Major Players: Who You Need to Know in Vegas
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 5/16/2005
Las Vegas didn't turn into the country's top tradeshow destination without serious contributions from a lot of different people working in a lot of different sectors. If not for the large venues — the publicly owned Las Vegas Convention Center, with more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, and the privately owned Sands Expo & Convention Center and Mandalay Bay Convention Center, each with about 1 million sq. ft. of exhibit space — organizers would have had to hold their events under the blazing desert sun. Without contributions from general service contractors, exhibitors would have had a tough time getting their booths and products in and out of those venues. And without the countless sales and marketing professionals at the city's hotels and convention centers, tradeshow organizers probably wouldn't have ventured to town in the first place.
Although tradeshows the size of those held in Las Vegas wouldn't be possible without contributions from thousands of workers, the following are among the most well-known names in the city's tradeshow universe.
CHRIS MEYER
Senior director of convention center sales
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
• Veteran go-to guy oversees staff of 12 at LVCVA, which fills space at LVCC and Cashman Center, and provides assistance to Mandalay Bay and Sands ... 26-year Vegas resident ... joined local tourism industry after graduating from University of Nevada Las Vegas with a master's in management information systems ... first CEM and CMP in the state ... hired at LVCVA in 2000 after a decade with the Venetian and Sands, including one year spent as sales and marketing director of both ... former national sales manager and director of tour and travel at Tropicana Hotel ... also worked for Flamingo Hilton and Marina Hotel & Casino ... at LVCVA spearheaded trade missions to foreign locales with show managers ... credits team of "seasoned professionals that really know their stuff" for success at drawing shows ... married to a meeting planner ... of tradeshows, he said, "I think it's the best form of business there is."
SHELDON ADELSON
Chairman
Las Vegas Sands
• Won accolades from financial world for last year's initial public offering that raised $744 million for Las Vegas Sands ... also made Adelson world's 19th richest person, according to Forbes ... won longstanding admiration in the tradeshow world by co-founding COMDEX in late 1970s (and selling it in 1995 for a reported $800 million) ... developed Sands Expo & Convention Center, country's largest privately owned convention center ... later supplemented it with adjoining Venetian Resort Hotel Casino ... Adelson hasn't stopped there ... the $1.8 billion Palazzo suites tower is under construction next to the convention center, also slated for future expansion ... last year he celebrated the opening of Sands Macau, which will be joined by seven other planned casino resorts there ... Sands Macau to be supplemented by a 1.2 million square foot convention center... in Singapore, Adelson's company is among finalists to build a new resort and casino, complete with convention space.
STEVE BARRY
President and COO
TWI Group
• Barry's company makes sure that international exhibitors' booths and products get to shows in Las Vegas on time ... also handles shipments of U.S. exhibit materials abroad ... Barry's father Stephen J. Barry founded TWI Group in 1972 ... among the company's first jobs was handling freight for 27 exhibitors going to the 1973 Paris Air Show ... became president and COO in 2001, when father moved to strategic role as chairman and CEO.
CHUCK BOWLING
Executive vice president of sales and marketing
MGM Grand Resorts
• Bowling was promoted to current position when MGM Mirage merged with Mandalay Resort Group ... had served as executive vice president of hotel operations for MGM Grand since 2001 ... was previously senior vice president of sales and marketing for MGM Grand ... in new position, will be responsible for convention, tradeshow, leisure and Internet sales for MGM Grand Resorts ... office is located at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
PAUL DYKSTRA
President and CEO
GES Exposition Services
• Head of Las Vegas-based GES, one of the industry's two biggest general services contractors ... was previously executive with parent company Viad's Travelers Express unit in Minneapolis ... named to head GES in 2000 ... has worked to roll out new services like GES Logistics and GES Online while weathering industry downturn ... on Dykstra's watch, GES built new 882,000 sq. ft. production facility in Vegas ... also launched Natl. Servicenter to centralize exhibitor orders ... avid golfer.
GAIL FITZGERALD
Vice president of hotel sales and marketing
Bellagio Hotel & Casino
• Upscale Bellagio is Fitzgerald's latest move in 28-year career in Las Vegas hotel sales and marketing ... part of management reshuffling that accompanied closure of MGM Mirage's merger with Mandalay Resort Group ... previously held same position at Mirage Casino-Hotel ... led focus groups that pushed for construction of 90,000 sq. ft. pillarless exhibit space at the Mirage Events Center & Convention Complex, which opened in 2001.
OSCAR GOODMAN
Mayor of Las Vegas
Chairman, LVCVA
• High-profile civic booster of all things Vegas, including its convention business ... named LVCVA chair earlier this year ... one of a handful of elected officials on LVCVA board ... second term as mayor expires in 2007 ... champion of downtown revitalization and emerging arts and entertainment districts ... self-proclaimed "happiest mayor in the world" ... moved to city in 1964 to work as defense attorney ... several clients had alleged mob ties ... played himself in movie "Casino."
RICHARD HARPER
Vice president of sales and marketing
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
• Tapped to lead Mandalay's existing sales team after merger with MGM Mirage ... now oversees 1 million sq. ft. Mandalay Bay Convention Center ... held 26 different jobs, everything from scooping ice cream to mowing lawns, before first hotel job as busboy ... 18-year career with Westin Hotels started in 1982 ... left Westin to work for MGM Grand Hotel & Conference Center, which offers 210,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space ... developed reputation for providing top-notch convention services ... doesn't want to "hear a single complaint about how difficult it is to do business with Mandalay Bay."
