Rugby Tournament looks to expand to weeklong event

Taking a page from the National Finals Rodeo business model, the international rugby tournament in Las Vegas this weekend wants to grow into a weeklong celebration with ancillary events such as a sports law conference and international food expo.

The plan is to expand the three-day USA Sevens International Rugby Tournament to seven days, using Las Vegas’ entertainment assets and other spin-off events and conferences to lure in more visitors and fans, said Rob Cornelius, vice president of business development of United World Sports, which produces the 16-nation USA Sevens.

This year, the tournament is helping stage a medical symposium focusing on head and neck injuries. Next year, a two-day conference on sports law is planned as a related event, Cornelius said.

The matches at Sam Boyd Stadium are expected to draw more than 70,000 fans — nearly triple the 24,000 at the inaugural event six years ago.

USA Sevens is projected to attract 21,400 out-of-town visitors with a nongaming economic spending of $22.4 million, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Cornelius sees the 10-day NFR as a good business model because its fans attend many related events held away from the rodeo itself.

“Why try and re-invent the wheel when you can just make it better?” Cornelius asked.

Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts promotion organization, also holds a fight week in July packed with related events such as a fan expo, 5K run and art show.

The annual USA Sevens is considered North America’s premier rugby event and is the fifth event out of nine in the HSBC Sevens World Series. Seven-player teams began the series of 45 matches Friday, with the championship today.

The action is broadcast to 390 million homes in 149 countries.

Cornelius also wants to take advantage of the tournament’s international flavor by working on match gaming and mining industry leaders from Nevada with their rugby-fan counterparts from places such as England (gaming) and South Africa (mining) for business networking.

He also envisions an international food and culture expo leading up to the three days of competition to tap into the thousands of global rugby fans visiting Las Vegas for the competition.

Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events, which produces and sponsors events as the LVCVA’s marketing arm, endorses sports events creating spin-off activities and conferences because it “gives the crowd coming in more value for their dollars.”

Christenson said related events such as the head injury conference are a good example of a related event that can drive traffic to the rugby tournament.

“They have put together the foundation for that, for growing it into a bigger international event,” Christenson said. “If they can attach all the events, they can play off each other. If you have an event that will draw another crowd, you can grow the number of visitors.”

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Follow @BicycleManSnel on Twitter.