DI closure leaves conferences with no venue

David Strow

Friday, June 30, 2000 | 10:54 a.m.

Business Week magazine hopes to hold its first annual Small Business Summit in Las Vegas in September -- but is searching for a new venue after the announcement that its venue, the Desert Inn, will be closed by then.

In a statement this morning, Business Week said it planned to hold the conference at the DI Sept. 14-16. But in a letter sent to employees earlier this week, new DI owner Steve Wynn said he plans to shut the resort down no later than Aug. 30.

"We just found that out," said Sherri Niziolek, an event programmer with Business Week. "We're looking for a new venue, and should have something by the end of today or next week.

"It could be another city, but hopefully it will be Las Vegas."

About 500 people were projected to attend the conference, which is billed as a "forum for entrepreneurs to address the issues critical to their continued growth and success."

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority lists two other small conferences that are scheduled to be held at the DI in September, including a conference by the Nuclear Energy Institute. A total of 130 attendees are expected at these conferences.

Efforts are under way to help conferences and guests booked for September to find new accommodations, said Desert Inn spokeswoman Caroline Coyle.

"We are working with other sales people and companies in town to relocate all the groups, both small and large," Coyle said. "Everybody will be taken care of.

"All the resorts in town have been tremendously supportive of our situation, and they're glad to get the business."

Rob Powers, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the agency is willing to assist conference organizers in trying to keep the Business Week event in Las Vegas.

"I don't think this has come through our system yet, but it's certainly something we'd be willing and able to help with in terms of rebooking," Powers said.

Powers said the LVCVA would probably send out a bulletin to area properties, informing them that the conference would need another locale.

"It all depends on space availability. A piece of business of this size is normally booked out months in advance," Powers said. "We'd like to keep it in Las Vegas, and anything we can do we will do."