Richard Heller
President and general manager
Sands Expo & Convention Center
• Has been manager of 1 million sq. ft. Sands convention center and its in-house services since 1990 ... oversaw construction of original Sands Expo and its expansion ... is also executive vice president of the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino ... involved in planning of Las Vegas Sands' 1.2 million sq. ft. Macau exhibition center set for 2007 opening ... former Interface Group vice president of tradeshow operations, managing COMDEX until it was sold in 1995.
JIM NESS
Las Vegas general manager
Freeman
• Leads staff of about 280 in Freeman's largest office ... Branch handles 350 billable jobs per year, taking charge of everything from exhibitor sales to freight handling ... Las Vegas native ... learned business from father Howard Ness, co-founder of Las Vegas Convention Services ... worked as a Teamster ... worked for United Wesco after graduating college in 1982 ... started design company in 1987 ... sold it to Freeman in 1992, turning it into company's Vegas office.
TOM PAGE
Senior vice president of sales
Las Vegas Hilton
• Has spent 22 years with the Hilton hotel chain ... joined the 3,000-room Las Vegas Hilton, adjacent to the LVCC, after serving stints at Hilton hotels in Anaheim, San Diego and San Francisco ... city offered 55,000 hotel rooms when he arrived in 1989, compared with more than 131,000 today ... finds Las Vegas "an unbelievably dynamic marketplace" today ... holds a degree in hotel and restaurant administration from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
ROSSI RALENKOTTER
President and CEO
LVCVA
• Named in 2004 to succeed Manny Cortez ... been with LVCVA for 32 years ... oversees authority that in 2006 will be supported by $183 million in room-tax revenue, $36.2 million in convention center rentals and $1.9 million in gaming taxes ... $114 million marketing budget is larger than entire budgets of most other CVBs ... plans to draw 43 million visitors to Vegas by 2009, increase its share of tradeshows from 15 percent to 20 percent and complete a $400 million LVCC expansion.
CHUCK SCHWARTZ
Chairman
ConvExx
• One of three principals, including wife Susan and COO David Audrain, of Henderson, Nev.-based show management company ... more than 25 years' experience in managing shows ... former chair of Intl. Assn. for Exhibition Management ... company manages SEMA Show and is launching DiveBiz next year ... established Rose Schwartz scholarship at UNLV School of Tourism & Convention Administration ... ran Epic Enterprises before selling it and starting ConvExx.
HUGH SINNOCK
Regional operations manager
Reed Exhibitions
• Serves as Vegas-based resource for show managers from the East Coast-based Reed ... has been in Vegas for 11 years ... served as GES Exposition Services director of facilities before joining Reed in 2000 ... deals with venue, space and date issues for Reed shows ... shares office with Freeman, Reed's exclusive general service contractor ... said post is, "the best of all worlds. I get to work with all these different teams, and they know I'm here to help them. It's just so easy to hop in the car and (go) talk to people."
PATTI SHOCK
Professor, College of Hotel Administration
University of Nevada Las Vegas
• Heads nation's largest university tradeshow program ... UNLV faculty member since 1988 ... chair of the Tourism & Convention Administration Department ... author of books on restaurant marketing and on-premise catering ... lectures often feature speakers from the tradeshow industry ... Professional Convention Management Assn.'s 2002 author of the year ... founder of student-run Convention & Expo Summit Las Vegas ... involved in numerous industry organizations ... holds bachelor's and master's degrees in hotel and restaurant management from University of Southern Mississippi.
MIKE UHL
Executive vice president, sales and marketing
Caesars Entertainment
• Oversees convention and travel industry sales efforts of staff of 50 at Bally's, Paris, Flamingo and Caesars Palace hotels ... with Caesars since 1998, when he joined as vice president of sales and marketing ... previously director of sales at Orlando's Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin ... started out in industry in 1986 as a convention services manager for New York Hilton & Towers.
RANDALL WALKER
Director
Clark County Department of Aviation
• Has headed department overseeing McCarran Intl. Airport and five other airports since 1997 ... works with LVCVA to educate show managers on what attendees should and shouldn't be carrying through security lines ... was instrumental in pushing for new procedures to speed up passenger movement before and after shows ... including in-line baggage checking system, six new gates, seven security checkpoint lanes ... holds accounting degree from Brigham Young University ... native Nevadan ... previously deputy director of aviation department and assistant county manager.
JAMES WETTERLING
President
Edlen Electrical Exposition Services
• Former patent attorney who gave up his practice in 1987 ... joined father-in-law and Edlen founder Leonard Swimmer in a partnership ... holds degree in civil engineering ... Vegas-based Edlen claims to be largest tradeshow electrical provider in the United States ... counts 40 Tradeshow Week 200 shows among its customers ... last year produced 2,500 events at more than 200 different venues ... company recently severed decade-long relationship with Freeman after Freeman bought Vegas-based Independent Electric.
KEVIN COOKE
Director of convention services
LVCVA
• Began 28-year industry career right out of high school ... spent 15 years as a service worker and climbed his way up to supervisor ... worked another 10 years as a convention services manager ... named to current position 18 months ago ... oversees staff of eight convention services managers, who make sure things run smoothly from move-in to move-out ... native Nevadan ... got taste of tradeshows early while visiting his father, a GES employee, at the LVCC ... said, "The business is exciting. It's never the same thing twice."
MILAN DOBRIJEVICH
Business agent
Teamsters Local 631
• Named to convention craft business agent position in the summer of 2001 ... had served as Local 631 steward since 1993 ... moved to Las Vegas after retiring from the U.S. Army's 51st Airborne Division in Anchorage, Alaska ... local has 3,600 people on books to work in conventions and tradeshows ... has been pushing for worker training to create a more skilled workforce ... "The progress we have made in Vegas is tremendous," he said.
