King Koil brings own show-biz touch to Vegas
David Perry -- Furniture Today, October 6, 2003
Las Vegas — A fancy show debuted on the famed Strip here when King Koil's licensees from around the world came to town for the group's international meeting.
The King Koil-orchestrated show at the Mandalay Bay resort kicked off with the opening dinner of the four-day meeting, which had the theme, "One Sensational Company."
A comedian entertained — and occasionally insulted — the guests at the dinner that night. The all-day program the next day included a performance by a troupe of Las Vegas dancers, who set the stage for the appearance of the meeting's surprise guest, celebrity designer Jaclyn Smith. She stepped out from behind the stage curtain with the presence of a major Las Vegas performer, delivering an enthusiastic overview of her new bedding collection for King Koil.
The dancers were back in the afternoon, wearing outfits that featured the King Koil logo. While they performed, the panels at the back of the room were pushed aside, revealing a bedding showroom with more than 100 mattresses on display.
The attendees looked out at the expansive room, where several attractive female models stood on elevated platforms. The models had memorized their scripts. Each touted a new King Koil line.
That show-biz touch was borrowed from Detroit car shows, where models introduce new lines.
Later that afternoon the licensees met again for a product review by Dave Roberts, King Koil's executive vice president.
"That is as good as it gets," Roberts said. "It's pushing the envelope really hard. You are going to have to look at the retail dynamics in your markets before you make any (product) decisions. It's not what you can't do, it's what you can do."
The day concluded with a flourish. A "Blues Brothers" duo ran to the front of the room and belted out a song written just for the King Koil group.
"I hope you sell a ton of mattresses," the "Jake" character said to King Koil executives after posing for a picture with them.
