Steve Hill, President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, speaks during a ceremonial groundbreaking for a renovation project at the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 | 2 a.m.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on Tuesday greenlit new salary ranges for the authority’s top executives, approving recommendations for merit increases first made by the organization’s Compensation Committee in June.
The change, approved by the LVCVA Board of Directors during its monthly meeting, is based on benchmarks like average base salaries at comparison entities — including the convention and tourism bureaus of Denver, Atlanta and Chicago, said Nadine Jones, LVCVA senior vice president of people and culture.
She pointed to LVCVA CEO and President Steve Hill as an example, noting that his previous salary range was only 90% of the market average.
In approving the merit increases, the board settled on a 7.5 percent increase for Hill, bringing his annual salary to $481,179, up from $447,600. The board also approved a 40% bonus of more than $179,000 for Hill’s performance.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Hill gave a presentation to the board reviewing the LVCVA’s accomplishments in fiscal 2023 and listed its goals for the coming years.
“Any economic way that we can measure success in Las Vegas, we set a record over the last 12 months,” he said, noting increases in visitor spending, gaming revenue and more.
Looking ahead, one goal of the LVCVA is to continue driving demand for Las Vegas — partly by reaching 10 million followers on social media by the end of fiscal 2026, Hill said.
The organization also wants to fill meeting space, complete the ongoing renovation and expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center and more fully develop the city as a sports destination.
With various major sporting events and the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas on the horizon, Hill said a remaining goal was to generate 500,000 room nights for amateur and youth sports by fiscal 2027.
Transportation goals involve improving access to and around Las Vegas, including on the Boring Co.'s underground Resort Corridor Loop System and the Las Vegas Monorail, and recovering international air capacity lost during the onset of COVID-19.
"We have 141 direct connections domestically, which is over 20 more than we had at any time in the past,” Hill said of flights in and out of Harry Reid International Airport. “And it has made a real difference.”
Finally, Hill said, the LVCVA is working to build up its culture and cement its values, including in areas like sustainability.
When preparing salary-range recommendations, the compensation committee took a “deep dive” into Hill’s accomplishments on behalf of the LVCVA, particularly looking at visitation, growth and remaining challenges from the pandemic, said Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of communications for the organization.
Hill has led the LVCVA for five years, during which there’s been tangible growth in marketing efforts, air service development and trade shows and events, said Nelson-Kraft.
“And so, that growth … is a real testament to the strength of the board, to the strength of Steve Hill as a leader and really the breadth of what the LVCVA touches,” Nelson-Kraft said. “Not just in marketing and selling the organization and driving visitation, but advocating on behalf of the local tourism industry.”
The groundwork has now been laid to help drive Las Vegas forward as a destination, she said.
“He’s been really laser-focused on these goals for the entire tourism community,” Nelson-Kraft said of Hill. “To help the resort partners, to help make sure it’s a great guest experience and to plan for the future.”
The salary range increases approved by the board will affect members of the LVCVA executive team, all of whom report directly to Hill.
