It must be tough when you bring in 41.1 million people in a year to visit your city, and your boss still thinks that isn’t enough. That’s why Chris Meyer, vice president of global business sales at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has to deal with though. The LVCVA is hoping to hit the 45 million mark in a few years, and a good chunk of that will come from convention goers.
Last year, it was estimated that nearly 20 “large” conventions had to be turned down due to a lack of appropriate space to host them. That will all be changed soon enough, as the Las Vegas Convention Center will go through its enormous $2.3 billion overhaul over the next few years featuring the Global Business District. The Global Business District will feature a massive 750,000-square-foot convention hall, general assembly space and a building for a World Trade Center.
Of the 41.1 million visitors in Las Vegas for 2014, roughly 6 million attended convention and trade shows. Meyer hopes the upgrades will keep Las Vegas the top dog in the convention game, and put some distance between them and competitors Orlando and Chicago. He said losing one midsize trade show to a rival would lead to an economic hit of $72 million. Meyer also said in addition to prying business away from the competitors, the LVCVA is also focused on retaining the current Las Vegas shows.
The upgrades will allow the city to cater up to 20 additional conventions per year.
