Cache Creek Casino Resort, located in Brooks, California, is owned and operated by the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians. From its humble beginnings as a bingo hall in 1985, Cache Creek now encompasses 74,720-square feet of casino space featuring 2,600 slot machines and 142 table games. The 415,000-square foot property also includes a 200-room luxury hotel and health spa, eight restaurants, Club 88 entertainment venue, outdoor swimming pool, casino gift shop and tribal-operated mini mart, gas station and fire station.
Cache Creek focuses on more than just entertainment – the emphasis at this resort is beauty and modernity. People’s expectations have changed since the old days of visiting the Vegas strip, and Cache Creek is focused on continuously improving the guest experience with superb facilities, varied offerings and modern communications to guide and inform. They’re using digital signage powered by AxisTV to maximize guest relations, wayfinding efforts and promotional campaigns.
Mark Harman, Technical Manager for Cache Creek, says, “AxisTV presents an attractive, captivating message system for timely, pertinent communications with our customers.” They currently use AxisTV Professional edition, version 6.4, with ten Visix Channel Players broadcasting content to dozens of displays, including twelve NEC 42” and 50” plasmas, twenty Panasonic 50” displays, an NEC 61” plasma and several industrial grade displays ranging from 25” to 40”.
The digital signage system was tested in 2003 and implemented early the following year. AxisTV has kept up with the increasing pace of technological improvement that is the hallmark of the early 21st century. “The field is more competitive than it was three years ago,” says Harman, “and the product has evolved over time. It’s increased the flexibility of content creation and end-user content control. The ease of use for the message creator is great and it can all be done over the Internet. We also upgraded our Content Server, which gave us a marked performance increase.”
While Harman and his team use some traditional print signs, such as freestanding “lollipops” and backlit duratrans, dynamic communications are vital in an environment like Cache Creek where people are constantly on the go. “Motion is a great thing. A moving video display catches the eye – we’re all trained these days to automatically look when we see a TV or other moving image.” A staff videographer produces facility footage, special projects and promotional spots using an on-site video editing suite for production editing and effects.
“We don’t use tickers, or display weather – none of that. We focus on maximum impact marketing content, using it like a video billboard. We try to make our visual signage striking and captivating, “ Harman explains. “We use a lot of video with contrasting text and motion graphics. A lot of stuff gets storyboarded and then created using digital cameras and video, then tweaked in the video editing suite. Right now, for example, the casino is building a golf course, so we shoot some footage, make it look good, and display it. The idea is that people will see it and say ‘Wow, that looks great. I’ll have to try that.’ It gives the customer a chance to see what’s available to them, now or in the future. It’s also a portal for the visitor to see other aspects of the property.”
Like their décor and their advertising, Cache Creek digital signage content focuses on aesthetics. Harman continues, “A lot of our content is, well – it’s beautiful. We want it to be eye-catching but also eye-pleasing. Staying resonant and working in harmony with our graphic design department is important. We all work together to create memorable and beautiful content that our guests will stop, watch, and remember.”
In a visually stimulating environment like Cache Creek, finding just the right place for displays is one of the major concerns for Harman. “Display location is key,” he tells us. “People walk by for a very brief time and we have to catch their attention and get them to look. If they’re in a line somewhere, then we can display a longer message.” AxisTV is used to convey content to displays located just about anywhere – in gaming rooms, next to elevators, in the halls and lobby, in the restaurant, and anywhere else people might linger for that crucial extra second needed to capture their attention. Guests can find information on the spa and gourmet restaurant, entertainment offerings, gaming specials and promotions, and even directional wayfinding instructions (such as “No Smoking Slots – This Way”) just about everywhere in the public areas of the property. Harman and his team even use digital displays to show rules for different games for visitors in the gaming rooms.
The ease of updating content is another advantage of AxisTV’s friendly user experience. Harman says, “We update content usually once a week. Our entertainment offerings alone are constantly changing. AxisTV is easy to use and also up-to-the-moment current. This makes it competitive as well as cost effective.”
Harman plans to incorporate more digital signage in the future as Cache Creek continues to expand its facilities and range of offerings to customers. As we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Harman feels that they are pacing the leading resort properties with regards to digital signage. “We’ll be studying the future quite carefully,” he concludes. “There’s a contemporary appearance to digital signage. It’s modern and we want to stay modern.”
Cache Creek Casino Resort