Are the Las Vegas hotels getting so full of themselves that they're collectively killing the goose who lays the golden egg? It's possible. Hotel rates for popular conferences like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) are astronomical. Hotel rates have risen 365 percent in the last two years, according to this story by Richard N. Velotta with In Business Las Vegas. Perhaps most telling is this excerpt from the article:
Executives with the Consumer Electronics Association, the owner of the show, approached the LVCVA earlier this year for a meeting with resort executives to try to persuade them to keep prices in check.
Karen Chupka, senior vice president of events and conferences for the association, said several exhibitors have had to reduce the number of delegates they can send to the show because companies can no longer afford to send as many people as in the past.
"It's crazy," Chupka said. "The rates have become astronomical. Some of the resorts are requiring a food and beverage guarantee on top of the hotel rooms and that has gone up by 365 percent in the past two years. Las Vegas is no longer the cost-effective destination it once was."
Chicago and Orlando were mentioned in the article as two possible alternatives to Las Vegas, since there are few choices that have capacity for the 140,000 visitors that CES draws. Considering the timing of the event during the first week of January, Chicago would be a bleak alternative. One good snowstorm could ruin the entire event for everyone. With Orlando's temperatures traditionally around 72 degrees at this time of year, my guess is that we'd be the odds-on favorite for a potential relocation if the show stays within the USA.
One event that tagged on to CES and has grown with it is the AVN Adult Entertainment
Expo. My guess is that Orlando's family-friendly image wouldn't go well with a porn expo. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to attend and take some pictures, but it's just not going to happen here. Orlando's power players don't want that crowd nestling up to the kids going to Disney World, and the porn folks don't want to fly across the country to a town that just doesn't have the nightlife facilities to accommodate them. If CES moves to Orlando, look for the AVN Adult Expo to stay in Las Vegas. It's a short trip from the LA area where many of them reside and Vegas embraces the Sin City nature of overused and scantily clad women roving through its hotels.
CES in Orlando would be a great way to start the new year. Unfortunately, I don't see any signs that the folks in Orlando recognize the potential opportunity, much less their efforts to steal the show away from Las Vegas.
