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COVER STORY extremely lucrative, thanks to a handful of new events and a major exhibition staged once every four years. "Typically, we're jammed for the first six months of the year," Meyer said. "The first quarter is great, but this year I don't see things falling off until late June." Bello said this year's SHOT Show produced phenomenal results for the Sands properties. "The last time they were here, they didn't sell out," The value proposition for Las Vegas is stronger than ever. We don't hesitate to mention that you can get more bang for the buck here. We've got accommodations from the five-star level " to the budget level." Chris Meyer, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's vice president of sales Bello said. "But this year, they were up approximately 18 percent. Our retail outlets did extremely well, and we set records for in-suite dining." Bello said CES also was great for his company. "The Tuesday and Wednesday of the show were the fifth and sixth best room days in our history," he said. Bello said the Venetian and Palazzo had 100 percent occupancy during CES. Because high demand drives room rates higher, the two properties saw a staggering $4 million a night in room revenue for the 7,100-suite property. said. One of the reasons for last-minute meeting I bookings is that corporate budgets are firmed at the end of the year, and show organizers and companies scramble for space in January to take advantage while budgets are fat. That's why it was critical for the city to make a favorable impression from CES — to win over meeting planners who were considering Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago and a handful of other venue sites and were in town during that show. The city's convention facility capacity gives it an edge on late bookings, since there are several venues in the city that can handle shows large and small. The Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center are among the 10 largest convention centers in the country. While the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors | 30 JANUARY 2012 | n past years, convention calendars filled quickly. But when the economy went south, some meeting planners canceled shows and weren't as quick to rebook. The pattern now is that some shows are scheduled and planned as little as two months in advance, Meyer events in Las Vegas, financial services and insurance company corporate meetings were affected most. In 2009, officials estimated that 402 meetings that had been scheduled in Las Vegas were canceled, though it was unclear at the time whether the development was due to the economy or the president's comments. But Meyer said most of the companies that canceled their Las Vegas reservations had come back, although he didn't estimate a percentage of returning shows. He named financial services and insurance broker MetLife as one of the returning companies. "Most of the companies that exhibited bad behavior during a time when politicians were running to the microphone to criticize business travel have returned in full force to the destination," Meyer said in an email. "In fact, we just hosted MetLife. If you remember, the financial services sector was certainly the target for much of the political rhetoric." ever," he said. "We don't hesitate to mention that you can get more bang for the buck here. We've got accommodations from the five-star level to the budget level." That value proposition is bringing some significant W new shows to the city. One of the big additions will be the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society annual conference and exhibition, a 30,000-delegate show scheduled Feb. 20-24 at the Sands Expo Center. hile Meyer is always keeping an eye on competitors in his building, he eagerly promotes Las Vegas' unparalleled value. "The value proposition for Las Vegas is stronger than get their best attendance here, often by as much as 10 percent more, because of the city's many amenities. "Medical shows and information technology have become really important for us," Bello said. "Nearly 60 percent of our corporate meetings — sales and marketing conferences, developer meetings, user conferences — are done by IT companies. And we're getting close to pre-2008 levels." Another addition to the convention calendar is the 2012 Golf Industry Show, which will feature partners from several associations meeting at the same time at the Las Vegas Convention Center. An estimated 20,000 people will attend the show Feb. 24 through March 3. While it's an off year for the ConExpo, a major quadrennial show — MineExpo 2012 — will be here Sept. 24-26. Featuring some of the largest machines built, the show is expected to bring 37,000 attendees to the Convention Center. While pure happenstance makes odd-numbered years better for Las Vegas in terms of rotation — shows that move back and forth between one or more cities — 2012 will bring back two substantial shows. The Institute of Food Technologists will be held June 26-28, and the 2012 Specialty Graphics Annual National Convention is here Oct. 18-20. The shows are expected to attract 22,000 and 23,000 attendees, respectively, and both will be held at the Convention Center. Besides CES, only one other show is expected to bring in more than 100,000 people. Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week will occur Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, and the LVCVA is forecasting 115,000 for that event at the Convention Center and the Sands Expo Center. rick.velotta@lasvegassun.com / 259-4061 / @VegasInc_ TheRV 17 Authority scouts for shows it wants to bring to the city, convention business and sales staffs from resorts are doing their own prospecting. A key sector in which several resorts have found success is in corporate meetings. Local properties have targeted health care, financial services and information technology corporate gatherings. When President Barack Obama made remarks that discouraged some companies from conducting their Show organizers cited high costs in 2009 when they fled Chicago, their traditional meeting location. The loss of the show spurred Illinois lawmakers to pass legislation designed to cut costs for show producers. Last year, organizers said they'd move the show back to Chicago in 2015 and 2019. But Las Vegas has it for now, and it may be hard for organizers to go back to Chicago full-time if the show produces the kind of results most shows experience here. Shows that rotate through Las Vegas normally