Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 168, Section 167: The Las Vegas Dinner, A Business Strategy from the Future: Customer Acquisition

Jonny Dane stood up, took a magnifying glass from his desk drawer, and began to examine the object closely.

He became more and more surprised as he looked.

“Judging from its shape, it somewhat resembles the Mayan pyramids of South America, but it’s not the same.” He looked at Fang Wen eagerly. “Where was this discovered?”

“Missouri,” Fang Wen replied, without specifying the exact location.

Joni Dane, however, didn't care. He got up, took out some documents from the bookshelf, and began to study them.

After a while, he replied, "The ancient Indians of the Missouri region belonged to the Algonquin language family. Although they all spoke the same language, they were not a single tribe. The possible groups involved are the ancestors of the three tribes: tamaroa, cahokia, and moingwena."

(Map showing the distribution of Native American groups in Missouri, USA)
Fang Wen nodded. He knew enough. He would find a way to explore Las Vegas after things were over.

After all, these days, Americans aren't interested in Native American culture at all; they could even go there, buy the mountain, and slowly dig it out themselves.

However, Fang Wen underestimated Joni Dane's interest in the Strange Mountain, a Native American expert.

Joni Dane said earnestly, "Could you tell me the exact location? I want to ask for leave from school so I can go there directly."

"You want to go there now?" Fang Wen shook his head in surprise: "Not yet. I will go there in one to two months. You can come with me on my plane then."

Although Joni Dane really wanted to go right away, he couldn't do anything since the other party wouldn't tell him the exact location, so he agreed to Fang Wen's request.

Having another scholar with knowledge of Native American history might be helpful for future trips to Strange Mountain.

Fang Wen concluded his visit and took his leave.

On the way, Mr. Zhao, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Mr. Fang, you've got your eye on the treasures inside that tomb, haven't you?"

"You also think it's a grave?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.

"It's not a grave, it's just something used for sacrifices. Anyway, there should be good things inside," Boss Zhao analyzed.

As expected of someone who collects antiques, Fang Wen understood.

Joni Dane seems to be seeking the honor of discovering this ancient Indian site.

Mr. Zhao was interested in what was inside.

But what about Mr. Zhao, who helped his actions?
He asked cryptically, "What did you do before, Mr. Zhao?"

Mr. Zhao feigned emotion and said, "I am ashamed to say that I used to be a tomb raider, which offended my enemies, so I crossed the ocean to seek refuge in America. Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Fang Wen remained noncommittal: "I would like to hear the details."

Boss Zhao hesitated, but thinking that he could join Fang Wen's treasure hunt, he decided to tell him about the past.

"Twenty years ago, I was doing very well in Beiping. I stopped tomb raiding and started selling my wares at Panjiayuan. That year, President Cao drove President Li out of Beiping, and the Qing Emperor was still in the Forbidden City. The palace eunuchs were worried that one day the emperor would not be able to stay, so they were all trying to find ways to get the good stuff out of the palace to resell. I made contact with one of the eunuchs. But that guy was very cunning. He actually emptied Jianfu Palace and set it on fire to cover up the evidence."

As Fang Wen listened to the old case from the capital city 20 years ago, he couldn't help but ask, "The item didn't end up in your hands?"

"Yes. Those murderers actually used me as a cover. After the incident, they traced it back to me. They all said that I was the one who resold things from the capital. But God is my witness, I didn't get a single penny involved. I even had to flee China and come here to make a living."

Boss Zhao expressed his pent-up frustration, revealing that the secret case had long been buried in history.

Fang Wen commented: "Those people probably planned this all along. You're just taking the blame. If they really investigate, they'll find something out. In this whole affair, only you and that last emperor suffered a huge loss; everyone else profited."

Mr. Zhao nodded: "Over the years, I've lived in anonymity, making a living by selling counterfeit goods to foreigners. But I haven't forgotten my skills. Mr. Fang, why don't you recruit me? I guarantee I can help you find the treasure."

"How can we help?" Fang Wen asked.

"I can find you a group of tomb raiders from the United States."

Fang Wen looked at Boss Zhao in surprise: "Are there tomb raiders here in America too?"

Mr. Zhao replied enthusiastically, "Yes, Mexicans. They can do anything, as long as they're willing to pay. I have skills; I can hire a group of Mexicans and train them for two months so they can start working."

