Kori Ellis
07-29-2005, 01:21 PM
Media Exposure: Las Vegas Lands NBA All-Star Game
29 July 2005
by Chris Jones
http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=152406
Las Vegas will host the National Basketball Association's All-Star Weekend in February 2007, multiple sources told the Review-Journal on Thursday.
League representatives would not publicly confirm whether Las Vegas will become the first city without an NBA franchise to host its popular midseason exhibition, but NBA Commissioner David Stern has quietly informed local leaders he will make an official announcement one week from today at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Local efforts to land the 57th annual All-Star Weekend were led by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, whose board of directors on July 12 agreed to spend more than $4.5 million for tickets, site fees and other expenses associated with hosting the event, should the NBA select Las Vegas.
The authority hopes to recoup approximately $1.65 million by packaging tickets and reselling them to resort customers. But All-Star Weekend's greatest potential benefit to Southern Nevada is the widespread media exposure that would showcase the city before a global audience of potential visitors.
Rossi Ralenkotter, president of the convention authority, said earlier this month that 2004's All-Star Weekend at Staples Center in Los Angeles produced more than 475 million "media impressions" around the globe, ranging from newspaper stories to segments on television programs such as "SportsCenter" and "Entertainment Tonight."
Most 2007 All-Star events would be telecast on ESPN and TNT cable networks.
Factoring in international coverage, the year's Sunday All-Star game would be telecast in more than 210 countries and 40-plus languages.
Ralenkotter said All-Star events would draw more than 25,000 visitors who would buy nearly 43,000 room nights in area hotels. The NBA alone previously agreed to book up to 5,000 room nights for league executives and VIPs at Strip resorts should Las Vegas' bid be accepted.
Overall, visitors' projected nongaming economic effect over All-Star Weekend is approximately $27 million.
State gaming regulators last month agreed to prevent Nevada's legalized sports books from accepting wagers on All-Star events in Las Vegas. Still, well-heeled athletes and their fans -- which historically include Hollywood stars, pop musicians and the like -- are expected to patronize Las Vegas casinos.
Some locals believe having All-Star Weekend might bolster Las Vegas' quest to land its first major professional sports franchise. But Stern has stated that is a separate, and at this point moot, issue in relation to the NBA.
A convention authority spokeswoman on Thursday referred calls to the NBA's league office in New York. Reached there, spokesman Tim Frank said the 2007 All-Star selection process is "still under way" and "no Las Vegas press conference has been scheduled."
However, local sources said the NBA told the convention authority of Las Vegas' selection earlier this week. Still, that decision publicly remains "unofficial" until Stern's Aug. 5 media event.
Final word coming from league
City awaits decision on bid with arena ready for announcement next week
By Ed Koch
LAS VEGAS SUN
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/births/2005/jul/29/519127968.html
The Thomas & Mack Center has been put on notice to reserve a room for the National Basketball Association for a news conference next week, presumably to announce the 2007 NBA All-Star Game will be in Las Vegas.
"We have completed all the necessary paperwork between the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority) and the NBA and we are very prepared for an announcement in the next seven to 10 days," said Daren Libonati, executive director of the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
The game, if announced for Las Vegas, would be at the 22-year-old Thomas and Mack Center on Feb. 18, 2007.
"We've been put on notice (by the LVCVA) that we were expecting a phone call to scheduled one of our meeting rooms for the press conference. I have been waiting just as the LVCVA has been waiting.
Libonati said an LVCVA official told his office to be prepared because, if Las Vegas is approved, the announcement would come during the first week of August.
Another source close to the effort to bring the All-Star Game to Las Vegas said the official announcement will be made next Friday.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said today that no decision has been made regarding which city will get the game.
"Las Vegas has put in an application and we are reviewing all of the applications," he said. "The process (for selection of the site of the 2007 game) is still ongoing."
Other cities that have been reported as being in contention for the 2007 game are Toronto, New Orleans and Memphis, Tenn., all of which have NBA teams.
The 2006 All-Star Game will be in Houston. Last year, the announcement that Houston had been selected was not made until October, Frank noted.
Frank said the Las Vegas application "is unique," as the All-Star Ggame never has been in a city that does not have an NBA team.
The LVCVA Board in July unanimously approved submitting a bid to host the 2007 event. Board members agreed to spend $4.5 million to bring the game to Las Vegas.
The LVCVA expects to recoup $1.6 million of the that money from various revenue sources associated with the game and its related activities, including the five-day NBA Jam Session, featuring a slam dunk contest, 3-point shoot-out and autograph signing.
Attempts to reach LVCVA president and chief executive Rossi Ralenkotter for comment today were not successful. Ralenkotter previously has said the game would attract an estimated 25,000 out-of-town visitors producing $27 million in non-gaming revenue for Las Vegas.
LVCVA board member Jim Gibson, the mayor of Henderson, declined to comment on the pending announcement, saying it is an issue the NBA controls.
The game, which would be played on a Sunday, would be broadcast on the TNT cable network in 212 countries in 41 languages. It is expected to be seen by more than 3.1 million people worldwide.
The festivities also would include the Rookie Challenge, a game pitting rookie stars against second-year players in the league, and a celebrity game, both of which also would be nationally televised.
