Tao Nightclub to Debut V.I.We – A Shared VIP / Bottle Service Experience
Good deals have a long history in Las Vegas. Our desert oasis was sewn together by the threads of 99-cent breakfast specials, comped cocktails and world-class hospitality. Legend has it that an apostrophe was left off the name of a certain Roman inspired Strip property, because its founder wanted every visitor to feel like royalty. In the realm of Las Vegas nightlife, however, the past few years have seen a fraying of the threads, a divide between bottle poppers with table service and those who watch the bottle popping from the general admission area. Tao Group’s entertainment marketing director Mike Snedegar aims to weave those two experiences together with a new cost-effective way to access bottle service luxury: V.I.We.
Debuting April 27 at Tao Nightclub, V.I.We has been in development since December. In November, Snedegar attended the digital symposium The Culture Salons, which presented data about younger Las Vegas clubgoers whose preferences didn’t seem to fit the traditional table minimum methods.
“A lot of the younger kids want a more inclusive experience,” Snedegar says. “This younger market grew up seeing Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian come to Las Vegas and celebrate their birthdays here. But most of those kids don’t have the budget to do bottle service.”
Similar to the cost-sharing model of Uber Pool, V.I.We allows users to purchase access to an area of shared tables and spare the cost of buying bottles on their own. Admission to the V.I.We section costs $50 for women and $100 for men, plus tax and gratuity. (Prices are subject to change during special events and holidays.) Snedegar says tickets can be purchased in advance on taolasvegas.com (Use promo code DISCO to get $5 off your ticket), or at the venue, depending on availability. Once guests enter the designated V.I.We area, they will have access to some bubbly, vodka and tequila, and of course, cocktail servers to pour drinks and replenish bottles. Brands include Absolut Elyx vodka, Avion Silver tequila and Campo Viejo sparkling wine.
“I’m really working to create a party within a party,” Snedegar says, adding that the V.I.We tables will be in a prominent section of the club that provides a sweeping view of main-floor activity. “It’s a way for people to save money, but it’s also a way for people to meet [others] they might not have met if they’d bought a separate table or if they had just bought general admission [access].” In addition to catering to younger guests, Snedegar says the V.I.We model should appeal to groups with varying budgets, or businesspeople traveling solo.
Snedegar and his team have focused their marketing efforts on a video and social media campaign to educate and entice potential visitors. After all, it’s largely the app-savvy millennial that Tao Group hopes to reach.
“This experience is not for everybody,” Snedegar says. “A lot of people are going to want their own table, but there are a lot of people coming to Las Vegas who want to spend less money and still get that VIP treatment. The more options you can give to the customer, the happier they’re going to be.”
If this initiative takes off, don’t be surprised to see the program expanded to Tao Group’s other venues, including Tao Beach, Marquee, and Marquee Dayclub.
