Las Vegas entertainment head to help transform Waikiki Nei
A top Las Vegas showman has told organizers of Waikiki Nei, Hawaii's first world-class style show and ultra lounge, to deal him in.
Todd Dougall, a pivotal figure in Las Vegas' entertainment scene for the last three decades, will be joining local production icon Roy Tokujo and his partners from Realisations of Montreal in their efforts to transform the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center's fourth floor showroom into a hip, trendy cocktail show and ultra lounge.
"I'll be joining them in about 30 days," said Dougall, who will leave his post as the vice president of entertainment for MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, where he oversaw the design, construction and operations of Studio 54 and Tabu Ultra Lounge.
"It took some convincing, but the Hawaii sun won me over," he said.
Tokujo, an accomplished Hawaii-based entrepreneur, 46-year veteran and hotel, restaurant and entertainment leader, also played an instrumental role in recruiting Dougall.
Dougall also oversaw the construction and launch of the multimillion-dollar stage production KÀ. For the first two years in production, KÀ performed more than 1,000 shows to nearly sold-out crowds.
Dougall is expected to lend his own Vegas brand of magic to Hawaii's $20 million hot new entertainment concept.
"Nightclubs here don't do what we do in Las Vegas which is high-end guerrilla style marketing," Dougall said. "We know how to reach out to a broader crowd."