Tourism leaders say Vegas needs a bigger stadium

Southern Nevada's appetite for hosting more special events to draw large numbers of tourists could result in a renewed push to build a stadium to stage events too large for facilities Las Vegas already has.

Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events, told members of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on Thursday that in order to host some of the big-ticket special events that appeal to large crowds, a bigger building is needed.

In the times the community has debated the need for a big stadium, event organizers have acknowledged that there are at least 20 major annual events Las Vegas could attract if it had a venue to accommodate them.

The committee, meeting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, for more than six hours, has been tasked with developing a report on infrastructure needs for Southern Nevada to maintain the city's claim as the nation's leading tourism destination. In a yearlong process, the committee is exploring the need for airport, convention center, event center and transportation assets to keep Las Vegas a viable player in an increasingly competitive market.

The committee is in fact-finding mode and this month's meeting was devoted to the status of stadiums, arenas, festival grounds, theaters and niche venues.

Presentations ranged from the need for a domed stadium seating more than 60,000 people for large events to success stories involving niche events that have built audiences for a number of special events.

Some of the highlights:

-- Several speakers said they felt Sam Boyd Stadium needs to be replaced with a larger stadium venue closer to the Strip that can accommodate football games and concerts by big-name performers. Kenneth Feld of Feld Motorsports, which produces Motocross events, said Sam Boyd Stadium ranks 45th among 45 stadium venues because of its lack of capacity, amenities and location.

-- The Ader Group proposal to turn Cashman Field into a soccer stadium raised the issue of transportation to and from some of the city's special events venue. A group representing the city of Las Vegas said it supports the development of a light-rail system along Maryland Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard with a multimodal transportation center at Cashman.

-- The emergence of the millennial generation is forcing event producers to rethink their strategies for venues. For example, groups supporting a professional soccer franchise for Las Vegas say millennials are embracing soccer. The proliferation of festivals, such as the Life Is Beautiful event in downtown Las Vegas this weekend, has producers looking to stage events that would be particularly appealing to that generation. Life Is Beautiful is producing 30,000 room nights in downtown Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has found that an event track officials knew nothing about — the Electric Daisy Carnival — is a profitable event that has been a boon to the entire valley because of the spending of its participants.

-- The South Point has hit two home runs with niche assets. A 4,400-seat equestrian arena with 1,200 air-conditioned horse stalls draws a wide variety of equestrian events. The property also built a $30 million 64-lane bowling center for competitive tournaments. That has resulted in the Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling scheduling regular appearances for its international competition.

The committee will continue the fact-finding phase of its efforts next month when it explores convention centers, meeting halls and conference venues across the city.