Convening Leaders attendees will see for themselves that the ‘distractions’ myth about Las Vegas is just that.
In addition to great education, networking, community-service, and professional-develop-
ment opportunities, Convening Leaders attendees will find plenty of ammunition to wield the next time their boss says: “I’d love to meet in Las Vegas, but won’t our atten- dees be distracted by all the fun stuff to do?” Many organizations’ leaders—and
some meeting professionals—assume that the “distractions” argument is true and never take the opportunity to investigate or experience holding a meeting or convention in Las Vegas. But the planners who organize the 20,000 events held there every year know better. Business gets done in Las Vegas. Recent research has shown that
record,” Jarvie said, “but our educational session atten- dance broke a record as well.” There couldn’t be a better time to meet there. Las Veg-
as’ resorts have invested billions of dollars in providing the widest array of facilities, amenities, and services for the meetings and conventions industry, and during the past two years—when meetings in Vegas and other so-called “fun” destinations have been subjected to increased scrutiny—they have made that vari- ety available at incredible value for meeting planners, exhibitors, and attendees. As Convening Leaders attendees
when a trade show rotates into Las Vegas from another city, the show’s attendance increases an average of 13 percent and the time spent on the show floor averages 1.3 to 5.6 hours more than in other cities. For Teri Jarvie, CMP, director of meeting services for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and 2010 PCMA Distin- guished Meeting Professional of the Year, Las Vegas proved to be the boost she needed for an event she planned for a previous employer. People had told her that session attendance would suffer in Las Vegas, she said, but after monitoring attendance throughout the event, they found the exact opposite happened. “Not only did the meeting break a
76 pcmaconvene October 2010
VEGAS, BABY: Convening Leaders attendees will be coming to town in January.
will see, Las Vegas is not only a con- venient destination with direct air access from more than 100 cities, it is also an easy city in which to plan a meeting. More than 10.5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit
space and 148,000 guest rooms are conveniently located close to McCarran International Airport. The 45,000 people directly employed by the meetings and conventions indus- try are committed to providing the best possible experi- ence. And the entertainment and amenities for which Las Vegas is famous take place mostly at night, after the busi- ness of the day has been done and those distractions are welcomed by all. For more information about resources for holding busi-