SteveNV wrote on March 18, 2009 07:47 AM: You can't be outraged at AIG AND blame Obama for chastising Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs, it makes no sense.

Obama's statement has been taken out of context in order for bad journalists to have an excuse to write poorly constructed stories. He does not believe that Las Vegas trips should be funded by taxpayers - fair right? I work for a company in Las Vegas that offered 2 trips a year as sales incentives (none of which were to Las Vegas. This year they are offering none because they have sacrificed their marketing budget in order to save jobs. Would you want to work for a company that was laying people off but sending execs to Las Vegas or Hawaii? I wouldn't.

Companies are laying off employees at a rate not seen since the early 80's. It makes sense that they would not want to be overindulgent when it comes to corporate travel.

This town is built on excess by a Mayor who funds ridiculous projects. How about investigating how he is going about his city planning? He should be finding out what it would take to make Las Vegas the solar manufacturing leader and prove that this town has more than just gambling. There is stimulus money available just for that idea, he just needs to fight for it.

We all have an option for molding the future of Las Vegas right now, and whining should not be one of them.

RonNV wrote on March 17, 2009 10:53 AM: Obama has ruined it for Las Vegas. He knocked the city in such a way as to give it a bad name. This Chicago politican should think before he opens up his big mouth. What about all of the people that depend upon tourism. Reid has not done nothing to get Obama to apologize. You will see that in 4 years that Obama should not have been elected President of anything.

Joe Blough wrote on March 17, 2009 06:28 AM: > While Vegas still reigns as the ultimate trade show destination, ...

My company has been attending medical and scientific conferences for the past 15 years. Conferences like American Heart Association, American college of cardiology, Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, American Association for thoracic surgery, and about 1/2 dozen others.

None of them have ever been held in Las Vegas. And we typically pay $3000 to $4000 for a 10 x 10 booth at those conferences.

I think if you hold a tradeshow or conference and you want to insure that people are actually visiting the exhibit booths and not f-ing off somewhere else outside the convention center, then you don't hold your event in Las Vegas.

DocHolly wrote on March 16, 2009 10:53 PM: Greed is part of the blame, not something said by the President. I attend over 90 trade shows per year nationwide and attendance is down all over. While Vegas still reigns as the ultimate trade show destination, maybe it can learn from Javits in NYC: High venue cost = lost revenue. Just as the hotels have reevaluated their rates, so should the Sands, Mandalay Bay & LVCC.
I spoke to one vendor yesterday at ASD/AMD that I see twice a year. She told me that she decreased her space from 20x10 to 10x10 but her booth rate only went down by 30%.
Vegas, like NYC's Javits, is pricing itself out of the game by not redoing the contracts to reflect the current economy rather than the economy that was in place 2 years ago.
Some vendors that were formerly at CES, MAGIC and WSA have opted to take advantage of the reduced hotel suite rates and circumvent the expensive trade show floor altogether. 2 suites @ the Wynn at 250/300 per night, a stretch limo to pick up buyers and wine and dine them and they still carve 50% or more just off the space rental on the expo floor.
Don't blame Obama. The very thought of mortgage brokers partying at the expense of taxpayers should make everyone as angry as AIG paying bonuses.

muddapucker wrote on March 16, 2009 07:51 PM: While I think Vegas is getting a bad rap from Obama and others, lets not forget that the City hasn't helped itself.

"The what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" campaign does not promote a healthy business image... Lets face it, it promotes sex, liquor and all the "fun" things you can't do in Iowa or Georgia or where ever else someone maybe from.

Its even got my wife wondering whats going on in Vegas and I have been coming here for 30 years.

My friends, I don't want Vegas to ever change, but I do think you might want to back off the sin and excess image. You maybe you own worst enemy on that one...

Joe Blough wrote on March 15, 2009 04:56 PM: > No, Joe... you don't get it. Its called COMPENSATION.

It's a taxible benefit and anyone being flown to Vegas by their employer and put up at a vegas hotel should have those expenses considered as a taxable benefit by the IRS and not as a business expense for their employer.

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I would rather that people come here to waste their money than go to SFO or LAX. And what kind of reward is it to be told by your boss, lets have our annual meeting in the conference room.
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Then let people go to las vegas on their own dime, using their own after-tax personal dollars, and NOT on corporate dollars. There are no serious meetings that happen in vegas - we all know that.

If employees are going to be rewarded, then that reward should be considered a taxable benefit regardless if it's a check for $500 or a plane ticket and hotel room for a "meeting" in vegas.

Nick T wrote on March 15, 2009 08:37 AM: WOW looks like Vegas need's some money? maybe we should tax them hooker's . oop's I should have said escorts with the benzo's and jag's leaving casino's at sun break. Think peeps a red light distric would found are roads and city payables , This is my town for all 34 years of my life , and ya these hoes are killing the industry that is LV. TAX THEM !!!!!!!

BillyBobBooker wrote on March 14, 2009 10:41 PM: No, Joe... you don't get it. Its called COMPENSATION. I get an annual meeting (paid for by my company) who offers it to me pre-tax so I don't have to pay the taxes. If they just gave me the money and said, "HERE, take a meeting in" I would get taxed on it. These meetings are often times work/education related. Other times, its a reward.

We don't care WHO pays for the hotel rooms. Or the flights. Or the meals. We don't care if they attend the meetings or not. We care that some guy gets off that airplane in McCarren and starts spending money in this town. I don't care if its hookers or booze, slots or shows. The livelihood of a heck of a lot of Vegans depends on people coming here, regardless of who does or doesn't get taxed on the good time while here.

I would rather that people come here to waste their money than go to SFO or LAX. And what kind of reward is it to be told by your boss, lets have our annual meeting in the conference room.

You seem to have a serious problem with the fact that businesses REWARD their employees?

Joe wrote on March 14, 2009 10:38 AM: The cops are also cracking down on the hookers here. Must be really bad for them now if conventioners don't show up!!!

Joe Blough wrote on March 14, 2009 08:46 AM: You people don't get it.

Businesses that have "conventions" or "meetings" in Las Vegas and pay for their employees travel and hotel costs are giving their employees a free gift that should be considered a taxible benefit because the event is really just a paid vacation. So I don't feel bad in the least that vegas is hurting because business is drying up for them.

The truth is that businesses that are run on credit (because they've got lots of debt) can't afford to give their employees that vegas trip any more. They've got to conserve cash because the banks aren't lending anymore.

If companies want to have that "meeting" or "convention", then they can host it in their own board rooms or their own offices. Or make their employees pay for their own air fare and hotel cost in vegas (don't let them write it off as a business expense when it's really just a vacation for them).

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