Las Vegas (KTNV) – Congresses and trade fairs are about to make a comeback! And that’s good news for many in Las Vegas.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, conferences and conventions have an economic impact of over $ 11 billion on our region in normal years.
There are many reasons to get excited about the convention industry, including the brand new $ 1 billion West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. However, after talking to some of the city’s key players, it may take some time for the industry to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“It’s been a very dangerous year to say the least,” said Ashley Lowe, co-founder and CEO of Convention People, a full-service event management company closely associated with the Las Vegas convention industry. ..
Rowe deposits her usual Las Vegas return with a bank, but admits it may not do so for months.
“Of course I wish I had come back sooner, but I’m still worried. I found that international travelers were unable to attend some of these shows and we are part of the travel budget for these companies. Was reduced in 2021. “
Believing the desire for personal events to be stronger than ever, she points to the breakup from COVID-19.
“I think the year was full of zoom fatigue. I realized that I wasn’t using a television screen or computer monitor to work face to face. People are excited. I want to be there. And comfortable people are there, want to be there and interact. “
“I think people are just ready to go, they’re ready to leave town, they’re ready to go to any event, and they’re in Las Vegas to go to their business conventions and trade shows. They will leave when they have the opportunity, ”added Phil Janes, President of the International Alliance of Cinematographic and Theater Unions.
Janes hopes these shows will come back sooner or later, as the majority of his roughly 3,000 employees in the industry, particularly in Las Vegas, are still unemployed and want to get back to work. I’m out.
“You are ready to come back. This myth about people sitting to make money at home I think some are there but compared to the actual number of people who really want it. Then work and work again. We have been on the road for almost a year and a half. In my hometown, people bite a little to get back to work: “Janes represents union work. Talked about the person. ..
“The convention industry is critical to southern Nevada tourism. The inability to host conventions and trade shows has been a major financial loss for all of southern Nevada,” said Lorinelson Craft, LVCVA senior vice president of communications. Says.
The Las Vegas Convention Center will host at least 30 shows over the next eight months, including the return of celebrities like CES and SEMA.
“All the big shows want to come back. You are excited. They understand that it may be a smaller footprint, but the importance of getting back to business is that they care, ”said Nelson Craft.
Revitalizing convention isn’t just important for the industry. It makes a lot of money for the local economy.
“There are 150,000 hotel rooms here. Only the congress industry can actually fill the hotel occupancy in the middle of the week. This is very important. Congress participants and their exhibitors They tend to spend more money than those who come for weekend stays. It’s a very lucrative offer. “
The Las Vegas Convention Center will be the center of attention starting June 8th when the World of Concrete opens. This is the first major tournament to return and experts believe it will be key to allaying some of the country’s concerns that will hit it in person. If all goes well, you will need to instill confidence in other competitions and contestants to return to Las Vegas.
