Palazzo gives short notice to media for unveiling

Planning festivities linked to the formal unveiling of The Palazzo, newest Las Vegas Strip hotel-resort, is a mighty undertaking.  That includes press relations efforts.  In connection with the grand opening tomorrow through Saturday, getting the word out by attracting national media on-scene requires punctilious advance planning.

The $1.9 billion, 50-story Palazzo is a Las Vegas Sands Corp. property along with The Venetian hotel-resort next door.  The newest hotel on the Strip in nearly three years contains more than 3,000 suites, luxury shopping, world class dining and entertainment.  The Palazzo combination with The Venetian makes it a vast hotel-resort complex with 7,074 suites and rooms.

For PR folks, that’s a hefty task to promote.  However, some public relations specialists have no conception of time, probably because they have never faced print/broadcast routines, deadlines and often slow decisions by editors, especially those with growing bottom-line-conscious newspaper or magazine operations and slimmer staffs, contends Grumpy Editor.

This was highlighted by a Jan. 10 e-mail press invitation, giving one week’s notice, to attend tomorrow’s grand opening of The Palazzo plus lingering two more days for a busy schedule, including press conferences and interviews.  Seven days advance word does not allow much time for a writer, whether staffer or freelance, to obtain a green light to attend (a firm assignment from a news outlet was a requirement from the hotel-resort’s PR people), adjust the work schedule, book and travel --- and perhaps get a haircut.

The Palazzo’s formal unveiling in January was penciled in by management more than two months ago.  The grand opening date was refined by late November when Jan. 18 was circled.  (One day off from Jan. 17, but in the middle of the three-day celebration.)

Among easy solutions:  Public relations departments should post large, easy-to-read wall calendars and give well-in-advance notice to prospective media invitees, especially those based in distant cities.