By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Money buys access.
When your sports league generates $18 billion a year in revenues thanks to lucrative TV broadcast deals, you’re in position to shut down the Strip’s busiest intersection for three plus days and take over the heart of the one of the most iconic commercial boulevards in the world.
The NFL is here in Las Vegas to stage its player draft event and the fans from around the country already began milling on the closed Strip in front of the Bellagio Fountains Thursday morning.
A Pittsburgh Steelers fan was strolling literally down the middle of the Strip while chatting with a buddy on the phone.
“I would have been arrested if I did this the last time I was in Las Vegas,” the fan cracked.
This week’s Draft in Las Vegas does not include a lot of high-profile college players and marquee quarterbacks. The event is also about amplifying the NFL brand during what used to be a quiet time two months after the Super Bowl.
And Las Vegas is giddy about having the NFL take over its famous road because Vegas is hooked on its new status as a major league sports town.
The NFL set up a small stage smack in the middle of the Las Vegas Boulevard-Flamingo Road intersection.
It’s not uncommon for the Strip to be closed to vehicular traffic: New Year’s Eve, NASCAR race promotion, Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon.
But the Strip at Flamingo Road and in front of the Bellagio has been closed since Wednesday night and won’t re-open until Sunday morning. Flamingo Road from the Strip to Koval Lane, a very busy section, will also be closed during this stretch of time. LVSportsBiz.com does not recall another time when a main segment of the Strip was continuously closed for so long.
On a closed Strip, it allows a man to stand in front of the Bellagio with a giant screen.
As Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft explained, it’s one of the most significant closures of the Strip.
It’s unclear how many people will show up. Naft said he was informed that the number could be in the 300,000-600,000 range.
The chamber of commerce and tourism folks don’t have an exact economic spending number. But when evaluating the economic impact, it’s vital to analyze and understand the net economic spending above what would be an average weekend in Las Vegas. Important questions to analyze:
How many people would be here anyway in Las Vegas without the Draft?
How many who would come to the Strip this weekend are staying away from the Strip to avoid the crowds, traffic congestion and guest inconveniences?
How much business will be lost to retailers and non-Draft-related operations on the Strip at and near the event because of people avoiding the commotion?
Sadly, economic impact numbers are often publicized for political purposes serving as hyperbole to justify public spending. In this case, for example, the local tourism agency, the LVCVA, is spending nearly $3 million in approved funding for the NFL Draft.
It’s not every day a sports league comes to your town with its own portable gate to allow its people and their vehicles access to their events. Like this security guard and her gate on the Strip.
LVSportsBiz.com will be reporting live from the event with photographer J. Tyge O’Donnell.
Please return to this site for more coverage later.
PSA