SERVICES
Network of Gaming Consultants
C3 Gaming provides a network of independent casino consultants, architectural and design firms, market research providers, marketing consultants, gaming centric advertising agencies, business intelligence / data / technology firms, and financial professionals with high levels of expertise in the casino industry. The C3 Network of consultants spans the globe and have intimate knowledge and expertise of gaming markets in multiple jurisdictions.
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Clients benefit from having a seamless relationship to a network of respective experts that can effectively meet their needs in a coordinated fashion. C3 can connect clients with the most appropriate consultant or serve as Project Leader on consulting projects that include one or more of its consulting partners. In these scenarios, C3 will assemble a team of consultants with the expertise necessary to complete a portion of the assignment.
Evaluation of Gaming Markets
Casino-Hotel & Integrated Resort Feasibility Studies
The gaming industry is rapidly maturing and there are few markets that still do not have casinos. Entry into a new market with existing competition requires accurate forecasting. Given the costs of developing a new casino-resort, there is little room for error. C3’s consulting partners are located across the globe and understand the nuances of individual markets.
C3 first assembles a team with the greatest knowledge of a particular market, examines the competition, potential sources of demand, then applies the most appropriate forecasting model to determine the value of that market. Then, based on the client’s proposed building plan, C3 determines if the project is feasible.
Property Expansion Studies
As markets mature, casinos must aggressively compete with other properties for a share of the regional gaming market. They do so by improving their properties, often adding additional gaming capacity. Lodging, dining, and entertainment are also critical tools to foster loyalty and encourage repeat visitation. Accurate forecasts of revenues and expenses are an essential part of the planning process.
These studies begin with Customer Insight Panels to better understand what existing customers would like to see. The C3 consulting team then meets with property leadership to better understand the property masterplan, and how any expansion will integrate into existing operations. Then, the consulting team conducts quantitative analysis of market demand and supply in order to forecast future results.
Cannibalization Studies
A new entrant in a casino market can have a profound and deleterious effect on existing operators. C3’s consulting partners are experts in constructing financial models that can forecast the effects that a new market entrant will have on an existing casino or a particular market.
Operations Analysis
Marketing Audits
A marketing audit provides an independent examination of a casino’s marketing efforts. The process starts by understanding how a casino’s current marketing department works today. The consulting team meets with stakeholders in the casino organization, starting with senior leadership, then speaks with each member of the marketing team as well as groups of hosts and player rewards program personnel.
The consulting team then conducts a series of customer insight panels with loyal, frequent customers. Then individual programs are examined in order to better understand how the casino marketing effort works.
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With an understanding of the qualitative aspects of the marketing department, the consulting team conducts a series of quantitative analyses in order to identify the amount of money that is spent on each component of the marketing effort. The C3 consulting team is then in a position to make specific recommendations on how to improve the marketing process.
Player Reward Program Design
The player rewards program is the foundation of any casino’s customer relationship management program. A player rewards program’s suite of benefits is only one component of a successful rewards program. How tiers are structured is another critical factor. Periodically, the rewards program needs to be updated or redesigned to better meet the needs of players and the business.
Members of the C3 consulting team have over three decades of experience designing and redesigning player reward programs. Using similar methodologies as the Marketing Audit, C3 can evaluate a casino’s player rewards program determine if it meets the needs of the casino’s customers and the needs of the enterprise, and if necessary, propose alterations to the program.
Table Game Integrity
Casinos with table games are vulnerable to a variety of threats. Aggressive promotions and alterations to table game rules can leave a casino vulnerable to advantage players or teams of players who make a living playing table games. C3’s partners include consultants schooled at recognizing these vulnerabilities, and proposing solutions to preserve table game integrity.
Other Services
Focus Groups
Focus groups target gaming customers residing within a given market. Participants gamble at both the client’s casino and other properties. Recruited from email and phone lists from the adult population, participants are first screened for qualification and then polled as to their wagering habits.
Qualified candidates are then recruited to participate in a focus group. Focus groups are conducted in either a dedicated focus group facility or, if one is not available, a hotel meeting room with an adjacent observation room.
C3’s partners include experienced focus group moderators that specialize in casino gaming. They probe customers for their opinions of all casinos in a given market. They then sift through player comments to identify issues that management may not be aware of, and provide research reports that contain actionable intelligence.
Customer Insight Panels
Customer Insight Panels are modeled after a traditional focus group. These groups are comprised of avid, loyal members of the casino’s rewards program.
Customer Insight Panels are essential for any casino planning a property expansion, room renovation program, changes in their food & beverage program, alteration to their player rewards program or just to hear how the casino is doing compared to the competition. C3 Gaming ascribes to the fundamental belief that if one asks customers what they like and dislike about a particular casino property, those customers will tell you, in no uncertain terms.
Customer Surveys
Customer surveys are proving increasingly important as casinos resume normal operations and the pandemic abates. While the most common are guest satisfaction surveys, C3 can design a survey to match a client’s unique research objectives.
C3 consultants first delineate a client’s research objectives. Once finalized, C3 identifies the target market, develops a research methodology and the survey instrument. The questionnaire is first pre-tested, then administered online to the target market. Results are cross-tabulated, analyzed, and conclusions drawn. The deliverable includes a research report with a clear summary of findings.
Market Research
Marketing Plan Development
The development of an annual marketing plan is a time-consuming process. In most casino organizations, the marketing budget acts as the foundation of the property’s marketing plan. Often, the property’s finance director prepares the next year’s budget, allocating a certain amount towards casino marketing, promotions, free play, and advertising.
It is then up to the marketing director to implement the property’s various marketing programs and tactics, adhering to the line item amounts in their marketing budget. What this process often lacks are analyses of the past year’s marketing efforts, the formation of realistic goals and objectives, and strategies that in turn define marketing’s tactical plans.
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C3 Gaming takes on the burden facilitating the creation of the annual marketing plan with the participation of all relevant stakeholders. C3 then serves as the ghost writer of the plan, relieving the burdensome task so that leadership can focus on operating the gaming enterprise.
Independent Evaluation of Marketing Products and Systems
The selection of a casino management system, a mobile app, or an online gaming system is a strategic decision for any casino. These systems require multi-million-dollar investments. The replacement of an older legacy system can be very disruptive to the casino enterprise. Each system has its unique attributes that may or may not be essential to a particular casino.
Similarly, marketing products such as kiosks and mobile apps may require a third-party evaluation and recommendation. C3 offers an independent evaluation of casino management systems and products to assist the gaming operator match the system and products that best meets the needs of the casino enterprise.