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New Vegas Ad Campaign by LVCVA is Depressing Waste of Money

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It’s not quite as compelling as “What Happens Here, Stays Here,” with the illicit sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll all that implies, that reigned as one of the most iconic ad campaigns of all time for 15 years.

Nearly two months removed from the October 1 shooting that left 58 country music concertgoers dead, it’s clear that the gambling capital of America hasn’t quite figured out how to repackage itself.

Titled “We Love Our Fans,” the latest television spot from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) tries to market the resilience of the Las Vegas’ spirit. But it seems to be leaving many underwhelmed.
Airing in Nevada and in key markets across the country, the advertisement is a montage of social media posts: Tweets, Facebook messages, and Instagram photos try to convey unity and strength for the Las Vegas community.

While the escalating (and almost morbid) piano background music perhaps adds a bit of emotion to the spot for some, others believe the commercial fails to resonate.

The production quality is also being criticized, as it doesn’t seem to be much more than what Facebook automatically generates for users’ “Friendversary” and “year in review” videos.

Along with Las Vegas canning its iconic “What Happens Here…” slogan after 15 years, MGM Resorts put aside its recently debuted “Welcome to the Show” marketing campaign that focused on its own non-gaming attractions. The parent company to Mandalay Bay, where gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire, had concluded its new commercial: “We are not in the hotel business. We are in the holy sh*t business.”

It hit social media just a few weeks before the tragedy, and took on a much more ominous, and obviously unintended, meaning afterwards.

Even LVCVA’s main marketing webpage, VisitLasVegas.com, is leaving many underwhelmed. It seems the gaming mecca has gone from “Most Creative” to “Most Prosaic” in its latest copy choices. In fact, it’s so boilerplate for any tourist town anywhere across America, it almost makes you wonder if a human, as opposed to an algorithm, even wrote it.

The site’s landing page reads, “Las Vegas has so many entertainment, dining, shopping, nightlife, golf, and spa options, it can be tough to choose … That’s where we come in.” Zzzzzzzz.

For a major resort and gambling destination, most potential visitors, especially after the somewhat spicy and specific “What Happens Here…” campaign, expect more. Maybe a lot more. Ok, a whole lot more.
Here’s hoping that Sin City’s marketing thrust can get back to business before it bores everyone out of a trip.

MGM Resorts Best for Gay Employees in Vegas

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For the sixth consecutive year, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has rated MGM Resorts International as among the nation’s leading companies for workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) employees.

Based on the company’s policies and practices relating to LGBTQ employees, MGM Resorts earned a perfect score on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual HRC survey that evaluates major companies for their non-discrimination and benefits policies and practices with respect to LGBTQ employees.

“Diversity and inclusion are bedrocks of our company culture and way of doing business,” said Phyllis A. James, MGM Resorts executive vice president and chief diversity and corporate responsibility officer.

She continued, “This commitment is demonstrated not only through our diverse workforce, but also in the top quality of service we provide to our guests who visit us from all corners and cultures of the world.”

The CEI assessment focuses on LGBTQ-related company policies and practices, including nondiscrimination workplace protections, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.

The 2018 CEI rated 947 businesses, of which 609 achieved 100 percent, earning the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.”

According to MGM Resorts officials, the company has a long-standing record of support of the LGBTQ community, including as a National Corporate Partner of HRC. Examples include:

The company was the first in the gaming and hospitality industry to formally adopt a diversity initiative (2000) and to offer health benefits to same-sex couples (2004).
In 2004, MGM Resorts was a founding partner of the Las Vegas chapter of the Human Rights Campaign.
MGM Resorts has sponsored the Las Vegas PRIDE Parade for 12 years, most recently serving as the presenting sponsor.
In 2011, MGM Resorts expanded its supplier and construction diversity programs to include LGBTQ-owned firms.
In 2013, MGM Resorts donated $300,000 to The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada to support the construction and opening of its new building.
Years before same-sex marriage was legalized, same-sex commitment ceremonies were performed at chapels at MGM Resorts’ properties, which continue to develop specialized marriage ceremony offerings and outreach to same-sex couples.
“We are honored to be recognized for the vigorous efforts we invest in promoting equality for all within our Company, our communities and human society,” James said.

She added, “We will proudly continue to stand with the LGBTQ community in helping to build a world that embraces inclusion and respect for the humanity and dignity of all people.”

For more information about MGM Resorts International’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, go HERE.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the nation’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. To learn more, go HERE.

Vegas Shooting Victims File Lawsuit

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Five lawsuits were filed on Monday regarding the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on October 1st. The lawsuits were all filed in California, by attorneys representing hundreds of the shooting’s victims and their families.

The lawsuits go after the owners of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Live Nation — the organizers of the music festival, and the shooter’s estate. Victims and their families are suing MGM Resort International, which owns Mandalay Corp, who they say failed to provide training and security staff that could have foreseen and perhaps prevented the attack.

