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Events

Illinois Video Gaming: A Year in Review

Well, it’s happening… we are officially moving on from the teens of the 21st century. Although the teenage years we knew so well were awkward and somewhat humbling, it has been truly #AWESOME in the Illinois video gaming industry!

As video slot machines emerged as a mainstream form of entertainment, the opportunities for advancement were endless. Awesome Hand Gaming is honored to have been at the forefront of video gaming in Illinois. Through traditional and digital marketing efforts and constant innovation, we took our service, marketing, and overall entertainment to the next level. 


AHG Marketing Team

Over the course of the last 6 years, our powerhouse marketing team has consistently brought best-practice marketing principles to life in the Illinois video gaming market. Our forward-thinking techniques have effectively built the Awesome Hand Gaming brand and culture. 

In 2019, we launched our sweepstakes initiative, during which we worked to expand our involvement, not only in location-based sweepstakes but in Awesome Hand Gaming-sponsored cash giveaways! In 2018, AHG successfully gave away $10,600 in cash prizes to our loyal Illinois video gamers. In 2019, we increased our sweepstakes and cash giveaways by 466%, giving away over $60,000 in cash and prizes! 

Our Marketing Manager Carrie Draper and Account Manager Lauren Bowen have kept loyal gamer engagement at an all-time high. From custom location-based gamer loyalty programs to ground-breaking marketing techniques, awesome incentives are offered to guests and gamers at dozens of Awesome Hand Gaming Illinois video gaming locations.

 


AHG Events & Promotions

Awesome Hand Gaming continues to be the only Illinois video gaming terminal operator who hosts specialty events and promotional parties. From grand-opening parties and custom events to radio promotions and sweepstakes—Awesome Hand Gaming does it all. It has become apparent to not only our staff and locations but more importantly, to loyal gamers, that 2019 has been an exceptional year. We’ve successfully increased our events and promotions 108.2% this year alone, going from 61 events in 2018 to hosting 127 events in 2019! 

Haven’t had a chance to stop by an Awesome Hand Gaming event just yet? KJ McCann, our Events Marketing Manager, has been with Awesome Hand Gaming for 3 years and has worked tirelessly to ensure that every event will generate Illinois gaming revenueWe have a promotional team of over 30 AHG beauties on staff, many of who have a following of their own. 

In order to keep things fresh, our Illinois gaming and video slot machine events team introduces a brand new event every three months. Want to see what we’ve done this year alone? We’ll let the pictures do the talking. 


January: Deuces Are Wild | Fox Rockers Finale Giveaway at Niko’s Pointers in Marengo, Illinois
Hosted: January 5th, 2019 

          



February:
Industry Night | Late Night Life-Size Battle Pong at Anastasia’s Sports Lounge & Restaurant in Antioch, Illinois 

Hosted: February 26th, 2019 

                          .        .      


March:60s Night | Bar Olympics Bash at Cottage Tap in Grayslake, Illinois
Hosted: March 9th, 2019 

           

 



 

April: Luxury Tax Sweepstakes | Hosted by Offsides Sports Bar & Grill & Awesome Hand Gaming in Woodstock, Illinois
Hosted: April 1st – April 24th, 2019 

      

 


May: Taco De Muerte | Cinco De Mayo Taco Eating Competition at La Campana in Bloomingdale, Illinois 

Hosted: May 5th, 2019 

           

 


June: Awesome Hand Gaming’s Jet Into June | Summer of Sweepstakes  

Hosted: June 1st – June 24th, 2019 

          

 


July: Awesome Hand Gaming’s Lobstermania Insania | Summer of Sweepstakes 

Hosted: July 1st – July 24th, 2019

     

 


August: Awesome Hand Gaming’s Catch Some Cash | Summer of Sweepstakes

Hosted: August 1st – August 24th, 2019 

                                  

 


September:80s Night Bar Olympics at C’mon Inn, in Grayslake, Illinois

Hosted: September 26th, 2019 

          

 


October: Glow in the Dark Battle Pong at At Work Sports Bar in Elk Grove, Illinois 

Hosted: October 18th, 2019 

          

 


November: Trivia Night at Boone Creek Golf Club in Boone Creek, Illinois

Hosted: November 7th, 2019 

          

 


December: 13 Acoustic Guitars of Axe-Mas | AHG & 95 WIIL ROCK Radio Promotion 

Hosted: December 16th, 2019

      

 


Woah, that brought back some seriously #AWESOME memories. 

