Red carpet rolled out in the dust of 40th National Finals Rodeo

No one would have expected back in 1985 that the National Finals Rodeo would be the massive success that it has become.

But now, 40 years later, it’s one of the toughest tickets to get, and what is considered the Super Bowl of rodeos is primed to extend its record of 379 consecutive sell-out performances with 10 nights of competition Thursday through Dec. 13 at UNLV’s Thomas &Mack Center.

Despite the scare of a virus running through the equine world, Southern Nevada resorts are expected to be full or near capacity during the entire run of the event sponsored by Wrangler.

“The rodeo was one of the founding events that led to the destination becoming the entertainment and sports capital of the world,” said Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based Global Market Advisors. “What started out as putting heads in beds during a slow time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has led to a full calendar where there are very few windows between MICE- (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), sports- and entertainment-related events.”

Representatives of Las Vegas Events, the private financing partner of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and several dignitaries kicked off the anniversary celebration Wednesday with greetings and remarks that included appearances from champions of the first Las Vegas NFR in 1985 and reigning champions from last year’s event.

“I can’t be any more appreciative of the NFR and the Thomas &Mack and everything they do to bring such a great event to the Las Vegas Valley,” said Gov. Joe Lombardo, who apologized for wearing a suit and not having a cowboy hat like dozens of others in the room.

‘Global stage’

“It’s a success that’s helped open the door for the global stage we are on today,” Lombardo said. “We’ve invested in top-tier venues, strong partnerships and the kind of hospitality that makes every visitor feel like a VIP.”

Tim Keener, president of Las Vegas Events, noted that the first sell-out of rodeo events occurred just two years after it arrived.

“I’m not sure anybody had the realization of the impact that the NFR would have on Las Vegas,” Keener said. “While it didn’t sell out in its entirety until 1987, we’re going on 379 consecutive sellouts. That’s a tribute to the PRCA, to the contestants, and the stock contractors. We have the best of the best that come here and qualify.”

The stock contractors provide the animal stars of the show — livestock for rodeo competitions, including bucking horses and bulls for roughstock events and steers and calves for timed events like steer wrestling and roping.

On a breezy day like Wednesday, the waft of the stock flowed around the arena, and UNLV Athletic Director Erick Harper joked with the crowd that it was “the smell of money.”

He’s right.

Economic impact

Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, who also chairs the LVCVA board of directors, told the gathering about the economic impact of the rodeo.

“The NFR leads a surge of visitor volume with attendance numbers regularly surpassing 170,000 over the 10-day event, generating over $200 million in direct local economic impact from the rodeo events alone,” Gibson said.

“When you think about the ancillary events, you add the total in, like Cowboy Christmas and the trade shows, the economic effect is boosted by another $100 million to $150 million. And as Michael (Gaughan, owner of the South Point) and I were talking today, that’s the cheapest investment we have. It is the most incredible experience to watch what happens when cowboys descend upon this town. Since its inception, the NFR has contributed more than a billion dollars.”

Much of that spending occurs with visitors filling Southern Nevada’s hotels.

A Review-Journal survey of 101 hotel room prices found on Hotels.com on Wednesday determined that on average, rooms are going for close to $200 a night for the last three nights of NFR Dec. 12-14. Downtown Las Vegas hotels, cornering its own submarket Wednesday night with the Downtown Hoedown, a free gathering of musical performances kicking off the rodeo.

A survey of 16 downtown hotels found pricing to be around $165.50 a night there.

The highest prices came from the usual luxury spots — $742 a night at The Venetian, $637 a night at Wynn and Encore, $476 a night at Bellagio, $419 a night at Caesars Palace with Circa asking the highest price downtown at $284 a night.

There are still bargains to be had. The Oyo and Circus Circus are offering rooms for $39 a night.

Circa owner Derek Stevens, whose property is hosting steer wrestlers, loves the business that comes with the rodeo.

‘A special vibe’

“There’s a special vibe that happens when NFR is in town,” Stevens said. “It’s polite, it’s patriotic and it just matches up perfectly with Las Vegas. We’re having a steer wrestler welcome party for the wrestlers themselves, the wives, the families as we’re ready to kick off. We’re going to roll out the red carpet for our steer wrestlers and their fans here over the next two weeks.”

The reason the rodeo has been a December mainstay for Las Vegas is because in the early 1980s, Las Vegans such as Benny Binion and Michael Gaughan’s father, Jackie, wrestled the event away from Oklahoma City.

Tom Glause, CEO of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, paid tribute to that move in his presentation.

“I want to recognize the insight, the wisdom and the foresight that our prior board of directors had to move this rodeo from Oklahoma City to Las Vegas,” Glause said. “It was not an easy decision. As a matter of fact, Chairman of the Board Shawn Davis cast the tie-breaking vote. And Shawn, along with Benny Binion, will be recognized as two of the icons Friday night for bringing this rodeo to Las Vegas.”

Bussmann said because of its success, the rodeo has become the template for other big events for Las Vegas.

“This is about building a cycle of annual events like the rodeo, NASCAR, and Formula One that have fixed dates, fixed bases that serve different market segments, and then filling it in with other major events into the cycle between a Super Bowl, a College Football Playoff and a Final Four,” Bussmann said. “Once you get that cycle going on a regular basis and having that balance between perennial events and cycle events, you’ll have a strong rotation that will help the destination’s long-term growth.”

And Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, said in an interview that having the rodeo in town is just fun.

“Las Vegas does an amazing job of creating an atmosphere around the events that makes it a party even without tickets,” Belarmino said. “And part of the fun is seeing the celebrities at our amazing properties. These events are so important because they are part of the identity of the city. Whether you are European nobility coming for F1 or a rodeo fan taking time off from your job, Las Vegas is here to host you and create once-in-a-lifetime memories.”

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.