Rachel Wimberly

Las Vegas’ Glass Is Half Full

Since we have a few freelancers who actively cover shows in Las Vegas for Tradeshow Week, it’s been almost a year since I was last here.

Even so, I’ve written several stories on the drop in meetings and convention attendance, as well as the tough times the big casino companies, such as MGM Mirage and Las Vegas Sands, have had in this economy.

Needless to say, I expected to come to Las Vegas and see a city that was really struggling, with few visitors at the gaming tables, in the restaurants and or out on Las Vegas Boulevard.

I asked the cabdriver who picked me up at the airport how bad business was for him and, surprisingly, he said fares were down in February, March and April, typically the busiest months, but still it wasn’t so bad.

He added he still was making a living, and enough big shows came to town for him to stay busy.

At Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, where United Business Media’s Interop, with its 14,000 attendees, was in full swing, the showfloor bustled. At lunch time, people stood in lines waiting to get into the various cafes and restaurants spread throughout the complex.

On the casino floor, even though it was early afternoon, there were plenty more people playing the slots, rolling the dice and spinning the roulette wheel.

At the Las Vegas Convention Center, where nearly 30,000 people attended the Intl. Council of Shopping Center’s ReCon, The Global Real Estate Convention – a big crowd, but still smaller than last year’s – all of them still were staying a few nights in local hotels and likely spending some cash not only to eat, but to try their luck in the casinos.

There’s no doubt that Las Vegas hasn’t had the best times of late but, from what I’ve seen, things could be a lot worse.

Posted by Rachel Wimberly on May 20, 2009 | Comments (0)