Vegas kicks off summer of sport

AMERICAS – The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will host the annual Visit USA Association summer Ball on 2 July at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London. Top event industry professional will attend the invite-only champagne reception and three course dinner. The Nevada hot-spot is hosting a raft of sports events this summer including the NHL Awards, UFC Fight Week, NBA Summer League and USA Basketball Showcase as well as trade shows related to bowling, table tennis, basketball and roller derby. Las Vegas will also host eight large-scale conventions – The Cosmoprof North America trade show, SuperZoo West, Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers Fair, ASD MARKETWeek, OFFPRICE Specialists Show and MAGIC Marketplace – each attracting more than 10,000 attendees. A spokeswoman for LVCVA said: “These shows will bring more than 250,000 visitors and nearly US$207 million in direct visitor spending. “Last summer, more than 4,000 meetings, conventions and trade shows came to Las Vegas during June, July and August with a total attendance of more than 1.1 million people. “The meetings and convention industry continues to be crucial to Southern Nevada’s economy supporting more than 54,000 jobs in the area and contributing more than $7.4 billion to the local community. Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO at LVCA said: “Summer was once considered one of the slower periods in Las Vegas.  Now these months are filled with a wide variety of special events and conventions that attract visitors and stimulate the economy.”