By Ray Smith, Exhibition City News
Conex Exhibition Services should at least send a “thank you letter” to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which awarded the Florida-based company a $288,000 contract to design and build a booth at November’s World Travel Market (WTM) in London.
The convention authority approved the contract at its regular Sept. 10 board meeting, marking the fourth time in the past six months that Conex has been selected to showcase Las Vegas at a major travel trade show.
Previously awarded contracts include the 2024 World Routes Show in the Kingdom of Bahrain ($150,000), the US IMEX show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas ($528,000), and the US Travel Association’s IPW show in Los Angeles ($300,000).
LVCVA President Jim Gibson sarcastically suggested that perhaps he should go into exhibition stand design.
The Convention and Exhibition Authority initially selected Conex to build the stand for IMEX 2023 due to its sustainability and cost-saving advantages. Vice President of Marketing Fletch Brunelle told the board that some of the components will be used at WTM London.
He estimated that about 5,000 travel and tourism suppliers will attend the World Travel Show in London, noting that the event management department has set up a platform for 13 “shareholders” to participate in the trade show, including MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Venetian, Resorts World and Sphere.
Brunel reported that the trade show should help boost British tourist numbers to Las Vegas, which are set to fall from a peak of 800,000 to 550,000 in 2023.
Las Vegas has added flights from the UK, including daily flights from London Heathrow by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. British Airways has added flights from Gatwick, and Virgin Atlantic has resumed flights from Manchester, England. In addition, Aer Lingus announced that it will begin weekly flights from Dublin, Ireland, in late October.
More than 3,000 media representatives are expected to attend World Travel Market London, including bloggers, social media influencers, industry media and international journalists, keen to hear news about the latest destinations, products and services.
Samsung Technology
The board approved an amendment to Convention Management’s contract with Samsung Electronics America to increase the amount from $6.2 million to $12.1 million to provide digital media technology for the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Chief Operating Officer Brian Yost said the video boards Samsung installed in the West Hall concourse have proven to be “very successful” for advertisers and exhibitors. Samsung will install LED boards in the North and South Hall concourses and the Grand Concourse, as well as a 3,200-square-foot LED board in the main concourse.
Yost added that the convention authority negotiated with Samsung to provide digital technology for the third phase of the convention center’s renovation, and the success of Samsung’s previous work on the West Hall helped secure the contract.
Loop Road Easement
The board approved an easement agreement with The Boring Co., developer of the Las Vegas Loop along Elvis Presley Boulevard, to connect the underground transit system to the LVCC Riviera, LVCC West and Resorts World stations along Convention Center Boulevard.
The agreement allows Boring to occupy space under LVCVA property to build and operate the Loop’s tunnels and allows the company to construct emergency exit shafts and perform any needed emergency work.
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