Report on Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ignores many important facts

I am disturbed on many levels by the Review-Journal’s April 2 story on spending by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Entertainment spending is part of business success — this is not news, rather it’s standard business practice across most, if not all, industries. The authority sets the standard for what a successful visitors authority looks like and runs the most highly regarded convention center in the United States. Look at the growth of international flights, exhibition expansion, major shows drawn in, number of hotel nights booked, etc.

Las Vegas has been the No. 1 trade show destination for 23 consecutive years because of its commitment to providing the best venues, services and experiences for its customers.

Moreover, every dollar to support to the convention authority’s business mission comes from room tax paid by visitors — and two-thirds of that room tax revenue is used to fund local education and other government services for the city. Not a penny is coming from the local taxpayers as the Review-Journal might have its readers believe.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its leadership are globally respected as highly competent, ethical and successful — which is one of the many reasons that we have been bringing the Consumer Electronics Show back to Las Vegas since 1978. This was an incomplete story that used isolated expenditures culled from years of expenses. The article is a disservice to the authority’s phenomenal results that have fueled the growth of and employment in Las Vegas and cemented its status as one of the top business and leisure destinations on the planet.