I do need someone who can do technical work.

The two exchanged a smile, gave each other a high five, and Fang Wen said, "Then go and prepare. I'll call you when it's time to set off together."

The treasure hunt in the strange mountain has come to an end.

It's Las Vegas's turn.

Fang Wen and his group of four drove from Los Angeles and bumped their way to Las Vegas.

Along the way, Fang Wen realized the hardships one had to endure to eat cake ahead of time.

Before Las Vegas became a major economic center, the transportation here was extremely poor.

The road conditions are poor, and the dusty environment along the way is harsh.

The planned highway from Los Angeles to Las Vegas has not yet been built.

After finally arriving in Las Vegas after a grueling six-hour journey, Zhao Jiu felt somewhat discouraged looking at the city still under construction.

"General Manager, let's not waste our time here. With this kind of environment, apart from the dam workers who are brought here by special vehicles, no one else would be willing to come."

He wasn't the only one who thought this way.

Lin Shuiwang had the same thought.

Indiana had already given a warning.

Despite the three's lack of understanding, Fang Wen had his own ideas.

This place is destined for prosperity in the future; the current difficulties are merely the fog before success.

Based on this, Fang Wen changed his mind at the last minute, but still decided to continue in Las Vegas.

He nodded and replied, “Yes. The transportation here is too poor, so it’s not suitable to build casino companies first. But we can help Las Vegas change that. Isn’t its transportation really bad? I can invest in building an airport specifically for transporting customers for the major casino companies.”

Fang Wen's words broke free from the predicament, offering a refreshing perspective, and were something he excelled at.

Lin Shuiwang blurted out, "That's right, with such poor transportation conditions here, building an airport is definitely the best solution."

Zhao Jiu nodded: "Where there's a road, there will be people. Those casinos will definitely be willing."

Indiana didn't object this time: "It's a good idea. The Las Vegas local government will definitely agree, and Nevada won't stop it either. It's just that the investment is a bit large."

"The investment is large, but the returns are also large. Let's go to the municipal government."

Fang Wen started the car and drove into the city.

Las Vegas in 1933 was still under construction.

The casinos currently in operation are all low-rise buildings, and most of the high-rise buildings are only a few stories high.

There are people with vision like Fang Wen, but they are very cautious.

The main concerns are transportation issues and the current situation.

Until July 8th, an Asian man drove into the city.

He arrived at the Las Vegas City Hall with three subordinates.

There, a city hall employee politely asked, "What brings you to the city hall?"

Indiana said, "We need to see the mayor to discuss some investment matters."

The main task of the Las Vegas municipal government is to discuss investments with businessmen from all over the country, so the staff took the four to the mayor's office.

There, Fang Wen introduced himself.

“Hello, I’m Fang Wen from China, and I own an airline. I’m here today to invest in the Las Vegas airport.” “You want to invest in building an airport?” the mayor asked in surprise. “That must cost a lot of money. You’ll also need to establish flight routes and equip it with many aircraft.”

“It’s different. I want to provide casino-dedicated flights in Las Vegas, where the casinos buy the tickets to attract customers, and our company is responsible for transportation.”

The mayor looked as if he were hearing a fairy tale, utterly incredulous: "You're saying the casinos have to pay for the plane tickets? How is that possible?"

"Why not? I want to invite the mayor to tonight's dinner, and I'll persuade them. If successful, your Las Vegas will have an airport with a large number of flights taking off every day. All you have to do is attend tonight's dinner and, incidentally, invite the casinos in the name of the city government. That way, I won't have to waste my time on this," Fang Wen tempted.

The mayor thought to himself, "That makes sense. I'm just sending people to notify all parties. The banquet won't cost the city government anyway. I'll see what they do."

He immediately agreed.

"can."

Fang Wen smiled and asked, "Mayor, where is the largest restaurant in this city?"

After leaving City Hall, Fang Wen and his group drove to the largest restaurant in Las Vegas.

It is large, but not luxurious.

They are usually prepared for construction workers' meals.

But this is also the only place where you can invite a large number of people to a party at the same time.

To make the dinner a decent affair, some effort is definitely necessary.

The chef at this restaurant makes dishes that are hard to swallow and unusable.

