Sunday, May 21, 2006

Hollywood studios are lining up to cash in on the anticipated popularity of
summer films featuring comic book heroes such as the X-Men mutants and
Superman. Far away from Krypton, local travel leaders are counting on a few
lesser-known heroes to steer some big bucks in Las Vegas' direction. The Las
Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority this month unveiled its latest
business travel promotional campaign. Known as "Hero," the ads primarily
target event planners whose decisions could bring tens to tens of thousands
of travelers here for corporate meetings and conferences. Some ads are
intended for trade show producers and exhibitors, a sector Las Vegas has
long dominated. But most are aiming for smaller gatherings of executives,
sales teams and board members -- groups that prefer the kind of top-tier
amenities Las Vegas only recently started offering widely.

"The corporate meeting market segment has a huge growth potential," Terry
Jicinsky, the authority's senior vice president of marketing, said
Wednesday. "We now have a style of restaurants, meeting facilities,
entertainment options and golf courses that bring us into head-to-head
competition with some of the traditional corporate meeting destinations."

Competitors for such gatherings historically include Chicago, New York, San
Francisco and various beach destinations.

Five different hero-themed print ads were produced to reflect the diverse
genders and ethnic backgrounds of those in the industry. Each ad shows a
person in an office environment striking a heroic pose. Headlines include
"Glory is on line one" and "From cubicle to cubicle they will praise your
name."

The ads will appear in more than a dozen travel industry publications, as
well as newsletters and daily magazines distributed at events in which the
authority participates. Pop-up ads are also appearing on industry Web sites
including Tradeshow Week magazine's online page.

The Hero ads replaced a 3-year-old business marketing campaign known for the
tag line, "We work as hard as we play." Customer feedback showed business
traveler planners enjoy the city's "What happens here, stays here" ads,
which target leisure travelers. The authority hopes the Hero spots will
strike a similar chord.

"Dropping 'We work as hard as we play' takes the formal business message out
of it ... and says, 'This is more about you,'" said Rob Dondero, an
executive vice president with R&R Partners, the authority's contracted
advertising agency.

Added Jicinsky: "(The new ads) put the emphasis on the individual meeting
planner's experience" when dealing with Las Vegas.

A guerrilla marketing push is accompanying the Hero launch. At next week's
Springtime expo in Washington, D.C., for example, street teams will ride
scooters and pedicabs near the Washington Convention Center. They'll pass
out brochures and fliers highlighting Las Vegas' meeting and exhibition
services.

"There's nobody else doing this," Dondero said. "(Attendees and exhibitors)
will see the message and say, 'I've got to go by the Las Vegas booth and
meet these guys because they've got something new going on.'"

A direct mail campaign also could raise interest by allowing meeting
planners to enter a drawing for a high-end Las Vegas vacation for six,
Jicinsky said.

Las Vegas' developing relationship with the National Basketball Association
could lure more corporate business here, Dondero said.

The NBA routinely hosts executives from big businesses in cities where it
has franchises. In anticipation of next year's NBA All-Star events in Las
Vegas, the league is allowing local sales representatives to attend those
gatherings during the current NBA playoffs. Similar events could take place
when the 2006-07 season tips off in the fall.

"This is a very unique (opportunity) for us," Dondero said. "These CEOs get
invited by a lot of people to a lot of special events. You really have to
have something special to get them out and have some one-on-one time with
them."

The authority is committed to the Hero campaign through the end of the
calendar year, Jicinsky said.

The ads will cost $360,000 to distribute through June 30, though a specific
expenditure for the fiscal year beginning July 1 was not yet available,
Dondero said.

The current-year budget called for $980,000 in spending on similar business
travel promotions.