Unveiled on July 8, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), operator of Las Vegas Convention Center, will launch two advertising campaigns to reinforce Las Vegas as the world’s premier venue for hosting meetings and events.
“Las Vegas is the meetings and convention capital of the world, and we intend to keep that title for a very long time,” said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing, LVCVA. “Our new campaigns stand out by capitalizing on the energy and excitement of Las Vegas and adding our unique flair to the serious business of conducting meetings and events. The creative emphasizes that no destination delivers on the promise of value, convenience, customer service and unlimited options like Las Vegas.”
Surveys show Las Vegas is popular with meeting professionals, scoring high on “likelihood to choose,” “favorability as a meeting place” and “excellent/good value.” Research also shows attendance increases on average 8 percent when meetings rotate into Las Vegas. Reasons behind these favorable ratings include the expansive variety of activities and venues providing unlimited numbers of options accommodating any budget.
Already boasting the Twitter tagline of #VegasMeansBusiness, the ad campaigns will set out to prove just that, specifically aimed at consumer and business decision makers in the meetings and events industry.
Titled “Entertain You,” one campaign targets the business-to-consumer market of C-suite executives who select corporate meeting venues. Using the tagline, “We’re Here to Do More Than Entertain You,” a series of print and digital ads speak directly to senior management emphasizing the return on investment for Las Vegas meetings while maintaining the destination’s distinct personality. Featured in the ads are iconic Las Vegas entertainers in office settings, including illusionist David Copperfield, a performer from Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère and a Las Vegas showgirl.
A complementing campaign called “Neon Signs” focuses directly on the business-to-business market segment of meeting and event professionals. With more than 22,000 meetings, events, conventions and tradeshows a year, the campaign seeks to fortify Las Vegas’ popularity through a two-part approach. Introducing the tagline, “Las Vegas Makes Every Meeting Exciting,” the creative features the names of fictional, dry-sounding meetings illuminated in the famous neon lights of Las Vegas to illustrate how the destination turns the event into a must-attend function.
Adding another element in the first quarter of 2015 will be the introduction of additional ads using the tagline, “Las Vegas Makes Events More Eventful.” This series of digital and print ads feature common items found at meetings dramatically bejeweled and sparkling, playing off the energy and excitement that only Las Vegas delivers.
To run in meetings and convention industry trade publications, the campaigns were created by the LVCVA’s agency of record, R&R Partners.
The meetings and convention industry is critical to Las Vegas’ economy and a key growth market. Convention and trade show delegates represent approximately 12.7 percent of all visitors to the Southern Nevada region, or approximately 5.1 million business travelers a year. Las Vegas’ meetings and convention industry supports approximately 61,200 local jobs with $2.3 billion in salaries and generates as much as $7.4 billion in local economic impact.
