NFL rejects LVCVA’s bid for ads

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.

The National Football League has again rejected the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's bid to advertise the city during Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast.

Rossi Ralenkotter, president and chief executive officer of the LVCVA, said the city would continue efforts to promote Las Vegas to television audiences in various markets, but that the NFL has again flatly rejected national ads featuring the LVCVA's "What happens here, stays here" Vegas stories theme because of its opposition to gambling on football games.

The LVCVA's initial "Vegas stories" ad campaign didn't show or mention gambling, but the NFL contends that any mention of Las Vegas connotes wagering.

A representative of R&R Partners, the LVCVA's advertising agency, confirmed Tuesday that there had been no new breakthroughs on convincing the NFL to change its stance on accepting the ads.

The LVCVA has prepared a new batch of the popular but controversial ads that depict visitors' adventures in the city. One of the most recent new ads reprises the roles of several characters from previous ads recounting their Las Vegas visits on an airplane leaving the city.

Some critics have contended that the message of the ads puts Las Vegas in a bad light to some tourists. The LVCVA responds that it resonates with people finding Las Vegas to be an escape from their everyday lives.

The LVCVA also announced Tuesday that despite continued crackdowns by the NFL over copyright infringement issues involving the broadcast of the Super Bowl that the city could have a big crowd in town over the weekend for the league's championship game.

John Piet, senior research analyst for the LVCVA, said 287,000 people are expected to be in Las Vegas over the Super Bowl weekend, compared with 285,000 a year ago. He said visitor spending would have a $101 million nongaming economic impact on the city compared with $100.7 million last year.

Because there is a greater hotel room inventory compared with last year, occupancy is expected to be at 95.3 percent, down from 95.8 percent in 2004.

"It's a very strong forecast," Piet said, noting that the attendance estimates include a large crowd already in town for a major convention.

The World Shoe Association, which will bring 26,000 people to the city Saturday through Tuesday, will meet at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.