2019—what a year you have been! We would like to take this last moment to share our appreciation for all of our longtime AHG partners, our 18 brand-new AHG locations, thousands of loyal gamers, and all of our event attendees. 

It’s safe to say that this year was filled with TONS of new challenges. From events like Trivia, Bingo, Life-Size Battle Pong, Singles Mixers, Bar Olympics, N64 Tournaments, and radio sponsorships, to our insane season of sweepstakes—every single event and promotion was a thrill. 

As we bring 2019 to a close, we can’t wait to share what 2020 has in store! 

Categories
Events

2018 in Review: Memorable Events at Our Illinois Video Gaming Locations

If there’s one thing Awesome Hand Gaming promises beyond exceptional Illinois video gaming services and commitment to our gamers, it’s to NEVER forget 2018. From new events to new slot machine and gaming locations, 2018 was jam-packed with amazing experiences that kept everyone on their toes!

Join us on a quick walk down memory lane to commemorate just how #AWESOME this year was for Awesome Hand Gaming.

New Illinois Slot Machine & Gaming Events & Locations

AHG Events: 55 & Counting!
New Locations: 15 & Counting!
AHG Promotional Events: 74 & Counting!
New Employees: 5 & Counting!

Never-been-done AHG Events: 20+
(Giant KerPlunk, Life-Size Battleships, Zorb Racing, N64 Tournaments, Decade Themed Nights, Trivia, Glow in the Dark Battle Pong, Pong Towers, Car Shows, Pig Roasts, Amature Arm Wrestling Tournament,  Taco Battle Tournament, Flip Cup Tournament, Speed Pool Tournament, Silver Strike Bowling Tournament, Putter Cups, Singles Mixers, just to name a few!)

AHG Partnerships: 20+
(Crystal Lake Brewery, Lagunitas Brewery, Star 105.5, Kiss My Coolie Cancer Foundation, BeCureful, Toys For Tots, Playboy, Chicago Country LakeShake, Lanzol Tequila, Pistakee Bay Fireworks, Lung Force, Odd Fellows Elgin Lode #12, just to name a few)

 

Spotlights: Events of 2018 at Our Illinois Video Gaming Locations

January: Silver Strike Bowling Tournament at Hilltop Lounge in Ingleside

As they say, “Bowling is a sport for people with talent to spare” (wink, wink). Even though bowling puns are right up our alley (get it?), we certainly took our first-ever Silver Strike Bowling Tournament seriously! We kicked off 2018 with what turned out to be one of our new favorite events!

February: Glow-in-the-Dark Battle Pong Tournament at At Work in Elk Grove

Hello darkness, our old friend: You’re much more fun with glow-in-the-dark games. We hosted our first ever Glow-in-the-Dark Battle Pong Tournament – and you guessed it, it was an #AWESOME time.

March: Fourth Annual Pop-A-Shot Tournament at Halftime Sports Bar & Grill in Johnsburg

We popped, locked, and dropped it all over Halftime Bar & Grill on March 15th for a night that went down as one of the best plays we’ve ever made. This crowd favorite remains our favorite way to kick off March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations!

April: Trivia Night at VFW Post 2149 in Wood Dale

Whether gamers brought a team or joined a table, they all put on their thinking caps! VFW Post 2149 in Wood Dale partnered with us to host their first ever Trivia Night on April 20th! From unique questions to innovative halftime and Jeopardy rounds, it’s safe to say we could see the wheels turning and the tension building all evening long at this Illinois video gaming location!

