Bri Steck
Bri Steck is the CEO of Vegas Girls Night Out, a concierge service founded in January 2015 promising "exclusive, inside access for the ultimate Las Vegas experience," starting with the Excalibur's "Thunder From Down Under" male revue and extending to dining, concerts and nightclubs.
Destinations Editor Eric Moya spoke with Steck about how she leverages her contacts as a Vegas native to offer visitors custom-made bachelorette parties and other girls getaways.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Vegas Girls Night Out?
A: It just kind of evolved from me personally helping people get the best deals or get into a nightclub, because I grew up here and I know everybody in the game.
So I was leveraging my relationships for my friends; I was planning bachelorette parties and birthday parties anyway. And then I met my husband [Adam Steck, the CEO at SPI Entertainment], and he is the co-owner and co-producer of "Thunder From Down Under." It kind of all fell into place because "Thunder From Down Under" wasn't really capitalizing on the bachelorette portion; they were selling the tickets, but nobody was really doing a good job of planning everything out. I said, "Hey, I have a lot of experience with this anyway, and I know a lot of people here. Why don't I look into doing this as a business?" And then it just kind of grew from there, and it's blown up.
I was previously in marketing and public relations for hotel entertainment and restaurants, so my background was originally dealing with restaurants as a client.
I was already kind of entrenched in the whole industry, so I met a lot of people through that. What people don't realize is that Vegas is actually a really small town, so we all know each other, we all do our best to help each other out.
The “Thunder From Down Under” male revue at the Excalibur is a popular attraction for Steck’s clients; it is co-owned and co-produced by her husband, Adam Steck.
Q: What size is the typical Girls Night Out group? How many were in the largest group?
A: On average, I would say it's about groups of eight.
For "Thunder," the most I've sold was 200 or 250. We also did nightclub passes for almost everybody in the group, and then we also did Night School 4 Girls [Steck's business offering classes in striptease and pole dancing].
In October, I brought a girl onboard who used to work for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as a group-sales person for leisure and convention travel. So we have someone who just focuses on working with travel agents and also [destination management companies]. She's probably been on five different sales missions; she just got back from Colombia. We're doing International Pow Wow, and we partner with the LVCVA because she has a great relationship with them.
Q: One of the higher-profile acts you deal with is Boyz II Men. What can your clients expect from that experience vs. someone who buys their ticket through other means?
A: We co-promote Boyz II Men; we've been working with them for several years before they were even at the Mirage, so we have a direct, contracted relationship with them. Because of that, we chose the best seats in the house for our block of seats.
So even if my husband and I go to the show or I'm sending my best friend, those are the same seats that we would be selling. Also, the staff [at the Mirage] knows by where they are seated that these are our guests, which kind of heightens the experience because you know that you're a little more taken care of.
A working relationship with Boyz II Men ensures that Vegas Girls Night Out clients have great seats for the group’s Mirage show, says CEO Bri Steck. Photo Credit: Al Powers
Q: How about dining?
A: As far as dining goes, we simplified it. We do prix fixe menus. We include the tip, so that way the restaurant doesn't get stiffed [and] the girls don't have to worry about anything. Another thing is, we're in a time crunch: We need to get to a show on time. So all of our restaurants know what show [our clients are] going to and what time they have to be out of there.
I would say that our most popular restaurant is Carmine's [an outpost of the family-style Italian restaurant based in New York] at the Forum Shops at Caesars. We try to experience everything we put on our website, and when we went as a group we had a great time. The price point is incredible, and they get a lot of food for that price point.
Carmine’s at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace is the most popular restaurant for Steck’s customers. Photo Credit: Eric Moya
Q: And nightclubs?
A: Nightclubs can be very difficult to deal with, especially if you don't know somebody. The lines to get in can sometimes be a couple of hours long, you could pay $30, $35 just to walk in the door and drinks can be $10 to $15. Coming to Vegas and not knowing somebody with the nightclubs can be a total nightmare. We've partnered with eight different nightclubs, and what's really great about them is that some of them I've worked with in the past or I went to high school with [their managers] or whatever it might be, so we have really great relationships with them.
One thing that all nightclubs want is girls, and all we work with are girls. They get VIP entry and then at Foxtail and Hyde they get an open bar for two hours.
Q: Which clubs are the most difficult to get into these days?
A: Definitely Omnia and Hakkasan. Those are the hottest nightclubs in town; it's three hours just trying to get in the door. And Tao. Kim Kardashian has her birthday at Tao almost every year, and that's our clientele; they watch ["Keeping Up With the Kardashians"], and they know that.
Q: What do you look for in Girls Night Out employees?
A: I felt that it was important to have women working for me, because I think that women know women best. That's one thing that sets us apart.
Another thing is that I would only hire someone who's lived here for a long time; I think that everyone who works for me has been here, at minimum, 10 years.
They really need to know the city, not just the Strip; know the ins and outs, what it's like to try to get into a nightclub when you don't know anybody.
I really want our customers to be confident in what we're selling them and how we're explaining it to them.
Vegas Girls Night Out's "Thunder Storm Through Vegas" package, which includes VIP seating at "Thunder From Down Under," limo transfers and VIP nightclub access, starts at $111 per person. For more information, visit www.vegasgirlsnightout.com.