Vol. 4, No. 4, April 2007
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The Art of Selling
Casinos to conventions: Former gaming exec runs El Paso visitors bureau
Bill Blaziek always had a unique relationship with casinos. He sold the sizzle on the gambling steak.
From conventioneers to community leaders throughout the country, and primarily the East Coast, Blaziek extolled the values of his employers. He lured business to Resorts, Trump Taj Mahal and, finally, the Atlantic City Convention Center. By the time he left in 2002, becoming general manager of the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Convention and Performing Arts Centers, Blaziek could do it all. He had seen Atlantic City gaming grow up.
“Atlantic City helped hone my skills in destination marketing,” Blaziek says. “Here we have conventions, tourism and an economy that is growing, just as Atlantic City does. I came out here as a general manager, but I envy the Convention Center back in Atlantic City (half a million feet of exhibit space), and Boardwalk Hall just reeks of tradition.”
Blaziek served as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Resorts and VP of sales and marketing at Trump Taj Mahal before serving as VP of convention development in Atlantic City. His 19 years spanned several mini-eras—the dominance of Resorts, the emergence of Donald Trump, stagnation in the early ’90s, and a rebirth kicked off by the refurbished Hall and new Convention Center. Blaziek departed just before Borgata raised the bar and kick-started a citywide building revolution. He cashed in a valuable industry commodity-—an Atlantic City diploma.
“It was a spawning ground for executives all over the country,” Blaziek says. “A lot of people came from Nevada because of the phenomenon in Atlantic City, the growth followed, and now you distribute this talent nationally.
“What made these people extremely valuable was their knowledge of the regulatory process in New Jersey. I respect those who worked hard on the floor, showed incredible energy and sometimes, endless patience. Atlantic City has a wealth of seasoned pros.”
Blaziek was one of them. He thrived at selling the gaming fantasy, and a market that grew up around his efforts. The California native pushed an incentive-filled envelope to potential Atlantic City visitors—convenience, convenience, convenience.
“The big message was that Atlantic City was within a day’s drive of one-third of the nation’s population,” Blaziek says. “It resonated extremely well with meeting and convention planners. The audience was unlimited for us. When major trade shows convened in Atlantic City, they drew huge numbers from the neighboring states. That was the reality of our gaming success.
“Atlantic City was a great stopping-off point for places like Baltimore, Washington and New York. I still love the area. My wife is from Ocean City, and we get back there a couple times a year.”
Blaziek’s most defining move occurred in 1997. He left Taj Mahal to join the Convention Authority in what became a crossover job. The position required him to market the city as a whole, and ultimately brought him to El Paso. Blaziek joined the Atlantic City authority’s pre-opening staff, and loved selling the spanking new center, a magnet for business.
Blaziek became close to leaders of SMG, the private company that manages the Convention Center and Boardwalk Hall. SMG, the world leader in facility management, operates stadiums, arenas, convention centers and theaters—including El Paso. SMG dangled a promotion to Blaziek. Some would balk at uprooting from the beach, Boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean for a remote area on the Texas-Mexico border. Blaziek saw an opportunity, which grew to becoming a senior regional manager for SMG.
“This is a city of more than 700,000 people, connected at the hip with Juarez, Mexico, which has in excess of 1.4 million,” Blaziek says. “NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) is great for this area. We have products developed in Juarez and distributed in El Paso. Juarez has an emerging middle class.”
The population base produced the largest international border community in the world. That has not been lost on musical acts. The Rolling Stones played at the Sun Bowl last year. Blaziek presides over two theaters comprising nearly 5,000 seats and a convention center with 100,000 square feet of space.
Though gaming does not fit the equation, Blaziek still has a respectable base to draw from.
“We have sun more than 300 days a year and we are steeped in more than 400 years of history,” Blaziek says. “You know,” he adds, laughing, “El Paso is actually the site of the first Thanksgiving. We had it here in 1598. We preceded the Pilgrims.”
The story checks out, according to Spanish history. Don Juan de Onate conducted the ceremony some 23 years before the Pilgrims. Blaziek has a way of bringing out the best in his area.
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