Sunday, April 5, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

1. We’ve got the space for any sized event
Las Vegas is home to 9.8 million square feet of exhibit space and three of the top 10 convention centers in the United States are right here. The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) alone has 2.3 million square feet and is home to some of the biggest convention events in the country, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and construction industry convention CONEXPO/CONAGG. If the LVCC doesn’t strike your fancy, there’s always the Sands Expo and Convention Center (1.8 million sq. ft.), Mandalay Bay Convention Center (1.7 million sq. ft.) or countless other hotels and casinos that offer meeting rooms for conventions great and small.

2. Experienced staff
Conventions are big business for Las Vegas. An average of over 22,000 meetings and conventions are held here every year. That means the staff at all of the venues in town know how to help you make your convention or meeting a success.  Many of the major players in the convention industry have corporate or district offices in town, which means corporate office staff knowledgeable of local information and hands-on customer service at your venue of choice.

3. Plenty of places to stay
Need a room? No problem, we’ve got over 140,000 of them, most of them are in hotels that resemble small cities and offer every accommodation you can imagine. Now is the time to book too. Many of the hotels are running great specials now  to lure back the tourism and convention industry. For instance, The Orleans Hotel and Casino, one of my favorite local casinos is offering $34 a night May 25-28 if you book online. The Red Rock Hotel and Casino (I see A LOT of movies there) is offering a Dinner and a Movie package that includes one night of deluxe accommodations, two movie tickets, two buffet passes for around $100. And when they say deluxe, they aren’t kidding. I’ve stayed at the Red Rock and was extremely impressed with the accommodations. Swanky and affordable!

4. Beautiful weather
With average temperatures in the mid-60s, super low humidity and 320 days of sunshine a year, Vegas’ is a great place to hold a convention. No worrying about rain delays! The winters are mild and the summer weather is tolerable. Las Vegans love their weather and it’s one of the major reasons why we live here. Make it one of the reasons you visit us!

5. We can get you where you’re going
Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport is one of the busiest in the nation, with flights from over 130 cities, many of them non-stop. And once you’re here, you can get around town by taxi, bus or monorail. Many of the larger conventions offer shuttle bus services from major hotels to the convention centers for the convenience of the convention attendees.

6. Activities galore
The nightlife in Las Vegas may have given the town a bad rap but there is plenty of other things to do in town that are less lascivious. If you’re traveling with your family, check out the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum (it’s fun for adults too), The Springs Preserve or the Adventuredome at Circus Circus. There are great places to explore near Las Vegas too. Visit Hoover Dam, Bonnie Springs, the Valley of Fire State Park or the Red Rock National Conservation Area or even take a drive to Death Valley National Park. Not everything is expensive, either. You can come to Vegas and stay within your budget. Check out this list of 25 Free Things to Do in Las Vegas.

Statistics courtesy of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority.

Posted in A Little of Everything, Travel, Vegas | Print | No Comments »

Sunday, April 5, 2009 by Alexandria Harper.

If you were ever in doubt about the power of the Presidential office, what I’m about to discuss will convince you. One off-hand, irresponsible comment has set off a chain of reaction so severe that our city is in jeopardy. [Please note that “irresponsible” pertains to the comment made only. No mail bombing me for saying Obama is an irresponsible president, and if you do you’re only proving the point I’m trying to make in this post.]

On February 9, 2009, President Barack Obama was speaking at a town hall meeting in Indiana about the state of the economy and, specifically, the role of financial institutions in its downturn. He chastised the institutions involved in the Bail-Out and stated that they shouldn’t take trips to “Las Vegas…or…the Superbowl on the taxpayer’s dime”. He also called for them to practice “accountability and responsibility”.

As a taxpayer, I agree wholeheartedly with companies focusing on accountability and responsibility for their actions and, above all, not wasting my hard-earned money. Also, I do not dispute that American public have misinterpreted what President Obama said. Somehow, his statement regarding the misappropriation of funds by troubled financial institutions became “stop going to Vegas for any reason whatsoever.” Clearly, that is not what Obama meant to happen, but the average American isn’t going to examine what he said closely. They take what the President says as gospel and if he says, “don’t go to Las Vegas,” they’re going to drop this city like a hot potato. He’s new to game and we all make mistakes. However, he should know that most people regard the President as an authority on all subjects, faulty logic or no.

The sad fact is that our city was singled out in the statement and our major sources of revenue, tourism, conventions and meetings, thrown into suspicion. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman felt so strongly that he penned a letter the very next day asking for an apology. He later rescinded the request stating he was satisfied that the word is out there and that the President wasn’t trying to “disparage Las Vegas”.

On March 12, the White House issued a “clarification” stating that the President recognizes the importance of business travel to the tourism industry and encourages business travel for meetings. According to Metro Networks Communications, Obama is also planning a trip to Vegas for a fundraiser for Senator Harry Reid during which he is expected to talk about “talk about the importance of leisure and business travel.”

I commend him for making an effort; however, I don’t think Harry Reid is the path to winning back the hearts and minds of Las Vegans. I personally wouldn’t align myself with him. I’ve met the guy and I would say you’d be hard pressed to locate a more arrogant, self-interested waster of taxpayers money. Chalk it up to Obama’s newness once again. But I digress…

Now, we must ask ourselves, is it too little too late? Is the damage is already done? Some damage is evident at least.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that 340 conventions have been cancelled in the last 90 days, costing our city $131.6 million in non-gambling projected revenue. What does that mean? More than just trouble for our economy, it means that thousands of people are going to lose their jobs.

As of February, the unemployment rate in Nevada was already at a staggering 10.1 percent. The last time it was that high was 1983 due to the recession in the early 1980s.

So what can we do to turn it around? Get the word out and I’m about to give you the ammunition in my next post. I’m splitting the post because this one is long enough and I’d like to highlight the next individually.

Posted in A Little of Everything, Travel, Vegas | Print | No Comments »