May: Cinco De Mayo Bar Olympics at Hickory Lodge in McCullom Lake

Cinco De Mayo – more like Cinco De Fuego! This Bar Olympics was LIT. From the drinks specials to the themed prizes and giveaways, Awesome Hand Gaming worked with the staff at this Illinois video gaming location to ensure this event was one for the books! Our Taco Battle Tournament, Mexican Jumping Bean Challenge, and other innovative games offered something loco for everyone!

June: Traditional Battle Pong Tournament at Fire & Ice Smokehouse & Creamery in Marengo

BBQ and ice cream: Could there BE better Friday night treats?! When paired with a FREE Battle Pong Tournament, who could say no? (Anyone…? That’s what we thought.) The Awesome Hand Gaming team kept the momentum going this summer at Fire & Ice Smokehouse and Creamery in Marengo, by taking this old-school college hit game to a whole new level, tournament style!

July: Zorb Racing Tournament at Looney’s Pub in Antioch

Bubble Ball Racing, Human Hamster Ball, Zorb Racing; whatever you want to call it, we don’t mind – we just call it an AWESOME time. This July, Awesome Hand Gaming partnered up with some BIG LEAGUE names – Crystal Lake Brewery, Looney’s Pub, and Bella’s Bouncies to name a few – for our very first Zorb Racing Tournament! This was truly is a ONCE in a lifetime opportunity.

August: Life-Size Battleships Tournament at Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsburg

HOLY SHIP. AHG brought down clouds of thunder, sunk ships, and took prisoners in our crafty brand new summer game! We combined one of the most memorable games from your childhood with another from your college years to create a spin-off all our own. That’s right! We successfully merged Battleships with Battle Pong, making this event a BATTLE to remember.

September: 2018 Playboy Meet & Greet | Double Trouble in Hoffman Estates

Oops, we did it again. Awesome Hand Gaming hosted our 3rd Annual Playboy Meet & Greet that was double the trouble and double the fun. How? This year, there were not one, but TWO Playboy Playmates: Crystal McCahill and Raquel Pomplun! The evening was smokin’ hot – dare we say, even hotter than the slots? Well, probably not, but pretty darn close!

October: Life-Size Battle Pong at Leona’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in Elk Grove

Pizza, beer, and Life-Size Battle Pong?! We know what you’re thinking…”Sign me up!” On Saturday, October 13th, AHG and our loyal gamers took ping pong to new heights with our Life-Size Battle Pong! From the super smells of freshly cooked pizza to the super space for some supersized pong, everything came together in an #AWESOME fashion.

November: Singles Mixer at Bar Down Sports Grill

On Saturday, November 17th AHG teamed up with Bar Down Sports Grill in Hoffman Estates, for our second Singles Party! This might have sounded too good to be true for some – but, unlike a bad boy/girlfriend, we wouldn’t lead gamers on like that! This Bar Olympic-style event wasn’t the only thing that was heating up! Some loyal gamers might have even found Mr. or Mrs. Right, thanks to the AHG promo team!

December: 80’s Night & Bar Olympics at C’Mon Inn in Grayslake

Ahh, the 80’s – just thinking about it gives us all the feels. From Walkmans to the biggest hair, we just wish we could go back from the future. Lucky for you, you don’t need a DeLorean to go back in time. We at Awesome Hand Gaming hosted our FIRST EVER 80’s-themed Bar Olympics on Saturday, December 29th! Bust out your leg warmers, parachute pants, and shoulder pads, because we just wanna have fun and dance with somebody.

EVERY YEAR IS GETTING AWESOME(ER) THAN THE NEXT.

2019… AHG IS READY FOR YOU!

Categories
Events

Awesome Hand Gaming Event Scheduling Guidelines

Whether you’ve been to one of our awesome events, viewed all the festivities via Facebook, or received our emails promoting our events, there’s always more to it than meets the eye. To give you more information, we’ve put together a comprehensive list answering some of the necessary who, what, when, where, why, and how questions behind these promotions.