They’re also suing Live Nation, the festival’s organizers, who they say failed to train their staff for an emergency such as this, and didn’t equip the festival grounds with proper exit routes.

Finally, the hundreds of plaintiffs are suing the estate of Stephen Paddock, the shooter, for assault and battery. Paddock, who took his own life in the attack, has a multi-million dollar estate comprised of real-estate investments across Texas and Florida.

The largest of the suits represents the collective grievance of 450 people — victims, witnesses, and their families. One of the attorneys working on these lawsuits told Rueters that they were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court for two reason. For one thing, most of the plaintiffs are from California, and had received some kind treatment in the state. For another, Live Nation Entertainment Inc. is based in California.

A court hearing has already been scheduled for December 7th to decide who will distribute Paddock’s estate.

Many suits have already been filed over the horrific tragedy, including several against Slide Fire Solutions — the company that made the “bump-stock” device that allowed Paddock to fire so rapidly. The attorney told Reuters that the issue was left out of the five cases on Monday, since many of the plaintiffs don’t support gun law reform.

“We want to focus on hotel and venue security, not turn this into a gun rights case,” he said.

Neon Museum Hosts Family Holiday Event December 9th

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This year, families have a variety of festive reasons to attend the Neon Museum’s annual “December to Remember” holiday celebration, which takes place Saturday, Dec. 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. It begins with ornament-making from 3 to 5 p.m., followed by hot chocolate and caroling by Las Vegas Academy choir in the colorfully illuminated Neon Museum Boneyard from 5 to 6 p.m. “December to Remember” is part of the City of Las Vegas Cultural Corridor’s holiday festival. This event is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.

For more information about tours and special events at the Neon Museum, go to www.neonmuseum.org or call (702) 387-6366.

ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM
Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. It has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” the Gold Winner in the Las Vegas Museums category in Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Best of Las Vegas poll, one of “Sin City’s Best Retro Sites” by MSN, “No. 1 Las Vegas Museum Sure to Entertain and Educate” by USAToday’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, the Neon Museum houses an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard (“boneyard” is traditionally the name for an area where items no longer in use are stored); the North Gallery, used mainly for education programs and special events; the new Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center, housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas and one restored sign on view at the outdoor Fashion Show Plaza on the Las Vegas Strip. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. Both the Neon Boneyard and the La Concha Visitors’ Center are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas: Rio Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Confirmed With 100’s of Cases

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In June, The Southern Nevada Health District opened an investigation into two cases of Legionnaires’ disease reported in guests who stayed separately at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV in March and April.

Now five months later, health officials say the case tally has risen to seven, with 29 additional suspected cases.

According to a Las Vegas Review-Journal report this week, The Rio hotel disinfected the Ipanema Court and Masquerade Village towers in June. Since then, the staff has been cleaning and testing the premises to make sure the disease is wiped out.

“In a situation like this, part of the process of these investigations on an environmental aspect is continued testing and monitoring,” said Robert Cole, the health district’s senior environmental health specialist.

Often the process, which includes precautionary disinfection of water systems, will continue for up to a year, Cole said.

The report also states that a recent health department report said there were 56 suspected cases of influenza-like Pontiac fever, a milder illness caused by the same bacteria, at the hotel, for a total of 92 confirmed or suspected cases related to the outbreak.

Legionnaires’ disease gained national notoriety in 1976 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered it during an epidemic of pneumonia among American legion members at a convention in Philadelphia.

The main causative organism is the bacteria, Legionella pneumophila. The legionella bacteria are found throughout nature, because of this most people become exposed to it but few develop symptoms.

The primary place in nature it’s found is water sources particularly at warmer temperatures; lakes, rivers and moist soil.

It is also found in man-made facilities (frequently the source of outbreaks) such as air-conditioning ducts and cooling towers, humidifiers, whirlpools and hospital equipment.

People get exposed through inhaling infectious aerosols from these water sources. There is no transmission from person to person.

Related: Legionnaires’ disease: Additional cases linked to Disneyland visits

The infection can appear in two clinical forms: Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever.

Both conditions are typified by headache, fever, body aches and occasionally abdominal pain and diarrhea. Legionnaires’ disease is the cause of pneumonia where a non productive cough is typical.

Pontiac fever is a self limiting flu-like illness that does not progress to pneumonia or death. Diagnosis is usually made by typical symptoms in a outbreak setting.

Certain health conditions make you more susceptible to infection to include increasing age, smoking, chronic lung disease, malignancy and diabetes mellitus.

Legionnaires’ disease is treatable with antibiotics.

To following things can be done as preventive measures: cooling towers should be drained when not in use and cleaned to remove scale and sediment and biocides can be used to limit bacterial growth. Tap water should not be used in respiratory therapy devices.

