Meeting News - December 15, 2008 - (Page 32)

Insider Report: Affordable Las Vegas MeetingNews Q&A: Las Vegas Gets Flexible with Groups Prices are down and negotiability is up in the city of neon lights Chris Meyer, CMP, CEM, vice president of convention sales for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, said the combination of challenging times and still-intense competition between suppliers in the city is an advantageous development for planners. than anything that “flexibility” is the buzz word. Properties that are flexible—in dates, rates, food and beverage minimums, etc—will get the business, and Las Vegas properties are flexible. Q A What about the expansion at the Las Vegas Convention Center? Are any of the developments there adding value for groups? The expansion was always packaged to be done in stages, but originally Phase I was going to be the South Hall meeting rooms and Phase III was the remodel package—and now we’ve flipped that order. We’re going to do the interior package first, because that’s where our clients will see the most impact. Of course we can’t do that all at one time, but the first portion of the first phase will be finished by November 2009. It should all be completed by the second quarter of 2011. Some of the changes include new paint and carpeting, new infrastructure in all the meeting rooms—including more bandwidth capabilities, although we already have some robust solutions there—more seating, and more restaurants, all of which are the good things that attendees and exhibitors experience. The South Hall meeting-room work will take place in late 2010 or 2011, and then there’s just the final part, which is the front connector. —Interview conducted by Irene Korn Q A How has the economy affected meetings in Las Vegas? Until we see a significant bounce in the economy, we’re going to continue seeing challenges, especially in the corporate market because meetings are one of the first places that corporations look at when cutting their budgets. But one of the things that’s allowing me to keep my sanity right now is the association trade show business. That’s holding its own pretty well. We had a nice little run from September through October, where we actually saw increased attendance for six or seven shows. We were worried about shows after that, and son of a gun if they didn’t do well, too. There’s always the question: Is the trade show business leading edge or lagging edge? Does it lead business trends or follow them? In either case, buyers are out on the trade show floor, so we’re hopeful that’s an indication that it’s more leading edge. decor and services and amenities as in any other Four Seasons. But you’ll probably pay a fraction of the price that you’d pay in other first-tier cities. That’s because of the competitive nature of our destination—we have more competition here than just about anyplace else, which leads to a better value proposition when it comes to prices. Another key point is that groups don’t have to worry about paying for entertainment here. After the meeting is over, there’s the Strip, so planners can let attendees loose to do what they want. Q A In this economy, how is the LVCVA working with meeting planners to ensure the value proposition of the city? Not only is the value proposition alive and well, but we’re currently in the middle of conducting 1,000 sales calls in a 90-day period. We’re going face-to-face, reaching out and talking to our customers. What we’re hearing more Q A Q A According to your stats, the average daily room rate was down 9.2 percent for the year as of September and was down 21 percent in the month. Are planners taking advantage? Hot Dates and Rates Are Online, Courtesy of the LVCVA o keep Las Vegas front of mind for planners looking for value, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority has uploaded hotel packages and deals to the CVB Hot Rates website (www.cvbhotrates.com), a one-stop-shop for short-term meetings inventory, run by Corpus Christi, TX-based DMS Group. “We went live with about 500 Las Vegas properties,” said Chris Meyer, CMP, CEM, vice president of convention sales for the LVCVA. “We’ve never been on it before, but it’s a conduit that destinations use to basically advertise value dates and rates. Instead of blasting out e-mail after e-mail, this is basically an effort to put it all in one place.” Meyer said the LVCVA will do all the updates for a few months as participating properties learn the process, before turning it over to the hotels to update themselves. He also noted that a portion of the LVCVA business website (www.lvcva.com/meetings) already has the same information, “but you have to dig a little harder for it.” The bureau’s site is slated to undergo a renovation to become more user-friendly, most likely in second-quarter 2009. Meyer said the LVCVA is holding focus groups with planners to plot out the redesign. Unfortunately those are the facts. That’s obviously a product of the current economy and something we’re seeing in other lodging markets, as well. There’s a lot of value out there for planners when it comes to rates right now. How does Las Vegas now compare to other first-tier cities when it comes to pricing? T We have what I call the “Four Seasons Effect.” When you walk into the Four Seasons in Las Vegas, you’ll find the same level of 32 MeetingNews December 15, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.cvbhotrates.com http://www.lvcva.com/meetings http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - December 15, 2008

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