LVCVA puts nearly $9M into Allegiant Stadium events
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on Tuesday agreed to spend nearly $9 million to sponsor six sporting events at Allegiant Stadium over the next five years.
Board members authorized spending $475,000 for the Aug. 1 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup Finals.
The match will pit the best soccer teams from the northern portion of the Western Hemisphere.
CONCACAF is one of the six continental confederations of Fédération Internationale de Football Association servicing 41 member associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana in the south. The CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament features men’s national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
In a separate vote, the board unanimously approved sponsoring the newly realigned Las Vegas Bowl, also at Allegiant Stadium, for the 2021 through 2025 seasons.
The board authorized spending between $1.6 million and $1.8 million during the five years of the sponsorship.
The game would be played between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30 on ESPN or ABC. In a format change, participating teams will be from the Pac-12 Conference and on odd years — 2021, 2023 and 2025 — the opponent will be the Big Ten Conference and on even years, it will be from the Southeastern Conference.
That’s a switch from the prior format of pitting the Mountain West Conference champion against a team from the Pac-12.
The last time the game was played, in 2019 at Sam Boyd Stadium, an estimated 21,000 people came for the game, generating $23.2 million in economic impact as the University of Washington defeated Boise State University 38-7.
In other business Tuesday, the LVCVA board reinstated the position of vice president of guest experience after doing away with it two years ago.
The holder of the new position will be paid between $130,000 and $185,000 a year.
The vice president of guest experience will bring expert-level strategy and innovation to elevate all aspects of the customer experience delivered at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition, that person will provide leadership and support to the Convention Services and Destination Services teams; build partner relationships with Convention Center vendors Centerplate, Cox, FedEx, AmEx)to ensure the highest standard of service for guests and customers; establish strong relationships with tradeshow clients, general contractors, and vendors, as a critical component to building satisfaction, loyalty, and brand preference to the destination; and pursue new initiatives that contribute to an overall elevated customer experience.
Under a new organizational chart released by the LVCVA, the board of directors oversees both President and CEO Steve Hill and the chief legal officer, Caroline Bateman.
The C-level officers beneath Hill are Chief Operating Officer Brian Yost, Chief Marketing Officer Kate Wik, Chief Financial Officer Ed Finger, Senior Vice President of People & Culture Stana Subaric, Senior Vice President of Communications Lori Nelson-Kraft, and Vice President of Public Affairs and Diversity Constance Brooks.
Reporting to Yost are two vice presidents of business sales, a vice president of facilities, a vice president of customer safety and the new vice president of guest experience.
Wik oversees two vice presidents of marketing and the vice president of the research center.
Finger supervises the vice president of information technology and the vice president of finance.
Board members also approved an amendment to its agreement with the Service Employees International Union Local 1107. With room tax revenue hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, the amended agreement shows no raises this year in the contract for LVCVA workers.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
Hospitality Heroes
Two hospitality workers in Southern Nevada have been recognized for their dedication to making Las Vegas a world-class destination.
Benny Figgins, a dealer at Caesars Palace, and Bryan Funai, a concierge at Waldorf Astoria, received the inaugural quarterly Hospitality Heroes Legacy Award. The program garnered more than 80 nominations from nearly two dozen resorts and tourism-related businesses and Figgins and Funai received the highest scores from an independent selection committee of local business leaders.
Figgins has been a dealer at Caesars Palace for 49 years. He is not only one of the few employees who have been with the casino since its opening, but he was one of the first African American dealers to work on the Strip after casinos began integrating the workforce. Colleagues say Figgins is one of the most requested dealers at the resort and many guests return year after year to sit at his table.
Funai has been a concierge in Las Vegas since 1998. In the middle of the great recession, he was part of the opening team at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and stayed with the property when it transitioned to Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas in 2018. His colleagues say his warmth and professionalism remains a constant despite the many changes he has experienced in the industry.
Both were recognized at Tuesday's LVCVA board meeting and will be rewarded a free stay at a Las Vegas resort. — Richard N. Velotta
