History of Marketing Las Vegas
Thank you to the great crowd that came out last night for "Untold Stories". On a cold, brisk evening, we filled our classroom at the Springs Preserve with hardy souls who wanted to know more about the place they call home. Our terrific panel provided plenty of stories! Don't forget, we return in February!
Need one last dose of history before the Holidays? How about this:
Marketing has played a large role in Clark County history since the 1930s, when civic leaders realized that tourism would be a way to diversify the local economy.
In the late 1940s the Chamber of Commerce hired professional advertising agencies to market Las Vegas and the Strip throughout the country.
Later the Las Vegas News Bureau and some of the hotels' in-house publicists teamed up on some wildly creative publicity stunts such as the famous "floating crap game" in the Sands Hotel swimming pool. The panel will examine the history of marketing and publicity that has brought us to the present day.
Participating are:
- · Don Payne, former manager of the Las Vegas News Bureau;
- · Bob Stoldal, local historian and newsman;
- · John Ullom, whose parents owned and operated local photography studios; and
- · Frank Mitrani, a retired photographer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal
- ·
Join us in a roundtable discussion and ask questions of our panel as we discuss this fascinating part of Clark County’s history in a free public event called…
“Centennial Stories: Examining Our Past”
Friday, December 4th at 6 p.m.
Where: Clark County Government Center Commission Chambers
500 S. Grand Central Parkway in downtown Las Vegas
This roundtable discussion also will be aired live on Clark County Television (CCTV) cable Channel 4 and replayed throughout December.
LasVegasLynn
in Cultural Tourism, Current Day, Historical, Las Vegas History, Las Vegas Strip
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Las Vegas History You Don't Know - December's "Untold Stories"
Think you know Las Vegas History?
Well, if you have been attending "Untold Stories" you do know a lot of Las Vegas History. However, there is a great deal of arcane and little-known history that should be better known.
So, we are putting the focus on that type of history with December's "Untold Stories". Here's your chance to learn more about street names around the Valley, the more colorful side of shall we say, Block 16 type businesses as well as the social history of Las Vegas from the 1930s to the 1950s. From living with no air-conditioning to stories about Helen J. Stewart, Queho and more, "Las Vegas History You Don't Know" will be a fun and entertaining way to learn more about the place we all call home.
Also, there will be "Stump the Panel" where you can ask them questions about arcane Las Vegas history that you know. Will they be able to add to your knowledge or will you have the stories they don't know.
Join us on Thursday, December 3rd to find out!
Panelists include:
Dr. Michael Green, Professor of History at the College of Southern Nevada. Dr. Mike is one of the premiere Southern Nevadan historians.
Mark Hall-Patton, director of Clark County Museums and a local author.
Donna and Gail Andress, they have lived in Las Vegas since 1932 when both arrived as children. They have helped Las Vegas grow from a dusty railroad town into the Entertainment Capital of the World. In addition, they are both local historians.
Thursday, December 3rd
Las Vegas Springs Preserve
Desert Learning Center
6:30 pm
Admission $9.00 (buy a three-class series pass and get a discount!)
See you there!
LasVegasLynn
in Cultural Tourism, Current Day, Historical, Las Vegas History, Preservation Issues, Untold Stories
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Binion's Closing Hotel Tower, Laying off Workers
The beleagured Binion's Gambling Hall on Fremont Street announced this afternoon that it is closing it's Hotel Tower and laying off 100 workers.
This is bad news not only for the casino and its owners but the staff that is getting cut just before the holidays is bearing the brunt of the depressing news.
