NDA launches new website to attract tech companies

Thursday, April 27, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

The Nevada Development Authority is taking the Silicon Oasis into cyberspace.

NDA officials hope a new website -- to be at www.thesiliconoasis.com -- becomes a centerpiece for the Las Vegas-area high-tech community.

"Silicon Oasis" is the phrase coined to describe Southern Nevada's growing desire to become a center of high technology. Since January, NDA officials have worked to recruit dot-com companies to consider Southern Nevada as a place to relocate, citing low tax rates, good weather and a favorable business climate.

The NDA has targeted fast-growing companies with high payrolls, many of them currently based in California, to take a look at Las Vegas.

The NDA's mission is to diversify the local economy by attracting business that isn't related to the gaming industry. The organization's emphasis has been on recruiting medical technology, automotive and film-making companies in addition to high-tech operations.

NDA President and Chief Executive Officer Somer Hollingsworth said the new Internet site will have links to news, job openings and events involved in technology-oriented businesses in Las Vegas. The site will be maintained by a 20-member NDA e-commerce committee and is scheduled to debut Monday.

Tim Stanley, one of the speakers at an NDA technology breakfast Tuesday, offered a preview of the site to the 220 people who attended the first NDA session dedicated to the local technology industry.

Hollingsworth said he was "pleasantly surprised" by the turnout -- he was only expecting about 100 to show up -- and he said three more technology breakfasts are scheduled this year.

Stanley, a partner with Chicago-based marchFIRST, an Internet consulting firm, and Liz Orona, who oversees business development in the Southwest for BroadVision, Redwood City, Calif., discussed how companies can personalize their websites to attract and keep customers.

Stanley, a former vice president and chief information officer for Las Vegas-based National Airlines, said the travel industry is a prime example of how use of the Internet is evolving and competitors are discovering what features they can provide to satisfy their customers.

Stanley predicts airlines will turn up the heat on Internet travel companies like Expedia and Travelocity to get customers to deal with them directly. Direct contact, he said, would eliminate the middle man and generate more profit for the company.

He cited Southwest Airlines, which has predicted selling $1 billion worth of tickets on the Internet this year, as developing a customer-friendly site that keeps passengers returning. Part of Southwest's appeal is that participants in the company's frequent-flier program earn free trips faster if they book on the Internet.

Connecting those loyalty programs to the Internet product is a smart move offered by several airlines, Stanley said. Adding a one-to-one marketing program -- such as an on-screen greeting announcing how many frequent-flier miles customers have when they log on -- makes it even more attractive.

Stanley said one of the special services offered customers of National Airlines is the posting of a trip history form for business travelers.

"If you lost your receipts, you can look them up right on the site," Stanley said.

Stanley cited another loyalty program operated by Las Vegas-based Station Casinos Inc. Station's MyBoardingPass.com is an Internet site that offers customers who possess a Boarding Pass slot club card access to their accounts.

Customers can learn about special promotions at the company's four casinos that honor the Boarding Pass when they log on.

Station can create one-to-one marketing by focusing only on deals the individual customer would like. For example, Stanley said if customers only patronize one of the company's four properties, they could get information on just that property when they log on.