The Smith Center for the Performing Arts "The Heart of the Arts"

It was surprising that a city with the size and stature of Las Vegas, with so many world-class performers and entertainment venues, didn’t have a world-class performing arts center as well. The Smith Center for the Performing Arts changed that and changed it in a big way. We helped The Smith Center create a brand platform and messaging strategy that emphasized that this was a venue for the people of Las Vegas for generations to come. A place where they could be inspired by great performances and unique arts education programs – it was to be “The Heart of the Arts” in Las Vegas.

We also created the opening night invitations and event materials that played up the historic opening. This was something that they could tell their children and their grandchilcdren about, that they were there when this gem of a performing arts center opened and gave Las Vegas a heart for the arts.

WIth the brand and messaging strategy in place, they asked us to create a campaign to launch the $470 million venue. With famous showrooms just about everywhere, “grand openings” of some kind every day, and ads for all kinds of performers and venues just about everywhere you look, The Smith Center needed a campaign that would stand out in the famously crowded and competitive Las Vegas market. We created an elegant campaign that built anticipation and started to create an emotional connection with the local audience, and then created a sense of urgency, to let people know that this was a moment in Las Vegas history that they didn’t want to miss.