Where I Stand — Manuel J. Cortez: The lure of Las Vegas

Friday, Aug. 17, 2001 | 11:35 a.m.

Editor's note: In August Where I Stand is written by guest columnists. Today's writer, Manuel J. Cortez, is president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.

EVERYONE KNOWS that Las Vegas sells itself. So why spend money marketing the destination? After all, who hasn't heard of the "Entertainment Capital of the World"? Who isn't familiar with the Strip, with the Fremont Street Experience, with the kaleidoscope of colorful images that the words "Las Vegas" conjure up?

So why does the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bother marketing a place everyone is familiar with? Good question. I suppose you could make the same argument about Coca-Cola. Or Cadillac automobiles. Or Nike tennis shoes. Everyone is familiar with those brands. Yet millions are spent each year advertising those products.

That's because, of course, Coca-Cola, Cadillac and Nike -- and myriad other products and services that market themselves aggressively -- aren't about to sit idly by and watch their competitors increase their market share.

And so it goes for Las Vegas. We're competing against every other leisure and convention destination in the world. Not to mention theme parks and cruise lines.

The travel industry is one of the most competitive fields there is -- not to mention one of the most fragile. People with the discretionary income to travel have an endless list of places from which to choose -- or they can choose not to travel at all. A soft economy, tenuous political climates here or abroad, a strong dollar, a weak dollar ... any or all of these factors can affect a person's decision to travel or not to travel.

That's why ongoing, aggressive marketing is so vital to destinations like Las Vegas, whose economy is utterly dependent upon its ability to attract visitors. The fundamental mission of the LVCVA is to attract visitors -- vacationers as well as conventioneers -- to fill the 125,000 hotel and motel rooms in the Las Vegas Valley (far more rooms than any other destination in the world, by the way).

It's wonderful to have a place like Las Vegas to sell, but it's also a challenge. How can that be, you might be asking yourself, when so many new properties and attractions have opened here in recent years? That's precisely the reason. Travel to the most remote reaches of the Australian Outback, or into the heart of the Amazon rain forests, and you'd probably still be challenged to find many people who haven't heard of Las Vegas.

Heard of it, perhaps. But familiar with it? That's another matter altogether. I would venture to say that anyone who hasn't been here in the past three years would marvel at all of the changes that have taken place. I'd also bet that anyone who hasn't been here in the past decade would not even recognize it. The Las Vegas that once focused almost exclusively on casino action has been replaced by a destination that has something for everyone.

Our brand image is a double-edged sword: Everyone has their own perception of what Las Vegas is, but in most cases those perceptions are based upon a destination that doesn't exist anymore. Everyone knows there are casinos here, but many people have no idea that Las Vegas has evolved into a world-class destination when it comes to dining, shopping, golfing and special events. (Gaming is still the foundation of our resort industry, of course, but so much has been built upon it in recent years.)

Our strategic marketing plan is designed to communicate to prospective travelers what the Las Vegas experience is all about. It's about gaming, sure, but these days it's also about so much more than that. Our challenge is to get to those people who, in the past, wouldn't have considered coming to Las Vegas because they didn't consider themselves gamblers, and tell them about the "new" Las Vegas. Tell them about restaurants that compete with the finest establishments found in any city in the world. Tell them about shopping venues that rival those found on Park Avenue or Rodeo Drive. Tell them about golf courses that used to be found only in places such as North Carolina, Arizona or Palm Springs. Tell them about professional golf tournaments, college championship bowl games and NASCAR races.

The "new" Las Vegas is as much about diversity as it is slot machines and green-felt tables. It's a great story to tell. And the best part is, new chapters are being written all the time.