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The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is extending its marketing reach to boost summer visits to Southern Nevada, unveiling a new promotional campaign that kicks off later this month.
The organization’s board of directors got its first glimpse today of its “Life is short. Summer is shorter. Make a splash in Las Vegas” campaign.
The LVCVA will spend $24 million – $3 million more than last year – to promote the destination to summer vacationers.
The additional funding was a result of room tax revenue being $8 million greater than initially forecast.
A variety of special events in the city and the many pool parties that have sprung up at local resorts are among the activities that will be promoted in the summer campaign.
As in past efforts, the promotion will put its greatest emphasis on feeder cities, the markets from which Las Vegas gets most of its visitors. Two major media buys, one in early June and one in late July or early August, will use 30-second television spots that were shot recently at various properties.
The organization also will use social media to convey the message that Las Vegas is a great place for a summer vacation because of the attractions it has and the special events on the calendar.
“Some places are lucky to have one or two events a year like we have,” said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who will relinquish the chairmanship of the LVCVA board next month when a new mayor takes office. “But we have events one after another, every day. That’s what makes us different. That’s what makes us the best.”
The LVCVA has focused most of its attention on five feeder cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix and Denver. This year, two more cities, Dallas and Houston, are being added to the mix.
To kick off the summer season, the LVCVA is giving away 50 free trips to Las Vegas through KTLA, which has the top-rated morning television show in the Southern California market.
With its advertising consultant R&R Partners, the LVCVA has built an Internet microsite to highlight summer activities.
The online strategy includes using social media sites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to reach prospective visitors inexpensively. Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing, said 600,000 people a month visit the LVCVA’s consumer website and 250,000 “like” Las Vegas on Facebook.
The LVCVA also partners with online travel companies Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com and Bookit.com as well as the vacation packaging companies affiliated with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to sell Las Vegas.
Print promotions will focus on special events. An eight-page insert previewing the Billboard music awards will explain “how to Vegas” by entertainers affiliated with the music industry. The LVCVA also produced a 32-page summer events guide to be inserted into newspapers.
Other tie-ins are planned with the daytime television Emmy Awards and the National Hockey League Awards presentations.
The LVCVA also will get some free bonus advertising – displays at McCarran International Airport that will call attention to summer activity. The Clark County Department of Aviation is offering to display window decals, kiosks and video walls at no cost.
The organization also will spend some of its promotional dollars on summer business travel and conventions. The LVCVA gets a head start on that next week when Las Vegas plays host to the Global Travel and Tourism Summit sponsored by the World Travel & Tourism Council at Aria. It’s only the second time that the organization has staged the global tourism event in North America.
“The world of tourism will be focused on Las Vegas next week,” said LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter. “It’s important that we’ve been recognized as the tourism capital of the world.”
In addition to tourism issues being discussed at the May 17-19 conference at Aria, local resorts will have the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with some of the world’s top tourism leaders and organizations.
While most of the message will be focused on persuading tourists who haven’t made travel plans to come to Southern Nevada and reinforce steady customers to come again, some of the budget will be allocated to special events outside Las Vegas. Events in outlying areas that will get special promotion are Rockets over the River and the Colorado River Regatta in Laughlin, the Smokin’ in Mesquite barbecue in Mesquite and Damboree in Boulder City.