People often think tourism is the cliché of the loudly dressed out-of-towner wandering aimlessly down the Strip, stopping every 20 feet to take a photo. Although we do attract a large number of leisure visitors, what many don’t consider are the millions of business travelers who come here every year for meetings or conventions. These travelers are highly sought after by every city because they stay longer and spend more money than casual tourists when they visit.
Las Vegas is known as the entertainment capital of the world, but we also are the convention capital of the world. For 21 consecutive years, we have hosted more of the 250 largest conventions than any other city in the country. In fact, we host more than the next two cities combined. And yet, since we are such a great tourist city, we don’t get the recognition we deserve for being a serious business city.
A recent announcement will go a long way in changing that perception. Las Vegas was named host city for the final presidential debate before the 2016 election. If the Commission on Presidential Debates feels Las Vegas is serious enough for this event, how can other businesses or government agencies argue we are not?
Resorts have invested billions to provide the best accommodations, amenities and service. We have 11 million square feet of meeting and convention space and three of the 10 largest convention centers in the nation.
Now, we must maintain the business experience our convention clients have come to expect.
To provide a first-rate experience and allow more conventions to relocate here, the Las Vegas Convention Center will need to be upgraded. The convention center opened in 1959, and portions of the building remain original. The facility operates at capacity and has no room for large shows to continue to grow. The Las Vegas Convention Center District project has been developed to address these issues.
The proposed expansion and renovation would add 750,000 square feet of space and refurbish the building. These improvements would allow shows such as the Consumer Electronics Show and Conexpo/Con-Agg to expand, and would allow us to bring in other shows during busy times as well as provide the technology and other amenities clients need. The project also would generate 6,000 construction jobs and support 6,000 permanent jobs when complete.
The convention center has $21 billion worth of business booked over the next decade. Upgrading and expanding the facility would provide allow us to increase that business and provide a greater economic impact and more jobs.
Las Vegas has fought hard to show that we are a serious business city, and now we need to show the world that we are committed to being one.
Lawrence Weekly is a Clark County commissioner and chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.