ON LOCATION CASINOS
TEST YOUR LUCK WITH CASINO CONVENTIONS
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By Cecilia Harris, writer, KSAE Magazine
onvention and meeting planners hit the jackpot when choosing casinos connected to hotels as a destination. Nationally, casinos have evolved beyond roulette and slot machines to attract convention and meeting business by creating a “one-stop shop.” Three Kansas casinos offer a winning combination of fun and convenience with meeting spaces, hotel rooms, restaurants and leisure activities all in one location. Owned by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Prairie Band Casino and Resort near Mayetta is on a winning streak with multiple recreational options to make an event successful. The casino offers many ways to play, including bingo, 1,200 classic and new slot machines, and 29 table games such as blackjack, roulette and Texas Hold’em. Blackjack lessons and other such amenities may be added to the convention package.
Casinos have evolved beyond roulette and slot machines to attract convention and meeting business by creating a “one-stop shop.” To cultivate business relationships while alleviating stress, the Prairie Band Resort suggests a “Stay and Play” package that includes a round of golf on its nationally recognized Firekeeper Golf Course adjacent to the casino. Named the best public golf course in Kansas by Golfweek® magazine, the golf course is a par 72.
For those who prefer to spend free time shopping for handcrafted items, the Prairie Band Gift Shop offers beadwork and sterling silver jewelry created by members of the Potawatomi Nation. Attendees wishing to up their networking game may choose to gather in the Resort’s Lobby Bar for fellowship while enjoying hand-chosen locally brewed beers and signature cocktails. The 12,000-square-foot convention center offers flexible meeting space when it is time to get down to business. A pre-function space for conference registrations leads to the Great Lakes Ballroom, easily divided to create two large and four small break-out rooms. The Algonquin Conference Room seats 14, or small groups may enjoy a more intimate setting in the adjacent Prairie Meadows Lodge that offers four bedrooms, four baths, a kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, a patio and full audio/visual equipment. Just a few steps away from the casino floor stands the luxurious hotel and courtyard, with 297 guest rooms and numerous amenities. A sure bet is the Kansas Star Casino Hotel Event Center in Mulvane. The Kansas Star Casino offers more than 1,700 slot machines and over 50 table games including craps, roulette, no-ante blackjack and an Asian Gaming pit. There are also restaurants and a nonsmoking gaming room. “It’s a gaming entertainment destination without equal in the region,” says Sonya Jackson, the casino’s marketing and public relations manager.
Prairie Band Casino and Resort, 12305 150th Road in Mayetta, has a courtyard as part of the hotel complex.
6 | KSAE Magazine • Vol. 5
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