mr. Gelfand and ask his team to set aside the budget, create a list, and give it to Adam and others to apply for."

"Understood, boss." Jacqueline pursed her lips and hesitated, "However, we haven't communicated with Kanye yet... You know, luxury houses are nice, but after all, they are not as good as five-star hotels. There is still a difference in resorts.”

"It doesn't matter, I will take care of this matter."

Han Yi looked around at the employees surrounding him and showed a relieved smile. Immediately, he clicked on the phone book on his phone, entered an S, found the name "Scooter Braun", and pressed call.

As the most successful talent manager on the planet, Scooter Braun is extremely busy. An anecdote that is widely circulated in the circle is that even when he has lunch with someone, he has to time it by the minute - 26 minutes, 27 minutes. When the time is up, no matter how much salad is left on the plate, whether the meeting is completed or not , he would get up immediately and rush to the next party, negotiation or ceremony.

Normally, when he sees an unscheduled call, he will hand the phone directly to one of the three assistants and ask them to help handle it.

But Han Yi is not an ordinary contact person after all.

For the Mad City music festival alone, he signed Scooter a huge performance contract of US$715 million.

After splitting the money with the artists, Scooter could pocket close to seven figures.

Therefore, before the second ring could even ring, Scooter Braun's hearty but dry laughter came from the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Han!"

"Long time no contact."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

(End of this chapter)