Palazzo and Venetian in Las Vegas Made Gun Free Zones

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Despite being perhaps one of the GOP’s biggest supporters, Sheldon Adelson has had enough of guns in his casinos and has instituted a new policy at Sands, including Palazzo and Venetian banning them completely.

Sands has confirmed that the Palazzo and Venetian are now “Gun Free Zones” and all weapons are banned for all guests in private or public. Signs have been placed at all floors and entrances and clearly say that firearms are not allowed except for Law Enforcement.

This may be an issue with Shot Show, one of the largest gun enthusiast events, which is at the Sands Convention Center. While the show itself bans guns, many people bring them to Las Vegas and stay at the hotel and casino.

This comes a little over a month after the deadliest mass shooting in modern US History.

Mayweather Working Full Time as Strip Club Owner

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Floyd Mayweather isn’t exactly short of things to do. Now that he’s not an active boxer anymore.

After retiring from the sport 50-0 following a boxing match against Conor McGregor last August, Mayweather is understood to be involved in a number of investments and businesses, ranging from cryptocurrency to a plan to open up a worldwide chain of his boxing gyms.

As things stand though, the only boxing gym that currently Mayweather owns and uses at least (to the best of this writer’s knowledge) is the famous Mayweather Boxing Club located in Las Vegas.

Mayweather has also mentioned he’d like to get involved in training fighters one day and is still closely tied to the sport via his promotional company Mayweather Promotions – that has a number of well known fighters on its books in the States and internationally.

But it’s the strip club business that Mayweather has been relentlessly pushing as of late on his social media profiles. In fact, despite the strip club being somewhat slow compared to other businesses, it seems Mayweather has been there often daily, trying to drum up business.

Hardrock legends Great White and Slaughter Come Together

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Hardrock legends Great White and Slaughter will take the stage at Tropicana Theater inside the Tropicana Las Vegas on Saturday, November 18.

Tickets for this all ages event are priced from $29.95 to $59.95 per person (excludes taxes and fees), and can be purchased at the Tropicana Box Office or by calling (800) 829-9034.

WHO:
Leaders of the rock era during the 80s and early 90s, GRAMMY- nominated Great White released several albums, including the chart topping album “Twice Shy.” The pioneering group made their mark in music with six top 100 billboard hits and over 10 million albums sold. Slaughter was founded in Las Vegas, coming to stardom in 1990 with their first album “Stick It to Ya” which included fan favorites reaching the Billboard hot 100 with “Up All Night,” “Spend My Life” and “Fly to the Angels.” Guests all across the Valley are invited to this rockstar affair!

WHEN:
November 18, 2017 at 9 p.m.
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Tropicana Theater at Tropicana Las Vegas
3801 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

O.J. Simpson’s Lawyer Says Reports of Drunken Vegas Incident Are Totally False

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Just over a month since he was released from a Nevada prison, O.J. Simpson is back in the headlines, and not for good reason.

TMZ reported on Thursday that Simpson was thrown out of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas early Thursday morning after causing a drunken disturbance.

Hotel staff reportedly told TMZ that at around midnight, an inebriated Simpson became disruptive at the Clique bar. Apparently, glasses at the bar broke because of the former NFL star’s behavior, prompting his removal by hotel security.

He was then banned from the hotel.

His lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, has called the story about Simpson being belligerent completely “false.”

He said that Simpson received a trespass notice from the Cosmopolitan on Wednesday and that the hotel did ban Simpson, but gave no reason for the ban because the hotel does not discuss its guests.

He also said that Simpson contacted his parole officer on Thursday and underwent drug and alcohol tests, albeit too late to detect if he was drunk.

LaVergne is challenging anyone with proof to come forward.

First Drive-Through Marijuana Joint Opens in Las Vegas

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A recreational marijuana dispensary in Las Vegas has opened a drive-thru window.

The owners tell the Las Vegas Sun the fast food-style drive-thru on tribal land near downtown Las Vegas is the first of its kind in the country.

Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Chairman Benny Tso says the Nuwu Cannabis Marketplace that opened Friday offers 15 popular flower, edible and concentrate products.

He says it’s designed for elderly and disabled customers who’d prefer not to leave their vehicles to make a purchase. The goal is to serve customers in less than a minute after an order is placed. According to Kevin Clock, a representative with investment partner Cascade Strategic Investments, customers using the drive-thru must be at least 21 years old, and that includes everyone in the car. Store employees, many of whom previously worked for fast food chains, must check the ID of all occupants of the car going through the cannabis drive-up lane.

The drive-thru with bullet-proof glass and surveillance cameras was made out of a $30,000 bank teller window shipped from Washington state last week. A similar drive-thru opened last month in Sun City, Arizona, but only medical marijuana is sold there.