Do You Want Slot Machines & Games at Your Bar, Restaurant, or Establishment? Learn More

Contact a Specialist to Learn More About Slot Machines

Are you interested in obtaining video slot machines and gaming machines for your restaurant, bar, casino, or establishment? Contact a specialist at Awesome Hand Gaming. We are an Illinois gaming terminal operator that offers slot machines from the best and most reliable manufacturers in the industry. In addition, we offer dependable customer service, marketing, and innovative business strategies to businesses that carry our slot machines. Awesome Hand Gaming collaborates with you to increase customer acquisition and retention at your establishment.

Who is Eligible for Awesome Hand Gaming Events?

These promotions are all about increasing awareness of your location’s video slot machines. To boost engagement at these events, we request the willingness to offer free gaming sessions on all slot machines to participants. This allows the attendees to try the video gaming terminals and encourages them to tell others about your location.

Another vital eligibility requirement is that you self-promote these slot machine & gaming events via word of mouth, social media (‘likes’ and/or ‘shares’ of the event on Facebook), or other marketing tactics to help yield a good turnout. Awesome Hand Gaming also creates print and digital materials for locations that match the theme of the video slot machine event to generate more interest and spark questions. The more you market these get-togethers, the better we’ll be able to promote the slot machines and gaming terminals your location offers.

As we go through this process, we do ask you to have a main point of contact at your location available by phone within 48 hours for our Awesome Hand Gaming representatives. Your patience and open communication will prevent any issues and guarantee a successful event to promote your business and its video slot machines.

What Types of Slot Machine & Gaming Events are Available?

We didn’t start this business to offer cookie-cutter services, so every event is uniquely catered to the needs and desires of each individual video slot machine and gaming location. Here are a few event activities we have hosted in the past:

  • Life-Size Battle Pong
  • Life-Size Battleship
  • Nintendo 64 Mario Kart Racing tournaments
  • Costume parties
  • Chili cook-offs
  • Team volleyball
  • And many more

We are an Illinois gaming terminal operator that collaborates with you to build an effective strategy and plan out an event everyone will love.

When Can I Book an Event?

These events are intricately planned with considerable attention to detail, so throwing one together last minute simply doesn’t work. The AHG events team is constantly booked anywhere from two to six months out at a time, making it crucial to contact our Illinois gaming terminal operator as early as you can.

Though our schedule is normally backed up, companies do cancel on occasion, opening up our availability. We kindly ask that you give us at least five weeks to plan your event. We’ve found great success with about one week of planning, leaving approximately four weeks for both parties to advertise and promote the event.

While we would love to do unlimited events for everyone, with over 200 locations, we currently offer up to two events per video slot machine and gaming location each year. But please feel free to contact us if you have a special occasion coming up, as we have made exceptions in the past depending on availability.

Where Does Promoting Take Place?

Using effective promotional and marketing tactics is key to the success of these AHG events. As mentioned above, it is the responsibility of each slot machine location to do their own advertising. Some great strategies to follow include social media promotions, word of mouth, and sharing details on your company website. Awesome Hand Gaming will give you the materials, but we’re also counting on you to run with it!

Though it is essential for our gaming machine locations to promote their own events, AHG shares this responsibility by displaying flyers around town and posting social media advertisements as well. Our mutual efforts will boost the amount of traffic that sees and hears about your event, giving your video slot machines more exposure to the community.

Why Have AHG Host Your Event?

The benefits of holding an AHG event at your location cannot be understated. Let’s review just a few of the ways these promotions can impact your business:

  • Increase sales at your location.
  • Enhance relationships between the brand and your patrons.
  • Attendees will be educated on the advantages offered by Awesome Hand Gaming.
  • Set AHG apart from all other Illinois video gaming terminal operators.
  • Make a lasting impression with the local community and your patrons.
  • Get patrons to download our Platinum Players App (on this app patrons can redeem loyalty points, free giveaways, t-shirts, and much more – all for free).

