Andrea Frey might be the only person who would describe megaclubs like Hakkasan and Omnia as smaller-scale experiences. That’s because the director of creative production for the Hakkasan Group was accustomed to arena and festival-sized entertainment events before she landed in Las Vegas.
Frey started working with Angel Music Group in England in 2005, helping to build international events like the Global Gathering festival and Godskitchen productions. “We had tours around the world, and I was always prepping and advancing and traveling,” Frey says. “I was on the road for seven years, and before that I was more of an events manager based in festivals or arena shows. This is very different, because it’s relentless; it goes on every week, four days a week. I had to get used to that.”
When she arrived on the Strip to open Hakkasan at MGM Grand—she has also helped key the creation of experiences at Omnia and this year’s Jewel—Frey took some time to adjust to Vegas. “It’s everything that I’m not,” she says. But constant sunshine, active outdoor opportunities and plenty of music eased the transition. “Music is my passion, always has been. My goal in the future is to move away from DJs and get into live music.”
For now, Frey helps create the experience in these venues, working with any artist who performs here. “It may be a small scale in comparison to what I was used to, but that doesn’t mean it’s less work,” she says. “The idea was to make bespoke creative shows for every artist on the roster. I’ve been in the business so long I tend to know a lot of them personally, especially because a lot of our artists are Dutch, and I’m Dutch so that makes it easier.
“We welcome involvement, and sometimes it’s a pain in the ass to be quite frank, but sometimes it’s wonderful, because you create support from the get-go. If you do something and the artist is not involved, it can create some disconnect, but if someone is involved from the very beginning, it’s easier to do fine-tuning and tweaking.”
