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MEETINGS & INCENTIVE TRAVEL

Las Vegas: Because Business & Pleasure Go Well Together

The late cultural critic Neil Postman once wrote that Las Vegas is a metaphor of our national character and aspiration. "Las Vegas is a city entirely devoted to the idea of entertainment, and as such proclaims the spirit of a culture in which all public discourse increasingly takes the form of entertainment. Our politics, our religion, news, athletics, education and commerce have been transformed into congenial adjuncts of show business."

No wonder the business world loves to convene there!

According to Michael Goldsmith, Director of Convention Sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the city hosted 24,000 meetings and conventions last year and more than half of those were for groups of less than 500 attendees.

These events often are put together by an executive assistant or other staff member who has "meeting planning" included in a laundry list of job responsibilities. As Goldsmith says, "A lot of organizations say ÔWe'd like to have our program in Las Vegas. Joe, why don't you plan it for us?' "

Help For the Average Joe

The average Joe who suddenly finds himself shouldering the Las Vegas meeting planning responsibilities is in luck: the LVCVA and each of the city's casino resorts is eager to make you look great.

Each visit to Las Vegas can include a different experience, from Red Rock Canyon west of the city (top) to the glitter of the Strip (above).

"It's the smaller programs that are really the cherry on top of the sundae for us, and they deserve special attention," Goldsmith says. "There is a misperception that they will get lost in the big hotels, which isn't true at all because each of the hotels has dedicated staff to handle these groups."

The LVCVA itself has three sales representatives who do nothing but work with groups booking less than 100 rooms per night. These representatives serve as a liaison to the city's resorts, helping companies determine their space needs, meals and entertainment, and putting it all together in request for proposals Ð all at no cost.

"I can't tell you what they're thinking before they call us, but after they call, they are feeling very competent about being serviced," Goldsmith says. "We're like the Google of Las Vegas. We may not have all of the information you need, but we know who to call to get it."

A New City Every Time

Indeed, corporate groups do return annually or even more frequently because Las Vegas, more than any other city, continually reinvents itself. "It's like coming to a new city even if you come year after year," says Goldsmith.

And the city is a proven draw. Attendance at trade shows in Las Vegas increases about 18 percent when they cycle in from other locations, Goldsmith says. "We don't have specific numbers that speak to association and corporate meetings, but it's not a huge leap to go from one to the other."

Las Vegas isn't strictly for gamblers. An influx of world-renowned restaurants and celebrity chefs, along with some of the best shopping in the world, has decidedly altered the city's image. If your attendees never plunk a dollar into a slot machine or take a seat at a blackjack table, they won't be wanting for something to do in Las Vegas."

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See also in: Las Vegas: Because Business & Pleasure Go Well Together

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