We are an Illinois gaming terminal operator that provides only the highest level of service to every one of our slot machine and gaming locations. To prove this, we offer a range of complimentary services including complete planning, free giveaways, AHG promotional models, and more.

How to Book an AHG Event

If you have any questions or are ready to book an AHG event, please reach out to us via email at info@awesomehandgaming.com.

One of our staff members will get right back to you so we can schedule a meeting to discuss event possibilities. We will work with you to set a date and time for the event, produce advertisement designs, and discuss all the other details to make your slot machine and gaming event a success.

Categories
Events

An Awesome Year In Review

For us, 2017 can be summed up in one word: awesome. Sure, there were less awesome moments along the way; but as with any year, we made the most of them to make it our best year yet.

This year at Awesome Hand Gaming was a year of newness: new games, new events, new locations, and new people. We’ve learned new things about each other, and implemented new strategies to keep our customers playing and our brand growing. These changes haven’t changed us, but instead enhanced and amplified our customer-centric marketing services.

To show you just how much we’ve been up to, we’ve compiled a review of all of this year’s happenings. Take it from us: there’s plenty more where this comes from!

New Locations

Maggie O’Neill’s Public House (Marengo, IL)

Town Liquors (Algonquin, IL)

Village Vintner Winery and Brewery (Algonquin, IL)

Big Fran’s Boardwalk Gaming (McHenry, IL)

Addison’s Steakhouse (McHenry, IL)

The Breakers Restaurant (Crystal Lake, IL)

Dawn’s Voodoo Room (St. Charles, IL)

Kumi Sushi (Crystal Lake, IL)

Matt’s Tavern (Crystal Lake, IL)

Pub 83 Pizza and Smokehouse (Long Grove, IL)

Village Pizza and Pub (Elgin, IL)

VFW Post 5040 (Woodstock, IL)

Chinabar (McHenry, IL)

Hot Slots Cafe (South Elgin, IL)

All Inn Pub & Grub (Holiday Hills, IL)

Lucky 7’s Gaming Cafe (Hebron, IL)

Leona’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (Elk Grove Village, IL)

Galati’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (Lake Villa, IL)

Looney’s Pub (Antioch, IL)

St. Charles Bowl (St. Charles, IL)

Keep up with all Awesome Hand Gaming locations here!

New Games

This year, we’ve seen a wealth of new games from different terminals that have brought more fun and more ways to win. Gaming innovations are becoming increasingly responsive to consumers’ gaming behavior by tying in nostalgic characters and themes that sustain customer recall. There are endless opportunities for creativity, and these new games are no exception.

Blade

Legendary Warrior

Win$500

Gold Fish

Dragon Mistress

Monopoly Jackpot Station

Reel Rainbows

Colossal Bier Haus

 

IGT

Raging Wild

Ice Hot

Bigger City 5’s

Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania II

 

Spielo

Dragon’s Temple

Wild Wild East

Icarus: The Journey

Doctor Bone Jangles

 

Posts Velocity

Better Off Ed

Hot Rocks

Wild Jackpot: Quick Hit Platinum

Wonder Woman Gold

Spin For Cash

Texas Dice

Lucky Tree

New People and Events

This has been Awesome Hand Gaming’s most “eventful” year to date. There were repeats of great annual events in addition to many first-time events for our team. Our deliberate focus on conducting more local events would not be possible without bolstering our own events team. Our new events manager, “KJ,” joined the events team this year to help us do just that! A market research graduate from Elmhurst College with eight years of hospitality industry experience, KJ has helped us pull off some of the best events we’ve ever done!

KJ is our rockstar event planner and manager!

Speaking of events, here are the great events we hosted this year. If you couldn’t attend any of these, don’t worry: 2018 has much more in store!

Party with a Playmate

Members of the Awesome Hand Gaming team gathered for a picture with former Playboy Bunny Carly Lauren. What guy wouldn’t be happy to meet a Playboy Bunny?

