Six-week 'Grand Opening'

Despite a great deal of buzz that already surrounds the Legends at Sparks Marina, RED Development established a grand opening budget for the destination center that's almost 10 times the annual marketing budget for the project.

Legend's June 18 grand opening is expected to continue for six weeks as other retail destinations open up and the center cashes in on the area's special events season. Dennis McGovern, general manager for Legends at Sparks Marina, planned to advertise for Legends through radio and television spots, as well as a double-barreled billboard attack on Interstate 80 and Highway 395, as well as throughout the town to reinforce the center's message.

"We will be on every major highway coming into the market," McGovern says. "You can't drive in from Sacramento without driving by a couple of our billboards that tell you how new and exciting and fun we are.

"We recognize the importance of marketing a new shopping center," he adds. "We know there is a lot of buzz and excitement, and people already know who we are, what we are and where we are. But people have to really understand what is this product called Legends."

Legends is billed as an entertainment and shopping destination. But for the grand opening of its first phase, which includes 49 retail stores, the center is primarily a shopping destination. The second phase includes a movie theater and four restaurants, and the third phase calls for a hotel and casino.

Before the grand opening, McGovern invited marketing reps, front desk and sales staff and concierges from every hotel-casino in the region for a Legends open house.

"We want them to understand our product, we want to make sure that everybody is speaking from the same set of guidelines: What we are, what we are going to include, our hours of operation, who we will be here. It is important that this person sitting at a front desk has the ability to convey that message to visitors in the market. That is what makes us a destination.

"We believe very strongly that given this market prior to us coming to it, a convention group sitting down with a casino would be saying, 'What does my wife do all day?' or 'Where do we go in the evenings?' That casino marketing group certainly has a better tool now to sell the market.

"We have brought something into the equation that certainly will be a great environment for the locals to shop, but we also have brought that piece of the puzzle in that now gives the casinos a real upper hand in their ability to sell the Sparks and Reno market for their conventions."

The main message being touted is that Legends isn't just a shopping center but an all-encompassing entertainment district. McGovern says he has managed several major shopping centers out of the ground, including Legends in Kansas City, but all take a backseat when compared to Legends at Sparks Marina.

"When you look at the finished product and mixed use, and the accoutrements the casino and the hotel that will be on the property the big boxes, and you put that package together on the marina, this is a top-five shopping entertainment destination in the United States. There is no question about it," he says.

The grand opening is six weeks long in part of capitalize on the influx of tourists to the region for events such as the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, Star Spangled Sparks, Hot August Nights, and the National Championship Air Races.

"There was a lot of stuff we needed to draw off as far as energy and excitement, so the only thing we could figure is that we would have six weeks of grand opening festivities which is a long time from an operational standpoint," McGovern says.

Legends grand opening was originally slated for last November, but the weakening economy postponed that date until June as many retailers avoided opening new stores during a weak Christmas sales season. In that time, three retailers backed out of opening stores at the center, two because of corporate bankruptcies.

stores, the center is primarily a shopping destination. The second phase includes a movie theater and four restaurants, and the third phase calls for a hotel and casino.

Before the grand opening, McGovern invited marketing reps, front desk and sales staff and concierges from every hotel-casino in the region for a Legends open house.

"We want them to understand our product, we want to make sure that everybody is speaking from the same set of guidelines: What we are, what we are going to include, our hours of operation, who we will be here. It is important that this person sitting at a front desk has the ability to convey that message to visitors in the market. That is what makes us a destination.

"We believe very strongly that given this market prior to us coming to it, a convention group sitting down with a casino would be saying, 'What does my wife do all day?' or 'Where do we go in the evenings?' That casino marketing group certainly has a better tool now to sell the market.

"We have brought something into the equation that certainly will be a great environment for the locals to shop, but we also have brought that piece of the puzzle in that now gives the casinos a real upper hand in their ability to sell the Sparks and Reno market for their conventions."

The main message being touted is that Legends isn't just a shopping center but an all-encompassing entertainment district. McGovern says he has managed several major shopping centers out of the ground, including Legends in Kansas City, but all take a backseat when compared to Legends at Sparks Marina.

"When you look at the finished product and mixed use, and the accoutrements the casino and the hotel that will be on the property the big boxes, and you put that package together on the marina, this is a top-five shopping entertainment destination in the United States. There is no question about it," he says.

The grand opening is six weeks long in part to capitalize on the influx of tourists to the region for events such as the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, Star Spangled Sparks, Hot August Nights, and the National Championship Air Races.

"There was a lot of stuff we needed to draw off as far as energy and excitement, so the only thing we could figure is that we would have six weeks of grand opening festivities which is a long time from an operational standpoint," McGovern says.

Legends grand opening was originally slated for last November, but the weakening economy postponed that date until June as many retailers avoided opening new stores during a weak Christmas sales season. In that time, three retailers backed out of opening stores at the center, two because of corporate bankruptcies.