ent001464-003

Alcoholic Beverage EXECUTIVES* NEWSLETTER No1327 - Augusr-27-,-L9^ The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, where the Schenley meeting was held, is undergoing a $9 million expansion program which will include ?╟÷and does in^ elude a spanking. brand new, gorgeous cqnventiQn..centej^?╟÷r-rAl^Hrohstruction in Vegas has been held upby-a^-month-earpentei^strike.'7 .There is also a taxi strike going~on7~. . Temperature ranged 110 degrees. . .Sam Hect, Schenley wholesaler in Las Vegas, was a genial host for all the Schenley distributors. . .Buford Penland came in his own plane. . .Buck Senter of Montrose Distributors, distributors of Old Charter, is dedicated to the brand - drinks nothing else. . . During the period of the Schenley meeting a room service bottle goods list featuring all Schenley products was in all the rooms at the Sands. . .Why is it that you can get any type of liquor but RUM on a plane? P. R. Rums - let's get rum off the ground. . . Not very good merchandising for the industry is United Airline's way of serving liquor - in their own "decanters" without labels. They do show the label of the wines they serve. We tried Paul Masson's Emerald Dry wine from California and found it excellent - the best we have tasted in a long time. . .The most unenviable job of the show and mart at both Kiamesha Lake and Las Vegas was Bob Briskin's. He had the thankless job of getting distributors and Schenley personnel and guests in and out of both places. His patience under trying circumstances can only be likened to that of Job. . . David Banks, Managing Director of John Dewars Ltd., was on hand to greet distributors in Las Vegas. He is one of the most charming gentlemen we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. A sleeper is Schenley's "Idea-Swapping" contest - offering a prize to any employee of a restaurant, hotel, motel or club for ideas on how either can save or make money. Ted Veru, V. P. in charge of national accounts for Affiliated Distillers Brands Corp., reports that he has received close to a thousand entries - all ideas that have been tried and tested in the field. Distributors are most enthusiastic about the contest - so much so that if a contestant from a hotel, restaurant, club or motel serviced by one of the salesmen is cited as a contributor of a winning idea, the salesman also will win a prize donated by the distributor. In other words, it has become a sales in- centive program for some wholesale sales personnel. Contest rules, and winning ideas with names of winners, are being published each month in advertisements in 5 hotel trade publications. John Pierotti, nationally-known cartoonist for the New York Post and former president of the National Cartoonists Society, will illustrate one of the winning ideas each month. The illustration will be featured in the ads. Many editors have commented favorably in their editorials on the contest. Morrison S. Ricker, editor of Hotel Bulletin, for example, wrote:-"I think that the Schenley con- test is the most revolutionary ad campaign I have ever seen in the liquor industry. You can't get much closer to our readers than by giving them practical ideas that they can use." We now leave Las Vegas - 'k'k?╟╓kieicicicic'kidfieieicic'kick'kicic'k'k ODDS & ENDS:-Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, Inc. announces that it has been fired by *, the Four Roses division of Seagram from its assignment on Sir Robert Burnett's White Satin Gin and that in consequence it has elected to resign its remain- ing Seagram assignment - White Horse Scotch (about $1 million in billings). Seagrams has reassigned the gin to Doyle Dane & Bernbach. . . Richard O. Parrish appointed Director of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Public Relations for Stitzel-Weller. . . Heublein names Charles J. Herbert assistant to the national sales manager for open states; Anthony L. Cimo Massachusetts state manager; Fred C. Schroff Hawaii Mgr.