Heidi Genoist

CVBs Are Part of Local Community, Too
November 1, 2007

We had some bad news this week in Las Vegas. Over the weekend, as he ran for his life, a man was shot to death in front of his two children at a public park following a dispute with a woman who thought the victim had pushed her son off a swing. The shooter was thought to be the woman’s friend.

What, you’re probably asking, does this have to do with tradeshows? Bear with me.

Las Vegas is getting more violent. According to an FBI report released last month, violent crime in the city and unincorporated Clark County rose 32 percent in 2006, compared with the previous year.

Lots of cities have crime problems; this just happens to be the one I know, because I live here. The question is: Does a city’s level of crime affect people’s decisions to visit conventions there? It’s hard to say. Personally, I feel better about traveling to places that have enough civic pride to keep their streets clean and safe.

At the very least, a dangerous environment is another item on the growing list of things that could tip potential attendees’ decisions in favor of staying home – a list that is preoccupying many of the sources we speak to lately.

Last week, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department substation being built on the expanded campus of the Las Vegas Convention Center as part of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority’s $890 million renovation. At the time, I wondered what it had to do with tradeshows, figuring it was mainly a publicity move.

Former Clark County Sheriff Bill Young, who hatched the idea with LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter, pointed out that the area around the convention center “desperately needed” the station. (Incidentally, the shooting mentioned above happened miles away from this area.) As a result of the collaboration between the city, county and CVB, the police department is getting a place to put more police.

Young said Ralenkotter had talked about the plan, in part, as a way to make the destination more appealing to potential clients and visitors. So, the move was, in fact, good PR for the authority.

But it was more than that, too.A Las Vegas native, Ralenkotter had the civic pride to put his (bureau’s) money where his mouth was. The $16.5 million necessary to build the station is coming out of the budget for the LVCC enhancement, not from the 53 percent of the state’s room tax (revenue that the LVCVA helps generate) that is already directed toward local government, schools, roads and so on.

I realized that Ralenkotter had addressed one of the issues of how desirable a destination is that isn't usually considered part of a CVB's jurisdiction: crime. In other words, he pitched in where he didn't have to, not just to make more sales, but also to help clean up his city.

The project is a good starting point, and an example of how CVBs can have a role in improving their communities. Now, about that homeless problem …

Posted by Heidi Genoist on November 1, 2007 | Comments (1)