Being number one means you are squarely in your competitors’ sights, and virtually every city with a convention center has Las Vegas targeted on a global level.
To maintain its hold as the top-ranked destination for tradeshows in the United States as determined by the Trade Show News Network, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) on Feb. 26 approved $150 million in funding to obtain preliminary proposals for a potential $2.5 billion expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and the creation of the proposed Las Vegas Global Business District. LVCC officials say the expansion is needed in part due to growing competition domestically with more than 17 million square feet of exhibit space added with new convention centers in Nashville, Anaheim, Cleveland and other cities as well as expansion projects at many other locations.
“It’s a great concept,” said Allen Lind, general manager, Freeman-Las Vegas. “It’s a pretty grand scale of things but the perfect time to go big.”
Going big is part of the plan and could see the convention center’s campus grow much larger with potential access to the Las Vegas Strip. And creating a unique and unforgettable experience for tradeshow attendees should help keep Las Vegas at the top of the tradeshow industry.
“Us keeping number one – that’s what it really is all about,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO, LVCC. “It’s been a tough recession, but the tradeshow business is growing.”
And creating a unique and unforgettable experience for tradeshow attendees should help keep Las Vegas at the top of the tradeshow industry.
“When you come to Las Vegas, it needs to be an experience,” said Allen Lind, general manager, Freeman-Las Vegas. “Now is the time for the LVCC to make a statement for Las Vegas as a whole. It’s time to really transform the convention center into what Las Vegas is all about – creating the experience for the attendees.”
Maintaining the top spot among tradeshow destinations in the United States means expanding the convention center and luring new events with a superior site and infrastructure, which likely would benefit area residents.
“Bringing exhibitions and events to Las Vegas benefits the entire community,” said Anthony Lau, senior vice president of operations, GES. “The LVCVA’s plans are a positive and important step in keeping Las Vegas as the top exhibition and events destination.”
Initial plans include more exhibit space, a new entrance along Joe E. Brown Dr., improved technology, more amenities and a new World Trade Center building to house LVCC administrative offices and draw more international exhibitors. Construction on the proposed World Trade Center building could begin within two years, and the intent is for it to do more than house administrative offices.
“Blue-chip brands will come,” said Ralenkotter. “It will be a global validation of the Las Vegas Convention Center.”
About 16 percent of tradeshow exhibitors and attendees hail from international destinations, and the LVCVA wants to boost that rate to 30 percent within 10 years. Erecting a World Trade Center building has strong support.
“The World Trade Center destination is well-known around the world, and we believe that the designation provides the LVCVA with additional opportunities to market Las Vegas to more international travelers as a business-focused exhibition destination,” said Lau. “The world has become a smaller place due to technology, and Las Vegas hosts many international exhibitions which bring both international exhibitors and international attendees. We are seeing a rise in international exhibitors, and we expect that trend to continue.”
International participation in domestic tradeshows has been on the rise with the increasingly global economy, and that means a lot of firms want to gain international market shares.
“That’s a goal for every facilities manager, and, definitely, that’s where not just Las Vegas but all cities need to go,” said Lind. “That’s the first step to getting there.”
With administrative offices likely moving to a new building, more exhibit space will be available for the convention center, which also will get an as-yet determined increase in size. The new space enables the co-location of events and provides room to house existing tradeshows while renovating and expanding other areas of the convention center.
“We are seeing a rise in co-location of events,” said Lau. “Additionally, when the convention center is hosting multiple events at once, new entrances provide opportunities for event organizers to brand their designated entrances, thus creating better way-finding for attendees on the campus.”
The additional area also benefits existing tradeshows and tradeshow organizers.
“We seem to struggle with space,” said Lind. “The added square footage is a plus and gives more space to have opportunities to expand existing shows.”
With new space and increased participation in tradeshows, upgrading transportation infrastructure is an important component of the new Las Vegas Global Business District. Initial proposals call for the expansion of the Las Vegas monorail to connect all exhibition areas from the Mandalay Bay Convention Center to the LVCC, placing some 8 million square feet of exhibit space within minutes of each other. Proposals also call for building a rail system to McCarran International Airport and working with taxi and limousine service-providers to improve transportation so attendees can walk off airplanes and be at their hotels and convention sites within minutes.
“When you have shows with over 100,000 attendees, transportation can be an issue,” said Lind. “It would be better for the convention center as well as Las Vegas.”
And with rail and other services being looked at, the impact on the entire Las Vegas community could be great.
“We believe that creating interconnection within the resort corridor is important,” said Lau. “Because the LVCVA promotes the entire Las Vegas destination, a holistic approach to transportation benefits everyone.”
The LVCVA is scheduled to meet in May to discuss preliminary plans to get the proposed $2.5 billion project and possibly move forward with additional funding beyond the $150 million already approved.