Therefore, all the food for the dinner was ordered from other restaurants in Las Vegas.

The restaurant waiters who delivered the food were also temporarily hired to serve at the dinner.

In addition, all the tablecloths in the restaurant were replaced with new ones, and the tablecloths that were stained with oil were all thrown into the trash.

Even the tableware was borrowed from various restaurants.

This series of actions gave the restaurant a completely new look.

It cost a bit more money, but it met Fang Wen's requirements.

In the evening, a group from the city hall, led by the mayor, arrived first.

Next came the managers of each casino.

Almost everyone came, out of respect for the mayor.

The mayor stood up and rang his glass.

The conversation ceased as the wine glasses echoed.

The mayor said, "Tonight's banquet is hosted by a guest from out of town. He has something very important to discuss with everyone."

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Fang Wen, who was sitting next to him.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Fang Wen stood up and said, "Tonight's banquet has only one purpose: I want to build an airport in Las Vegas."

The crowd immediately erupted in excitement. Everyone was worried about the transportation problem, and if there were an airport, things would be much easier.

The mayor raised his hand to stop the noise: "Please discuss this later. This gentleman hasn't finished speaking."

After a moment of silence, Fang Wen continued, "My airport will be equipped with dedicated casino shuttle flights to transport guests from all over the country to Las Vegas, thus solving the problem of customer flow. However, this dedicated air service requires everyone's cooperation; you will purchase tickets so that customers can fly here for free."

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

"Impossible, this is a scam."

“I also think it’s a scam. We buy plane tickets, and if the customers don’t gamble after they arrive, wouldn’t we lose money?”

"He just wanted to make money off us, but we saw through him."

Despite numerous questions, Fang Wen remained unfazed.

Why would Fang Wen want to cheat the casino out of money? He wouldn't even look at that little bit of money.

What he needs to do is something that has already proven feasible in the future.

In the future, a small percentage of those who travel to Las Vegas by free bus and plane will not participate in gambling, but most will participate with the hope of trying their luck and perhaps making some money.

This is true not only in Las Vegas, but also in other places.

This is called customer acquisition.

The same tactic used to attract new customers includes offering free food in casinos.

It's not just casinos; in the future online society, paying to attract new users will be very common.

This model is based on judgments of human greed and needs; the larger the data range, the higher the success rate.

He calmly explained:
"The paid airfare is only for customers visiting Las Vegas for the first time. They will have to pay for it themselves next time. Have you ever thought that this behavior is creating demand? All you are paying for is a round-trip ticket. And this investment could potentially create a long-term customer."

Some people can understand this business approach to a certain extent, while others still cannot comprehend it.

Their thinking is, "I've invested money, and if I can't retain customers, I'll suffer a loss."

Therefore, the results were not as good as Fang Wen had expected.

Fang Wen then instructed Indiana and the others to negotiate with interested individuals.

He then offered another supplementary suggestion.

"If you're worried about losing your investment, you can sell the casino to me. I'm willing to cover those costs myself."

The discussion immediately resumed.

In 1933, Las Vegas faced a crucial decision.

The city was built with the support of President Hoover.

Meanwhile, workers at the Hoover Dam are also currently the primary source of customers.

But this year, Roosevelt took office and implemented policies that were completely different from Hoover's.

If one day Roosevelt suddenly orders a ban on the construction of the Hoover Dam, or even restricts people from other states from coming to Las Vegas, everyone's expectations will be dashed.

At this time, a merchant from the East unexpectedly offered to take over the business.

Some people have developed an interest in it.

They figured they'd already made some money, and if selling the casino would bring in even more, quitting the business wouldn't be a bad idea.

Fang Wen had long harbored the idea of ​​buying a casino.

At that time, his idea was to have Zhao Jiu acquire the casino, thereby obtaining the license and the Las Vegas land.

Now, he has an even better way: once the airport is built, he can attract more customers for the casino company in a short period of time by offering free services to attract new customers.

But he didn't expect that so many casinos would be willing to sell their assets.

There are many options, and even if the asking price is only 20-30% higher than reasonable, Fang Wen still can't afford it.

This is a major challenge for Fangwen.

He needs a lot of money, allies, and support from the American aviation industry.

(End of this chapter)