Las Vegas native Damien Costa has completed his tenure as Vice President of Entertainment Operations at Caesars Entertainment after helping Usher and Donnie Osmond launch a new residency show during the pandemic. But there was no downtime. He soon began a different kind of project, establishing the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame at Green Valley’s new Dollar Lawn Center, then focused on launching a magic show with Pharrell Dillon and Rioz at Bally’s on the Strip.
This year, his new company, Pompeii Entertainment, transformed Rio’s famous space into a new one-stop shop known as the Duomo. The 286-seat venue opened in the summer, bringing back the long-running tribute production. rock vault raid, and this month Pompeii began another musical residency by touring yacht-rock group The Docksiders.of every week I caught up with Costa on entertainment in general.
What are the characteristics of this new venue, the Duomo? I think the neighborhood of Masquerade Village and Rio’s parking lot will get a lot of foot traffic, so we want to give our guests the amenities they need as they pass by. There’s a large bar and a great cafe place with a delivery window at the end.It’s a nice place to hang out and get free Wi-Fi, pizza and margaritas. [And] Audience response has been great, they love the room and the bar.i think there is a place [Las Vegas entertainment] Do something a little different, have fun and hit the market to do something for everyone.
A new addition is the Yacht Rock Residency by Docksiders. Why is this show and this music so perfect for Las Vegas right now? My sons are 18 and 22 years old. [hang out] What do they wear in the pool? Yacht Rock. they are absolutely crazy. I think this music sets the feeling that people need right now: that everything is OK. …and I think the Docksiders will find a great audience here.
During your time at Caesars Entertainment, you and the entertainment team not only opened large shows and residencies, but also maintained smaller showrooms and developed other options with some risk. Is Vegas Entertainment Still Taking Its Chance?There have always been people pushing for it. you have to take risks. Artists evolve and guests evolve in how they want to consume their entertainment, so venues and management need to help things evolve. It’s not always the most comfortable space.
Is the constant expansion of large-scale shows (now including large-scale sporting events) displacing smaller venues and entertainment options, or creating new opportunities? Big things always get bigger. Las Vegas hotspots are getting bigger and bigger. But I think we need to remember that the opportunities to open shows in Las Vegas will always remain as they are, and those opportunities need to remain. The way people used to actually sit down and eat his steak dinner on the show is gone…or has it just changed?Do the same thing and he might not be sitting in the same place for three hours. not. To us, this is our home, so we’re figuring out how to do the right things to make sure these things are maintained.
With new footholds in several different venues, what’s next for Pompey Entertainment? This company serves the entertainment market when the opportunity arises.I give a lot for free [advice] Now that’s great. I wanted to produce some shows, run some venues and manage some artists so I’m in a good place. I think Las Vegas needs more of what you see here at the Duomo. I don’t think there is We want to focus on the customer experience and journey in a space that doesn’t have to be Instagrammable. What about music, bars, food, things we’ve known and loved for decades? That’s my style.
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