From the R-J:
The owner of the long-troubled Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel is closing the property’s 365 hotel rooms indefinitely and will cut nearly 100 of the property’s 800 jobs. Spokeswoman Lisa Robinson blamed the decision to shut down the rooms on Dec. 14 on the economic downturn. “This is a result of this brutal economy that has affected Las Vegas,” Robinson said. “We looked at every aspect of our operations and the hotel rooms are no longer competitive in this market.” In addition to the rooms, Binion’s Original Coffee Shop is being closed and the casino will discontinue offering keno. The casino, sports book, poker room, and the casino floor cafes and other amenities will remain open. The Binion’s Ranch Steakhouse on the tower’s 24th floor will close Dec. 13 for an annual cleaning, but will reopen on Dec. 28, Robinson said. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, long a champion of downtown redevelopment, called the hotel’s closing disappointing. “The bad news is there are going to be a lot of people out of work,” Goodman said during a press conference held in his office to discuss Binion’s. “That’s a shame.” News of the Binion’s hotel closing comes a week after the new Golden Nugget opened a new 500-room tower. Robinson said Binion’s owners – TLC Casino Enterprises – determined that occupancy and average daily room rates at the hotel were too low to make sense to continue operating the rooms, Robinson said. “With the plummeting room rates in Las Vegas, we just weren’t able to keep it competitive,” she said. Binion’s rooms rates range from $23 per night on week nights to $54 per night on the weekend until the hotel closes. Average daily room rates declined 24.7 percent in Las Vegas the first nine months of the year, with hotel occupancy slipping 5.6 percent, according to the latest numbers from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The hotel is offering to move people with reservations at Binion’s to the 694-room Four Queens across Fremont Street, Robinson said. Both hotel-casinos are privately owned by Terry Caudill’s TLC Casino Enterprises, which acquired Binion’s in January 2008 for $32 million. A state gaming law requiring casinos with nonrestricted gaming licenses to have hotels will not affect Binion’s license because the property was open before the regulation was approved, Gaming Control Board member Randall Sayre said Monday. The announcement, however, was just the latest in a long string of problems for the historic downtown casino, which was founded in 1951 by maverick gambler Benny Binion as the Horseshoe Club. In 2004, regulators swooped in and closed the casino – then known as Binion’s Horseshoe – to ensure former owner Becky Binion Behnen could pay the property’s mounting debts. The casino has changed hands three times since Behnen sold the property to Harrah’s Entertainment. Harrah’s owned the property just long enough to strip it of the Horseshoe name and the popular World Series of Poker brand, which Binion’s had hosted since 1970. It then sold the property to MTR Gaming, which reported millions of dollars in losses during its tenure. Caudill purchase of the property hasn’t stopped the problems. TLC is fighting numerous lawsuits from owners of the land underlying Binion’s who are seeking payment for their leases or to increase the rent. At least four of nine parcels under the main casino and hotel are owned by outsiders who charge the hotel rent. The latest lawsuit filed in August by the owners of about a quarter of an acre underneath Binion’s is seeking $19,594 per month in rent under an agreement dating back to 1960. The property’s previous owner, Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming, also sued Binion’s in August, saying TLC has failed to pay rents due to landowners. Although the lawsuit was settled for undisclosed terms, MTR said at the time TLC was in default on at least two lease agreements. Robinson said the land leases, which are locked in at fixed rates, have contributed to the property’s economic woes. Goodman said that despite the Binion’s developments, there’s still good news downtown for those willing to see it. He mentioned the construction of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute and the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and the performance of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and the World Market Center as positives. He stuck by the city’s ambitious redevelopment plans that include a new city hall, two proposed new casinos, a sports arena and a reopened Lady Luck casino. “We have to have a greater resolve than we did before the (Binion’s) closure,” Goodman said. “We need that kind of optimism here.” ___ Where ever he is, Benny Binion is spinning.
LasVegasLynn
in Current Day, Fremont Street, Las Vegas History
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A Busy Week in Las Vegas
We hope that everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving holiday, survived the shopping madness (for the record, we did not go near a shopping mall) and are ready for a fun-filled week of events.
I'll be posting more about them in the next day or two but circle your calendars for these important dates:
Wednesday, Dec. 2nd: I am giving a lecture on the History of Neon in Las Vegas at the Sun City Anthem Learning Center at 1:00 pm.
Thursday, Dec. 3rd: Untold Stories at the Springs Preserve: "The Las Vegas You Don't Know" with Dr. Michael Green, Mark Hall-Patton and Donna and Gail Andress. 6:30 pm.
Friday, Dec. 4th: The final historic discussion for the Clark County Centennial. The topic will be "Marketing Las Vegas" with former News Bureau manager, Don Payne; Robert Stoldal; John Ullom and Frank Mitrani. County Government Center, 6:00 pm.
Sunday, Dec. 6th: The Friends of Classic Las Vegas will have their annual Holiday Party! Lots of food and drink to share along with special guest, Don Payne talking about the history of Las Vegas. The fun begins at 2:00 pm. It's a pot-luck style gathering so email me for details about what to bring and where!
LasVegasLynn
in Cultural Tourism, Current Day, Historic Homes, Las Vegas History, Las Vegas Neighborhoods, Memories, Untold Stories
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Dan Zook (1935-2007)
I miss you, daddy.
