Entertainment Focus: Ben Slaght

By CEAN BURGESON
For Destination Cache Creek Magazine

Lovers of great entertainment -- whether it’s comedy, music, or variety acts -- probably have heard about the great shows we put on every week at Cache Creek’s Club 88. The man in charge of keeping the Club 88 stage full of sparkling entertainers is Ben Slaght, a veteran with over 30 years of experience in the entertainment business, including work as a tour manager for several high profile entertainment artists including the Dixie Chicks, Michael Bolton, Foreigner’s Lead Singer Lou Gramm, Sara Evans, Jessica Andrews & Billy Gilman, The Black Crows, Pam Tillis, BR5 49, and the Desert Rose Band.

Destination Magazine sat down with Slaght to ask a few of questions about Cache Creek’s entertainment offerings.

DM: Tell us about your entertainment venue and the type of acts you feature
Slaght: Cache Creek’s Club 88 is an intimate state of the art entertainment venue featuring acts such as INXS, Bret Michaels, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Loggins, The Pointer Sisters, Eddie Money, Boyz II Men, Night Ranger, Keith Sweat, Joan Rivers, Damon Wayans, D.L. Hughley, Morris Day & The Time, Dionne Warwick, Andrew Dice Clay, The Smothers Brothers, The Commodores, Four Tops, Spinners, Temptations, and Northern California’s most diverse group of international entertainers ranging from Filipino pop stars to Latin singers and Chinese acrobats.

DM: What factors do you consider when booking live entertainment?
Slaght: We have such a unique mix of customers in our casino and showroom that we work very hard to book acts which appeal to each and every demographic. We have Motown acts and classic 60s rockers for the baby boomers, 80’s icons for the generation X’ers, international acts for our Asian and Latino guests, as well as a wide range of stand-up comedians and other special variety acts and other types of shows which appeal to everyone.

DM: What role does entertainment play at Cache Creek?
Slaght: We know, as do most resorts our size, that entertainment is a great bonus to offer to our guests. Our entertainment venue is just one of the amenities that round out the total casino experience. We also draw people to the resort with our golf course, hotel, spa, and restaurants.

Our strategy is to identify acts which will appeal to our regular customers and also ones which bring in new guests to try us out. It’s really a balancing act between the two. Knowing our audience here in Northern California and who will potentially make the trip to see a particular performer is key to our successful track record of booking shows which appeal to our audiences.