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StumbleWorld Trade Center to be established in Las Vegas
Head of LVCVA says development signals to world city is a business destination
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 | 6:46 p.m.
Sun coverage
The organization that produces the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has obtained the trademark rights for “World Trade Center, Las Vegas” and will work to develop a location in the city as a center for international trade.
The Arlington, Va.-based Consumer Electronics Association obtained the rights from the World Trade Centers Association, which has more than 300 facilities dedicated to world commerce in 100 countries.
Terms of the association’s agreement with the CEA, announced today, were not disclosed.
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the association, said Las Vegas is an increasingly important city for international business, particularly because the city hosts so many conventions and trade shows of global interest.
Shapiro’s own International CES, which has met in Las Vegas since 1978, had 25,000 delegates from foreign countries of the estimated 128,000 that attended the show in January.
Shapiro said now that the CEA has the World Trade Center designation, it would form a corporation, currently called “World Trade Center Las Vegas.” Representatives of the corporation would work with the owners and operators of buildings willing to host the center.
Shapiro said it could be a hotel, an office building or some other facility, and the CEA would consider a variety of proposals from the business community.
“Every World Trade Center does it differently,” Shapiro said. “We could end up working with an entrepreneurial hotel that wants to reposition itself as a center for business. Every hotel in Las Vegas is trying to position itself to the leisure crowd. But the business side is really the fastest growing and most stable portion of the market.”
Shapiro said the World Trade Center Association didn’t affix a set of rules on what kinds of facilities are needed in its buildings. Some have offices and meeting facilities or offer trade information and education events.
The Los Angeles World Trade Center, for example, is located in downtown Los Angeles and offers trade seminars on a regular basis. In addition to meeting rooms, the center has on-site visa information and foreign currency exchange services.
The most famous World Trade Center, the twin towers in New York, not only housed a variety of business and trade facilities but was a symbol of global commerce, Shapiro said.
Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the development of the World Trade Center would signal to the world that Las Vegas is a business destination as well as a leisure destination.
“We believe it’s going to raise the level of awareness of us as an international trade show meeting destination,” Ralenkotter said after announcing the deal at the LVCVA board of directors meeting today.
Ralenkotter said the announcement goes hand in hand with the signing of the Travel Promotions Act by President Obama last week. That legislation is expected to boost international travel to the United States, and Las Vegas plans to benefit.
The LVCVA has a goal to increase its market share of international visitors from 15 percent to 20 percent over the next five years. Ralenkotter said the World Trade Center designation is key to boosting business travel to the city.
“Leveraging the brand of Las Vegas with the World Trade Center designation will reinforce the message that Vegas means business and will help increase international visitation,” Ralenkotter said.
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A great location in one word.....Fountainblue
"Leveraging the brand of Las Vegas with the World Trade Center designation will reinforce the message that Vegas means business and will help increase international visitation,"
It is crucial to not ONLY view this project as a factor to increase international visitation for tourism purposes, but more importantly, to DIVERSIFY our economy!!
Gee.. lets bring more people here.. We have NO INFRASTRUCTURE... Or WATER.
What a foolish idea.
Let's hope that Obama can keep his mouth shut and not say how Vegas is a waste of money that is better spent elsewhere.
Interesting concept that might mean good for our future...but, the business community needs to embrace this and work hand in hand with CEA to explore all of the possibilities to bring it to fruition. We cannot afford to ignore it and leave it all to the CEA, or it will never happen. We need to diversify our 'one industry' only mindset.
JustMe, brilliant idea. Fontainebleu even looks like some kind of office tower, so it could be perfect for a business-oriented spot on the strip. I'm just not sure if these people want something so huge for the WTC. They might want to look at that Forest City development planned for Symphony Park.
yeh and if only immigration made it easy for those investing money into the country.... without that forget the trade, businesses find it easier to trade in china than usa..
May be that will be the replacement of the World Jewelry Center around Union Park....
SOMEDAY HOWEVER.... HOPEFULLY MY CAPITALISTIC DREAMS WILL HAPPEN AS 17 YEAR OLD FROM ORANGE COUNTY, CA WHEN I WILL START A MASSIVE ORGANIZING IN THE VALLEY!!!!
I thought Fountainblue has been already sold in bankruptcy court. With plans to finish it in the next few years. My understanding a lot of it is already built for a hotel casino with some areas furnished.
Build new. We need the jobs.
Mixed feelings about calling it World Trade Center. They can't think of something more original? How about West coast Trade Center (WTC).
Just because you call something by a name does not mean that it is what you call it. You can call this thing the World Trade Center, but that does not mean it is THE World Trade Center. There is much more world trade in New York City then you will ever find here.
Another gimmick.
Fountainbleau, great spot.
Interesting... Back in 1998 the LVCA acquired the hotel and building on Desert Inn Road that was being built to become the World Trade Center Nevada and turned the properties on that land into a parking lot just like they did to the historic Landmark Hotel. Now all of a sudden the LVCA wants to build a World Trade Center? Sheer genius, efficiency and economy... Not!
Kudos to the LVCVA. Doing something like this takes a long time, a lot of hard work, tons of meetings and travel. It IS a major accomplishment and definitely a feather in LV's cap.
In 5 years, you could have Vegas' "world trade center" in an Arby's once Horseford and Buckley are done with business in this town.
Are you people crazy The number one terriost state ?
Maybe you guys shouldn't have canceled that emergency disaster drill on the Strip after all.
There was some building that was a china trade center, on Sahara and it closed....
I hope it doesn't make the terrorists attack us