This past April, AHG – along with Tomczak’s Tap, Crossroads of Wood Dale, Jb’s Inn, and Thornwood Restaurant and Lounge – hosted our second Playboy Playmate meet and greet. We partied with playmate Carly Lauren as she met and took professional pictures with patrons. Participants received complimentary Playboy merchandise, and free slot play was given to the first 10 guests in line. Carly was the second Playboy Bunny we’ve had, the first being Alison Waite, who came to Woodstock in November 2014.

Jumbo Battle Pong

Some our Battle Pong-ers taking in the beautiful weather and enjoying the game.

On July 13th, 2017, AHG hosted our first ever Jumbo Battle Pong tournament at Sunnyside Tavern, which quickly became a favorite of customers and locations alike. This colossal version of the house party favorite involved throwing volleyballs into painted red garbage cans to resemble giant red solo cups. Sufficed to say, we’ve started a new AHG summertime tradition! Check out the event photos here

Bar Olympics

This event was a slam dunk. AHG hosted its first Bar Olympics in August 2017 at Hoops Sports Bar in Hebron, IL. The tournament was Olympic-style scoring, with each event totaling up at the end to give each competitor a grand total. The stations for the event included: Jumbo Jenga, LifeSize Battle Pong, Darts, Football Toss, and a Flip Cup Face Off. Each participant was able to “free play” from 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM. The owner, Gus, also generously gave all participants $5 in free slot play! Take a look at the event photos for a closer look at all the stations! 

Mario Kart Tournament

Beer specials and N64: what more could a 90’s kid want? Awesome Hand Gaming came to Muggs-N-Manor to host our first-ever Mario Kart Tournament. This favorite childhood pastime was a hit for patrons, and the $5 in free slot play just for giving it a shot wasn’t bad either.

Caribbean Nights Costume & Game Challenge With Pirate Impersonator 

Captain Jack posing with some of our Caribbean Nights event attendees.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s a good costume party. On August 19th, Awesome Hand Gaming partnered with Glo-Bowl/Trio Grille in Marengo, Illinois for our Caribbean Nights costume party! It was our first time hiring a pirate impersonator (we’re sure you do that all the time….), and it was a blast. The party started the second Captain Jack Sparrow walked in the door. Needless to say, attendees were shocked at the uncanny resemblance. This was a multi-station event, featuring bar favorites like bag toss, 1-shot-strike, darts, limbo, and pinball with Captain Jack himself.

Bring It On Billiards Tournament

Awesome Hand Gaming hosted its first ‘Bring It On Billiards’ tournament at Tinman’s Pub in Fox River Grove on September 13, 2017. It was in speed challenge formation, with timed challenges and random player pairings. The person who got the most amount of balls in the pockets within the time frame won. Scoring was bracket style, with the winners advancing to the next rounds of play until the championship. Each player received $5 in free slot play, compliments of Tinman’s.

Let’s Flamingle, Because We’re Single

First Place Sports Bar in Hoffman Estates and AHG kicked off “cuffing season” this November with our first singles mixer, “Let’s Flamingle, Because We’re Single!” The tropical-themed event required all attendees to wear buttons designating them as single or taken as they played and socialized their way through stations of games: Pineapple Bowling, Tropical Limbo, Flamingo Toss, and Tropical Beer Pong. Five dollars in free slot play was also given out to participants. Just call us Cupid.

New Promotional Video

This year, AHG excitedly debuted our first promotional video! Actual AHG team members and locations were involved in the production, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with how it turned out. It’s real people, real opportunities, and real success!

Re-watch it below.

And that’s a wrap on 2017! We’ll see you in 2018 for even more spectacular events, games, and chances to win from Awesome Hand Gaming!

Interested in doing business with us? Contact Awesome Hand Gaming here to learn more about opportunities with our amazing team!

Categories
Events

6 Tips for Hosting An “Awesome” Event

Awesome Hand Gaming’s sponsored events have become a vital instrument for our success as an Illinois terminal operator and events marketing company. Our events team is constantly seeking new ways to boost involvement and awareness for the AHG brand. AHG’s goal is to host 50 events per year. However, we’ve noticed that with 200 locations and more to come, it’s becoming increasingly hard to reach them all for events at their preferred times.

