Before he became one of the world’s foremost music-festivals operators, Roberto Medina was a top advertising executive in his native Brazil.
As such, he understands the power of an effective marketing campaign. And as the first Rock in Rio USA festival launches on the Strip this weekend, he has learned the following:
The event itself is its own best advertising.
“Even with all the communication and advertising before the event, people do not completely understand what is happening here,” Medina said Tuesday afternoon before a media preview of the Rock in Rio “City of Rock” spread out on MGM Resorts Festival Grounds. “This is a project not for this year, but long-term, for the next 20 and 30 years. This is how we have to look at it.”
The latest indication from the event is that no more than 50,000 people will be in attendance for each of the festival's four days, and some reports put that number at around 30,000. The earliest estimations were that upward of 80,000 would turn out for the first Rock in Rio event ever in the U.S. Now that's clearly out of reach.
Nonetheless, this weekend and next should be a unique spectacle on the southwest corner of the Strip and Sahara Avenue. After a festival-opening showcase at 5:30 p.m. by artists from Cirque du Soleil’s Las Vegas productions, tonight’s headliners for Rock Weekend are No Doubt, Mana, The Pretty Reckless and Smallpools.
On Saturday, it’s Metallica, Linkin Park, Rise Against and Hollywood Undead. Intertwined on the 50-acre plot is the City of Rock, retail and entertainment stages representing the U.K., U.S. and Brazil. A Ferris wheel and zip line across the main stage are among the family-friendly attractions.
It will all make for great theater. Asked if ticket sales for this year’s event have met his expectations, Medina said, “Really, in the first event, I don’t have expectations. It’s been difficult for me to understand this market until we have an event. The population is different every weekend. It changes. It is not like other cities, and we are learning.”
He added, “This is a project not just for this year, but long-term. It is for 20 years from now, 30 years from now.”
Medina said he needs to establish his own reputation and professional equity in Las Vegas to make Rock in Rio USA a financial success. Those who have staged similar festivals in this city, including Life Is Beautiful downtown, have noted that the greatest of the U.S. festivals, Coachella, did not see a profit until its third year.
Medina has done an effective job of garnering support among Las Vegas’ power brokers (visits from Larry Ruvo and Steve Wynn this week were impressive moments of support) and needs to tap into that momentum when the festival returns.
“In Brazil, we have sold many tickets before the talent is contracted and announced,” he said. “People are buying into the event, the experience, the party. They know they will have a great time, and the talent will be great.”
Medina also said, “In the biggest events in America, 50 percent of the people don’t go for the talent. They go for the experience, to be together and be happy.”
He recalls a band he declines to name being booked at an early Rock in Rio event in Brazil. The act played the festival to 250,000 fans. Later that year, the band returned to Rio.
“They sold 10,000 tickets,” he said. “Same group, in the same year. We saw that people come to Rock in Rio because of the party, not just the talent.”
But again, there is little baseline identification for U.S. festival fans for Rock in Rio USA. Such vital facets as lodging and access to the venue need to be experienced before they can be fully embraced.
Even on the afternoon of the opening of the festival, room rates have remained largely unchanged for hotels near the venue. Posted rates at SLS Las Vegas, just across the Strip from the festival, are set at $100 from tonight through Sunday — typical of any weekend.
But years from now, Medina says, these issues will be remembered as part of the event’s growth curve.
“I’ve learned a lot, and I think we will still learn a lot for this first moment,” he said, recalling a skeptical line of questioning from a U.S. journalist wondering if these groovy renderings were at all feasible.
“He said to me, ‘You won’t deliver all this!’ But look, I am delivering everything. This City of Rock is absolutely amazing. It is the best city we have. I deliver everything.”
And the brand equity of Rock in Rio USA, and Roberto Medina, will, too, be delivered.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy