The Zouk Group has only just begun to harvest the fruits of its labor from the seeds planted decades ago. With the industry relationships and rich experience required to facilitate its mission of international expansion, the brand is a household name around the world.
But until recently, most western viewers never heard of it.
Originally rooted in Singapore, Zouk is now expanding its illustrious portfolio in the USA for the first time and is testing the waters in none other than Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. Zouk’s arrival, part of Sin City’s new $ 4.3 billion Resorts World complex, became a high-profile overnight venture as it marks the first major development on the Las Vegas Strip in over a decade.
Zouk Group’s Resorts World is the first major expansion of the Las Vegas Strip in more than a decade.
Resorts World Las Vegas
With US travel reopened, the joint parent company of Resorts World and the Zouk Group, Genting Group, is working to bring US consumers a quick introduction to their brands by buying ad space from coast to coast. The response so far has been encouraging and has given the organization confidence that it will continue to grow rapidly as significant developments continue to emerge on the sprawling 88 acre property.
In its first three months of operation, Resorts World has shown it has successfully mastered the attention economy even in the broader, often over-stimulating, Las Vegas area. With a range of upscale, casual, and upscale restaurant brands, a central casino, and standout entertainment options, Resorts World curates an all-in-one experience with every reason to check in and no reason to leave.
Resorts World’s superior design and structural qualities are essentially embodied in Zouk’s Ayu Dayclub, an open-air oasis that channels the exotic influences of a distant world. “My first day at the company started with getting on a plane to Bali,” Ronn Nicolli, VP of nightlife and lifestyle marketing for Resorts World, told EDM.com. “The meetings started with understanding goals and the goal was authenticity. ‘How can you create a space where someone feels changed?'”
Inspired by the idyllic beach clubs of Bali, the Ayu Dayclub connects concertgoers with performing artists, nature and each other in a way that goes far beyond the everyday clubbing experience. With lush greenery, white, sand-colored pool decks, and soft, wooden-made cabanas, every aspect of the Ayu Dayclub concept and experience has been designed to connect visitors with Zouk’s storied history and immerse themselves in the present.
Ayu Dayclub embodies the spirit of Bali’s idyllic beach clubs.
Zouk Group Las Vegas
These feelings of immersion are heightened by the performances themselves, a rare quality for Las Vegas nightlife. While the standard instinct in Las Vegas nightlife is to be overly stimulating, it often has the effect of making performing on stage an afterthought.
Conversely, Ayu’s crescent-shaped design ensures that what’s happening on stage is always the focus, and for good reason. With a top-class line-up of perennial resident DJs like Zedd, Tiësto and more, the club’s setup ensures that artists and audience are always in sync. From Zedd’s tee shot at a memorable appearance with a happy champagne shower on the audience, to Tiësto’s surprise birthday party for his manager with cakes, shots, and fatheads made in his likeness, the crowd retained an electrifying energy from start to finish. “The visibility and connectivity of the crowd energy were important to us,” says Nicolli. “The show is only as good as the fan base that deals with it.”
Nicolli’s strategic mindset when it comes to winning the long game is emblematic of Zouk’s competitive advantage when it comes to delivering unforgettable experiences.
“It was important to us to create a space that has an element of intimacy, but is also scalable. We can play with the mega-beach clubs in this space, but downsize if necessary,” explains Nicolli. “It’s this progressive nature. We understand that at one point the Tiëstos and Zedds of the world were not the Tiëstos and Zedds of the world. So the question is, ‘How do we create the best experience for this artist who is growing? with us as we grow as a brand? ‘”
During his three decades in Singapore, Zouk has built a high level of trust and relationships with his artists. “I didn’t realize Zouk’s reputation in the professional entertainment industry until I started talking to agents,” recalled Nicolli. “I didn’t have to introduce the brand. They knew the brand … every agent I speak to has had a Zouk experience and has convinced me of the success we are going to have. ”
Tiësto plays a sold out night set in the Zouk Group’s Ayu Dayclub.
Megan Blair / Zouk Group Las Vegas
After landing in Bali, Nicolli describes his first conversation about the brand with a new employee. “The gentleman says, ‘I heard it’s your first day at the company’ and starts telling me the story of how he met his wife at Zouk. “Then I go to Singapore… every time I told someone I worked at Zouk, you could see their face. It was instant, everyone had a Zouk story. When you talk to them about Zouk, they point out that we are experience makers, but then you hear it for yourself and you realize it’s real. “
From a customer perspective, Zouk’s unparalleled hospitality in Singapore has fostered a deeply intertwined, culturally meaningful relationship with consumers. Although the brand continued to expand, they still consider this ability to foster deep feelings of connectedness as one of their most valuable export products.
For visitors who want to enjoy the full Zouk experience as originally defined in Asia, Resorts World also offers Zouk’s renowned food brands Red Tail and FUHU for two unique variations on Asian cuisine. For those spending the night at the club, dinner at FUHU, a luxury steakhouse and sushi restaurant, is a must. As part of the ultra-modern “vibe dining” trend, the FUHU experience combines the quality and cuisine of a traditional steak house with the invigorating atmosphere of a club.
Cherry blossoms adorn the entrance, while inside the steady kicks of house music can be heard. Chef Joseph Elevado’s specialties include the crispy garlic tuna roll, lobster soup dumplings, ribeye on the bone and much more. An expanded cocktail menu complements the nightclub ambience of the restaurant, including a colorful cocktail recipe by Zedd himself, which combines the cinnamon spice from Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire with the tropical sweetness of passion fruit and peach flavors.
For an interactive dining experience, Red Tail offers its customers on-site sports betting, social games and karaoke for entertainment. The menu includes an extensive list of beers and burgers, including a delicious Wagyu burger and Killer Wings with boneless, boneless, and vegan options.
The Zouk Group’s FUHU is an upscale, stylish place that serves modern Asian cuisine with a western flair.
FUHU
While most of Sin City is selling a fantasy to consumers, the holistic Zouk experience stands out as an authentic and clearly unique exploration of music and culture. Of course, after a lost year of entertainment, it is a particularly unique time for Zouk to make her most ambitious attempt as a brand to date, given the ever-changing landscape at the macro level in the wake of the pandemic.
Although the Zouk Group relies on the proven methods and offerings that have made the brand so important in Asia, there is a common understanding among executives that the brand is in a continuous state of development and adaptation.
“It’s fun, you’re working on a horticultural plant and you want it to be perfect, but you also understand that no matter how much we put into it, people go through it and you just want to make sure there are no visible obstacles,” says Nicolli. “Like a plant, Ayu is a living, breathing thing. We continue to develop what is in this room in order to really increase this authenticity. ”
FOLLOW ZOUK GROUP LAS VEGAS:
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website: www.zoukgrouplv.com
