Video Courtesy of Tampa Bay Times

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SITUATION:

Renowned high wire daredevil Nik Wallenda and his Mother, Delilah Wallenda, walked a high wire spanned from the existing hotel tower to the new hotel tower as part of the Grand Opening Celebration Weekend of the $700 million expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.  The expansion included a 14-story, 562-room hotel tower, three pools, a 26,000 sq. ft. Rock Spa and Salon, along with dining and retail outlets.
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APPROACH:

The Bitner Group strategy was to attract pre-event and post-event coverage, while positioning Nik Wallenda as the featured attraction on the schedule of grand opening activities.  The Tampa Bay media market was the primary focus, but there was national interest in the story due to Nik Wallenda’s celebrity status.  As a result, the expanded hotel and casino complex achieved a significant level of recognition and awareness.
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RESULTS:

Bitner Group secured extensive media coverage of the grand opening and high wire walk, with more than $4.9 million in publicity value and 16 million media impressions recorded.  Coverage also included the Hard Rock signature “Guitar Smash” to commemorate the grand opening of the expanded casino complex.

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