Inaugural LOCATE Las Vegas Initiative a Success

LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), with support from public and private community organizations, gave 17 business leaders from around the globe an up close and personal immersion into the wide-ranging advantages of doing business and living in Southern Nevada.

The program, LOCATE Las Vegas, was timed to coincide with Super Bowl LVIII and included tours of the region’s amenities, conversations with business, government, and civic leaders and was capped off by attending the Super Bowl, which further cemented Las Vegas’ position as the Sports Capital of the World.

“It was clear our initial LOCATE Las Vegas effort exceeded the expectations of all of our attendees,” said Tina Quigley, President and CEO of the LVGEA. “To be able to leverage one of the most high-profile sporting events in the world to show off what makes our region such an attractive location to relocate or expand a business was remarkable. This was a true community effort with all our sponsors and partners, and the impact on these visiting business leaders was significant.”

Participating private sector partners included Howard Hughes, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, LVCVA, Merrill, Budget Suites of America, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Cox, Allegiant, Republic Services, and Wynn Resorts. Public sector partners are Clark County, the City of Las Vegas, the City of Henderson, and the City of North Las Vegas.

The activities the invited guests experienced included meetings with Governor Joe Lombardo, interacting with current companies to learn about Nevada’s business environment, workforce pipeline, and entrepreneurial ecosystem, touring Red Rock Canyon, and presentations on quality-of-life elements that make the Las Vegas region one of the most sought after destinations in the country—including the natural setting of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, parks, schools, universities, churches, arts, and other cultural amenities.

“In my State of the State address last year, I said that Nevada was open for business — and I meant it,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “Since then, we have generated $5 billion in new economic development, created thousands of new jobs, hosted the Super Bowl and Formula One, and led the nation in annual employment growth. By working with business and industry partners across the state, we’ve been able to begin telling the Nevada story, which is one filled with exciting opportunities and potential. Regional initiatives, such as LOCATE Las Vegas, allow our state to continue critical economic development work.”

“This was a remarkable opportunity for our community to share what we’ve long known: No other region offers the opportunity to start and grow business like Southern Nevada,” said Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson. “In three short days, our guests were able to see the community spirit surrounding the Super Bowl while getting first-hand feedback from business and community leaders who have realized the opportunities our region offers.”

LVGEA anticipates hosting future LOCATE Las Vegas efforts built around the increasing number of large-scale events that Las Vegas is attracting.

“Howard Hughes was thrilled to collaborate with the LOCATE team in executing this groundbreaking initiative. As the master developer of Summerlin, now entering its 34^th year, we know that the success of the entire Valley relies on the region’s ability to attract innovative businesses and foster an environment of success and economic diversification,” said Alex Hancock, Sr. VP of National Sales & Leasing at Howard Hughes. “The LOCATE Super Bowl event highlighted the great opportunity that the Las Vegas region offers, and we look forward to participating in LOCATE’s continued recruitment efforts.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Dave Kirvin, Kirvin Doak Communications: dkirvin@kirvindoak.com / 702-525-3106