How to Create a More Immersive Casino Experience

Hello there! I'm Courtney Wood, an Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Poppulo. I've been living and breathing the Las Vegas hospitality scene for the past 14 years. With an undergrad in hospitality management from UNLV, I've had the privilege of working at almost every property on the Las Vegas Strip. My journey has taken me through various roles—from front desk and room reservations to guest experience and casino marketing.

This background has given me a unique perspective on what makes a casino experience truly immersive. I've seen firsthand how different aspects of hospitality integrate and complement each other, creating a holistic experience for guests.

My passion for technology and guest experience led me to the world of digital signage. I found digital signage to be the perfect avenue to marry my skills in guest experience and hospitality with cutting-edge technology. So, let’s get into it!

Defining "Immersive" in the Casino Context

Immersive. It’s a widely used term. But the reality is, it means—or should mean—different things to different guests. So, when we talk about creating an immersive casino experience, we're not just talking about flashy lights and exciting games. It's about understanding the full customer journey on a property and catering to various types of casino visitors. This truly is the secret. Not all guests are on your property for the same reasons, nor do they have the same expectations. In order to make the experience immersive, the key is to make sure every guest’s journey, and their expectations, are met. Here's what I’ve seen as the most common types of guests:

1. Transient guests: Those staying for a short period, often focused on specific amenities or experiences.
2. Gaming guests: Visitors primarily there to enjoy the casino floor.
3. Pool enthusiasts: Those looking to soak up the sun and enjoy the resort atmosphere.
4. Conference and convention attendees: Guests with specific schedules and needs related to their events.
5. Concert and event-goers: Visitors attending specific shows or performances, either at the property they’re staying at, or elsewhere.

An immersive experience caters to each of these guest types, enhancing their stay while also driving revenue across the entire organization. It's about creating a seamless, responsive ecosystem where every element—from digital signage to personal interactions—enhances the atmosphere, provides timely information, and drives desired behaviors.

Tips for Making Things Immersive

Digital signage plays a crucial role in crafting immersive experiences for all of your guests. Let's explore how casinos can leverage digital signage to enhance the experience for different guest types:

Transient Guests: For these guests, the focus is on creating a welcoming atmosphere and providing information to help these guests get the most out of their visit. Interactive wayfinding kiosks at key entry points help them quickly locate amenities, restaurants, and other opportunities to take advantage of. Dynamic welcome displays with large marquees showcase captivating visuals and personalized greetings, creating a positive first impression that sets the tone for their visit. This type of guest is looking to be impressed, so “immersive” for them is making sure all branding is on-point and amenity information is easy to find.

Gaming Enthusiasts: These guests come to your casino primarily for the thrill of the gaming experience. For these visitors, digital signage can enhance excitement and engagement on the casino floor. Real-time progressive jackpot signs, triggered celebration animations, table-game signage, and game-finders all help create a more immersive experience for this type of guest.

Pool and Leisure Guests: Similar to the transient guests, these visitors are focused on relaxation and entertainment outside of the gaming floor. For these visitors, event reader boards display real-time information about pool parties, spa services, and other leisure activities. Dynamic menu boards showcase poolside dining options and drink specials, easily updated throughout the day to match the changing atmosphere and guest preferences. These applications, common-place in casinos today, play an integral part in the guest experience for visitors interested in the more leisurely aspects of your property.

Conference and Convention Attendees: Such a massive, and surprisingly overlooked part of a casino’s revenue stream, business travelers and conference attendees require their own set of digital signage applications and content strategy. Directional signs help guide these guests to conference rooms and event spaces, while strategically placed screens display up-to-date information about keynote speakers, session times, in addition to onsite amenities. During break times, restaurant promotions near conference areas highlight lunch specials and quick dining options, catering to their busy schedules. Many of our clients also sell advertising and branding packages on their signs, both as a way to upsell more immersive experiences to event planners, and a way to drive additional revenue from other local partners.

Concert and Event-Goers: Another large crowd are people who travel to attend specific shows or performances. This is a group that’s relatively easy to create a better experience for, but few properties do it well. Let's say an hour before showtime starts, you use your screens to start promoting and building excitement for the show. You can leverage your overhead directionals to move traffic effectively to the venue, all while helping build excitement for the show. Then, after the show, you can use all of your screens—within the pathways your concert attendees will use—to promote bars and restaurants, gaming events, and more. I’ve seen some properties offer themed drinks and other special offers, encouraging guests to extend their stay and explore more of what the property has to offer. This approach maximizes onsite spend, but also offers the event attendee more to experience, which many choose to do.

Loyalty Program Members: These repeat visitors and VIP guests expect personalized experiences. For these valued customers, casinos utilize loyalty program data to deliver targeted offers on slot toppers, ATMs, and end caps. Interactive loyalty kiosks provide easy access to account information, point redemption, and exclusive offers through touchscreen displays, enhancing their sense of value for their loyalty. Additionally, this group will likely have preferred games, which can often get moved. Interactive game-finders solve this, keeping your loyalty members happy and enabling them to quickly get to what they want.

A Few More Ideas

By really understanding and nailing the guest journey, or more accurately, the different journey types, the better positioned you’ll be to create truly immersive experiences that enhance guest satisfaction, drive engagement, and ultimately boost revenue. But wait—there’s more! Unfortunately, there’s more to it than just that. Here’s a few other things I’ve seen over the years that might be worth considering.

Embrace Emerging Technologies: The future of immersive casino experiences lies in cutting-edge technologies. Some of our largest casino properties are already experimenting with AI-powered facial recognition (used anonymously for sentiment analysis ONLY) and advanced interactivity reporting to better understand guest behavior and preferences.

Focus on Moving Guests "To" Experiences: The key is to move guests to specific experiences, not just through your property. Point them to outlets, amenities, or events that enhance their stay and drive revenue. So, when you’re thinking about creating an immersive experience, remember “to, not through,” as that simple phrase will help re-frame how you plan out your digital signage content.

Leverage Data-Driven Insights: Use tools like heat mapping or dwell time analysis to understand how guests interact with your digital signage and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

Balance Information and Promotion: While it's important to promote your offerings, ensure that your digital signage primarily serves to enhance the guest experience. If you start with their needs first, you’ll win, because they’ll win. And I’m not saying that your promotions won’t match their needs—because they absolutely can. It’s more about ensuring the thing you want to move them to is something that aligns with what they came to your property for. When you can align their needs with your promotion, everyone wins.

Continuous Improvement: Regularly gather and analyze guest feedback to refine your immersive strategies. What works today may need adjustment tomorrow, as guest expectations evolve. If you haven’t spent an afternoon observing how guests move throughout your property lately, make the time, it’s always worth it.

Remember, creating an immersive casino experience is about more than just installing screens or offering games. It's about crafting a cohesive, engaging environment that caters to each guest's needs and desires, encouraging them to explore, engage, and ultimately, return. Make no mistake, the right digital signage platform and strategy can elevate your guest experience and deliver incredible ROI, setting your casino apart in this competitive industry. When you’re ready to learn more about the platform powering thousands of screens at casinos all over the world—or the strategies those properties are using, reach out, we’re here to help.