Firms compete for fund-raising task

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nine private companies want the chance to raise an estimated $1.3 million or to stage events at a national conference of state legislators, expected to attract up to 8,000 people to Las Vegas in the summer of 1998.

Six out-of-state companies and three from Las Vegas have submitted proposals to the Legislative Counsel Bureau, which isn't expected to pick one or two until mid December.

As the host state, Nevada must raise contributions to pay for transportation costs, to host two evenings of food and entertainment and to cover other miscellaneous expenses for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The state has advertised for both an events coordinator and a fund-raiser, but Lorne Malkiewich, director of the counsel bureau, said he prefers that one company handle both. The fee to the winning bidder would be paid from the donations. The amount has not been decided.

Six of the companies want to handle both jobs. They are Cerrell Associates, Inc. of Los Angeles; Details Details of Sacramento, Calif.; In Any Event of Mokelumne Hill, Calif.; InfiData/ISM headed by Marilyn Gubler of Las Vegas; Leadership Dimensions of Carmichael, Calif., and McKinley Group, headed by Thomas Lorentzen of Las Vegas.

Those seeking the job of events coordinator only are USA Hosts of Las Vegas with Kathleen Spurney as general manager, Affairs Extraordinaire of Dallas and International Meeting Management-St. Louis of St. Louis.

Malkiewich said a selection committee will review the proposals and the host committee, composed of lawmakers, will make the final decisions, probably in December.

Malkiewich estimates that about half of the $1.3 million will come from Nevada businesses and the rest will come from national sponsors.

A private company is being hired to prevent any conflict of interests or possible ethical violations if legislators had to go out and rustle up money for the convention.

The convention will be in Philadelphia next year.