While numerous locations wanting to host “awesome” events is a great problem to have, we do not want to sacrifice event quality for event quantity. We also don’t want our locations to feel restricted by time and by our schedule. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips based on our years of experience running successful events that will help you run your own awesome and fun AHG event!

Set a date

Decide on a date for the event that is appropriate for your location and customer base. Ideal event days are weekends that are not busy or undisturbed by other major events/holidays in town. For example, it might not be the best idea to host an event too close to the fourth of July because most people will be out of town or have other plans. Make sure that staff is aware of the date and schedules accordingly; once the date is set, it should not be moved unless there’s an emergency.

Tournament-style games

What better way to bring people together than competition? We have found that one of the most engaging kinds of events is a tournament, whether team or individual. Bags, Battle Beer Pong, Giant Jenga, Dizzy Darts, and traditional pool tournaments are hugely popular games that are easy to play (and operate), get groups of friends involved, and are fun to watch.

Scoring

For scoring, use the bracket system to stay organized. Brackets display team names and keep everyone informed of their rank. They also inspire friendly – and not-so-friendly – trash talking that makes the game more entertaining. Single or double-round eliminations work best and help event staff keep the tally. Print your brackets here from the website “printyourbrackets.com.”

Staff your event

An event is nothing without people there to work it. Staff your event to make sure there’s someone at each station directing how to play, adding to the bracket, offering giveaways and/or free slot play, and keeping the crowd in check. Staff should be enthusiastic, friendly, and hold each other accountable for their duties. It’s the end goal to make sure people have fun, so anything they can do extra to enhance the experience is welcomed.

Entertainment

Above all, you are hosting an event where people can meet to have fun. Something that always keeps the fun going all day is live entertainment. If you can incorporate live music or performers, it gives the audience another interaction point. The DJ/MC can be used as a hype (wo)man that reports live stats, fun facts, calls participants when it’s their turn, and cheers them on. Plus, even those who are not playing feel like they’re a part of it. Who knows, maybe they’ll get pumped and join the next round!

Food and drink specials

If music doesn’t get people excited, food and drink specials definitely will. This is a great time to feature “twofer” deals and signature cocktails or dishes. As part of the night of deals, free slot play should be offered to all participants. We usually stick to $5, but winners can receive even more free slot play by rewarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place with $50, $30, and $20 in free slot play respectively. AHG would be happy to provide additional giveaways for all your attendees!

Advertise

Advertising ahead of time is key to increasing involvement and “buzz” about your upcoming event. Your AHG marketing representative would be happy to help! We can design any materials you may need, including signup sheets, posters, postcards, and more to display or hand out to patrons to give them plenty of notice. If the event involves video slots that involve free slot play for everyone, we can even contribute to the cost of printing!

Social Media

Another important way to promote your event is through social media. Promote the event via Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter as daily reminders that your event is approaching. Use Awesome Hand Gaming’s own dedicated and consistent social media following to raise event awareness by tagging or mentioning us in posts on these platforms. AFTER the event, share event photos on social media to show people how fun, well-coordinated, and “awesome” our events are.

Despite technology, word of mouth is still the best way to promote your event to your guests. Be sure that your the staff is talking to patrons prior to the event date to get early signups and generate excitement. Outside of the rewards and entertainment, your passion for the event will get people there and keep them coming back in the future.

 

Are you interested in running your own event? Contact us to speak with our events team!

 

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Categories
Events

Awesome Hand’s 2016 Year-in-Review

[sm_column_text]Awesome Hand’s 2016 Year-in-Review

2016 has been quite a ride, and Awesome Hand Gaming is proud to have kept guests and locations spinning and winning through every season! Your friendly neighborhood Illinois terminal operator is honored to have been invited to host so many outstanding events this year, and can’t wait to show 2017 how to party Awesome Hand Gaming style!