Gaming regulators have approved banning wagering on the game.
29 July 2005
by Chris Jones
http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=152406
Las Vegas will host the National Basketball Association's All-Star Weekend in February 2007, multiple sources told the Review-Journal on Thursday.
League representatives would not publicly confirm whether Las Vegas will become the first city without an NBA franchise to host its popular midseason exhibition, but NBA Commissioner David Stern has quietly informed local leaders he will make an official announcement one week from today at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Local efforts to land the 57th annual All-Star Weekend were led by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, whose board of directors on July 12 agreed to spend more than $4.5 million for tickets, site fees and other expenses associated with hosting the event, should the NBA select Las Vegas.
The authority hopes to recoup approximately $1.65 million by packaging tickets and reselling them to resort customers. But All-Star Weekend's greatest potential benefit to Southern Nevada is the widespread media exposure that would showcase the city before a global audience of potential visitors.
Rossi Ralenkotter, president of the convention authority, said earlier this month that 2004's All-Star Weekend at Staples Center in Los Angeles produced more than 475 million "media impressions" around the globe, ranging from newspaper stories to segments on television programs such as "SportsCenter" and "Entertainment Tonight."
Most 2007 All-Star events would be telecast on ESPN and TNT cable networks.
Factoring in international coverage, the year's Sunday All-Star game would be telecast in more than 210 countries and 40-plus languages.
Ralenkotter said All-Star events would draw more than 25,000 visitors who would buy nearly 43,000 room nights in area hotels. The NBA alone previously agreed to book up to 5,000 room nights for league executives and VIPs at Strip resorts should Las Vegas' bid be accepted.
Overall, visitors' projected nongaming economic effect over All-Star Weekend is approximately $27 million.
State gaming regulators last month agreed to prevent Nevada's legalized sports books from accepting wagers on All-Star events in Las Vegas. Still, well-heeled athletes and their fans -- which historically include Hollywood stars, pop musicians and the like -- are expected to patronize Las Vegas casinos.
Some locals believe having All-Star Weekend might bolster Las Vegas' quest to land its first major professional sports franchise. But Stern has stated that is a separate, and at this point moot, issue in relation to the NBA.
A convention authority spokeswoman on Thursday referred calls to the NBA's league office in New York. Reached there, spokesman Tim Frank said the 2007 All-Star selection process is "still under way" and "no Las Vegas press conference has been scheduled."
However, local sources said the NBA told the convention authority of Las Vegas' selection earlier this week. Still, that decision publicly remains "unofficial" until Stern's Aug. 5 media event.
Final word coming from league
City awaits decision on bid with arena ready for announcement next week
By Ed Koch
LAS VEGAS SUN
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/births/2005/jul/29/519127968.html
The Thomas & Mack Center has been put on notice to reserve a room for the National Basketball Association for a news conference next week, presumably to announce the 2007 NBA All-Star Game will be in Las Vegas.
"We have completed all the necessary paperwork between the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority) and the NBA and we are very prepared for an announcement in the next seven to 10 days," said Daren Libonati, executive director of the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
The game, if announced for Las Vegas, would be at the 22-year-old Thomas and Mack Center on Feb. 18, 2007.
"We've been put on notice (by the LVCVA) that we were expecting a phone call to scheduled one of our meeting rooms for the press conference. I have been waiting just as the LVCVA has been waiting.
Libonati said an LVCVA official told his office to be prepared because, if Las Vegas is approved, the announcement would come during the first week of August.
Another source close to the effort to bring the All-Star Game to Las Vegas said the official announcement will be made next Friday.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said today that no decision has been made regarding which city will get the game.
"Las Vegas has put in an application and we are reviewing all of the applications," he said. "The process (for selection of the site of the 2007 game) is still ongoing."
Other cities that have been reported as being in contention for the 2007 game are Toronto, New Orleans and Memphis, Tenn., all of which have NBA teams.
The 2006 All-Star Game will be in Houston. Last year, the announcement that Houston had been selected was not made until October, Frank noted.
Frank said the Las Vegas application "is unique," as the All-Star Ggame never has been in a city that does not have an NBA team.
The LVCVA Board in July unanimously approved submitting a bid to host the 2007 event. Board members agreed to spend $4.5 million to bring the game to Las Vegas.
The LVCVA expects to recoup $1.6 million of the that money from various revenue sources associated with the game and its related activities, including the five-day NBA Jam Session, featuring a slam dunk contest, 3-point shoot-out and autograph signing.
Attempts to reach LVCVA president and chief executive Rossi Ralenkotter for comment today were not successful. Ralenkotter previously has said the game would attract an estimated 25,000 out-of-town visitors producing $27 million in non-gaming revenue for Las Vegas.
LVCVA board member Jim Gibson, the mayor of Henderson, declined to comment on the pending announcement, saying it is an issue the NBA controls.
The game, which would be played on a Sunday, would be broadcast on the TNT cable network in 212 countries in 41 languages. It is expected to be seen by more than 3.1 million people worldwide.
The festivities also would include the Rookie Challenge, a game pitting rookie stars against second-year players in the league, and a celebrity game, both of which also would be nationally televised.
Gaming regulators have approved banning wagering on the game.