• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 8, 2014

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is wooing top-level executives and corporate event planners in charge of selecting venues for meetings and conferences with two new advertising campaigns touting Las Vegas as an efficient, memorable and cost-effective destination.
 
The first campaign, with the tagline “We’re Here to Do More Than Entertain You,” consists of print, digital and radio ads juxtaposing iconic Las Vegas entertainers with office settings, including illusionist David Copperfield, a performer from Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère and a Las Vegas showgirl -- emphasizing the quiet, practical advantages of the city, including customer service and economy.
 
The second LVCVA campaign, with the tagline “Las Vegas Makes Every Meeting Exciting,” targets meeting and event planners with print and digital ads showing how neon signs enliven the titles of fictional dry-sounding meetings, emphasizing the glamorous aura the city brings to work-related functions.

In the first quarter of 2015, the campaign will introduce a new tagline, “Las Vegas Makes Events More Eventful,” paired with ads showing everyday objects getting the Vegas rhinestone treatment.
 
While its name remains synonymous with recreation (in all its forms), Las Vegas suffered during the economic downturn and its recovery has been unsteady in recent years. The city saw tourist traffic stagnate in 2013, when around 39.7 million people visited, unchanged from the previous year. Over the same period the city’s average hotel occupancy was basically flat, slipping slightly from 84.4% in 2012 to 84.3% in 2013.
 
Hospitality providers are increasingly looking to conventions and conferences for growth: in 2013 the city hosted 22,027 conventions, trade shows, and conferences -- up 1.9% from 21,615 in 2012 -- and the number of attendees to these events rose 3.3% from 4.9 million to 5.1 million.
 
Separately, this week Las Vegas-area outdoor advertiser Elite Media unveiled its new network of Parquee digital billboards around the city, including four digital signs measuring 14 by 48 feet located in highly visible positions along I-515 and I-95, as well as smaller signs measuring about eight feet by 18 feet, located along high-traffic surface streets within the city.
 
Aesthetically, the design of the Parquee signs echoes the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, integrating modern high-definition digital display technology into a hip retro look. According to city officials, the partnership will provide Las Vegas with revenues from advertising, as well as platforms to publicize city-sponsored programs and events .