Las Vegas has long been known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” boasting 4.2 neon-drenched miles of wall-to-wall famous mega-casino hotels featuring 24-hour gambling, a lavish array of four-star celebrity-chef restaurants and a never-ending roster of big-name superstar entertainment. It is also why, year after year, Las Vegas is rated the number one draw for tourism.
That same unbeatable combination is also a big draw for another big group of annual Las Vegas visitors: Trade Show, Convention and Meeting Attendees.
You most likely do not give this a great deal of thought, until TV news reports that the big (fill-in-the-blank) trade show is in town, then – for you – it simply means heavier traffic and longer morning and afternoon city rush hours. Or if you happen have out-of-town friends visiting… better brace them for busier than usual restaurants, harder to get show reservations and longer waits for Uber, Lyft and Taxis.
And, if you happen to have travel plans yourself, it certainly means the airport will be busier and more frustrating than usual.
What’s in it for Me?
To make things a bit easier to follow, we’ll round off some numbers to help you keep track. With that said, Las Vegas will see about 39 million visitors this year, of which five million (or 13%) will be here for a trade show, convention or meeting of some sort. And that 13% is something you’ll want to make note of and remember (more on this number in a moment).
Basically, when it comes to the world’s largest and most prestigious trade shows and business conferences, all roads lead to Las Vegas, and there are about 75 major trade shows every year and approximately 24,000 conventions and meetings of all size.
Las Vegas also is known for generating above average attendance for all types of trade shows and meetings, and when they rotate into our city, research shows a 15% increase in attendance, with more time spent in meetings and on the trade show floor, and more time spent here in town – both before and after.
Trade show and convention attendees also represent billions and billions of dollars in revenue for our local economy and that all-important 13% of our total visitors really does impact your life… directly… and in a big way. In a moment, you’ll see why.
Vegas Working for You
First, a few trade show stats. For 26-years, Las Vegas has been the undisputed number one destination in the United States for trade shows and meetings of all size.
A few facts make it a no-brainer for meet planners. The airport is just minutes from all that the Strip has to offer and it is just four miles to the world-class 4.6 million square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) located within a short distance of approximately 150,000 guest rooms.
The spectacular Las Vegas Convention Center – owned and operated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) – is one of the busiest facilities in the world, with over two million attendees passing through its doors annually to walk 2.5 million feet of trade show aisles or to attend events in any one of its 225 meeting rooms.
The LVCC is a sprawling complex with a 2.2 square mile campus consisting of four expansive North, Central, South and West exhibit halls… all now interconnected with a space-age underground tunnel transportation system, recently completed by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, that whisks attendees from hall-to-hall in a matter of minutes at no cost in a vast fleet of electric Tesla automobiles.
The list of forward-thinking elements and projects that keep Las Vegas number one on meeting planner’s agendas is both obvious and ever expanding. Still, it begs the question…
Why is this Good for You?
As of 2022, Nevada, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming and Alaska are the only states that do not levy a personal state income tax… and Nevada has no state income tax because tourists pay most of the state’s taxes.
The dreaded “Hotel Room Tax” – added to every visitor’s hotel bill – and the taxes on various revenue streams from casinos pays the bills.
When one takes out their calculator and starts tracking some of these huge trade shows, the numbers of those pesky conventioneers… jamming our highways and byways and eating in our famous restaurants, taking in the big shows and gambling their days and nights away… start looking pretty good.
Remember that 13% of all visitors we mentioned earlier? Here’s just a few stats to consider. As the sign Says…
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
Every January, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off the season with the largest Trade Show in the United States historically with about 180,000 attendees (multiplied by 13%, that’s 23,400 folks kicking in toward eliminating your personal income tax). See where we’re going with this?
Other notable large annual trade shows are: SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) with 160,000 automotive industry attendees (calculators clicking away). There’s also CON-AGG/EXPO (big construction equipment) with140,000 attendees and the consolidated DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION WEEK, with five simultaneous major trade shows running at once (International Builders Show, Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, National Hardware Show, International Surfaces Event and the Las Vegas Market Week for furniture… and a city-wide attendance reported at 200,000 (calculators still clicking away).
These are just a few of the 75 or so big annual trade shows… and millions of attendees… which contributes a whopping 13% toward eliminating your Nevada state income tax obligation.
Starting to feel better about all those conventioneers? Then there are also attendees of the 24,000 or so smaller conventions and meetings per year (can your calculator handle all the zeroes? ).
But Wait – There’s More !
You also have a highly-effective “silent partner” that’s hard at work every day of the year: The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).
A renown leader in the travel and tourism industry, the LVCVA is a “dedicated group of professionals with one shared mission – to promote Las Vegas as the world’s most desirable destination for leisure and business travel.”
And they do it very, very well. Founded in 1955, the LVCVA owns and operates: the Las Vegas Convention Center, the city’s sleek above ground Monorail and the new underground “Vegas Loop” futuristic tunnel transportation system. It is also responsible for all advertising and promotion that keeps Las Vegas in the forefront.
One of the primary roles of the LVCVA is continually “branding” our fair city… and since 2007, Las Vegas has been the second-most recognizable brand in the U.S. following Google. One of its many accolades is creating the now famous “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” catchphrase created with its advertising agency R&R Partners.
The best part is the LVCVA is also paid for with a percentage of the Hotel Room Tax on every visitor’s hotel bill and the various taxes on casinos. There’s no cost to you and I, and as far as its effectiveness is concerned, a recent study by Applied Analysis shows the advertising efforts of the LVCVA tourism-wise return $26 for every $1 spent.
“These results are a powerful testament that what we do in concert with our resort partners to market this destination has an undeniable impact on our community,” said Steve Hill, CEO and president of the LVCVA.
The LVCVA keeps tourists and conventioneers coming… year after year… which, in turn, plays a big role in helping to eliminate your Nevada state income tax.
A Warm Las Vegas Welcome
With innovative thinking, added to a state-of-the-art convention center and first-of-its-kind underground transportation system, the acknowledged “Entertainment Capital of the World” is fully engaged in presenting the Trade Shows, Expos and Conventions of tomorrow today.
“Las Vegas is the top destination for business travel. We offer the newest technology in the many convention and meeting locations throughout the city of Las Vegas, all in close proximity to an International Airport and more than 150,000 hotel rooms,” states Las Vegas Mayor, Carolyn G. Goodman.
“Conventions and trade show planners know that their clients want to visit Las Vegas,” she adds, “to experience all that our city has to offer.”
So, with that in mind, the next time you’re out and about – and you see a group of conventioneers sporting colorful badges from the big or small (fill-in-the-blank) Trade Show, Expo or Company Meeting – remember they are here contributing 13% to eliminating your Nevada state income tax obligation.
Simply nod your head, smile and quietly think “Thanks for coming!”
Don Logay is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of three national magazines. Today he writes luxury lifestyle articles for numerous publications. He can be reached at (949) 240-4444 or [email protected].
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