Half full or half empty?
It is incredibly challenging to keep a positive outlook on your business and the wedding industry when one is bombarded by a seemingly endless amount of lousy news, information and statistics.
When one is struggling, it’s normal to look outward for signs of prosperity on the horizon. For the small business, world and national events are more of distraction than anything else. The smaller business is too far down the food chain to measure the effect of good or bad news.
Even so, as a Las Vegas resident, I couldn’t help but wonder, out loud, as to how the Tiger Woods fiasco might affect tourism, with all the sleazy news about ‘night club hosts’ providing ‘hook-ups’ for big spenders. Tiger has single-handedly made mince meat of the slogan: “What happens here, stays here.”
Foreclosures in Las Vegas have slowed, slightly, but the big damage is already done, and it will likely take years for the situation to move in a positive direction. From my view, foreclosures are an indicator. They are a tangible measurement of job losses and an exodus of residents from Las Vegas, and Nevada, generally. The state population has been decreasing since early 2008. The population shrinkage is completely counter to the rapid increase of the last couple of decades.
So where is the half full part?
Last week I went to a Las Vegas NACE meeting, and chatted with my friend, Frank Gregory, CPCE. Frank had worked as a Senior Catering Manager, almost exclusively for Bally’s for the better part of two decades, before being unceremoniously squeezed out, last fall, in a reorganization of its catering department, citywide.
It took him months to catch on with a different hotel, Excalibur. OK, for the moment.
Aria Resort & Casino
Last Tuesday, Frank had a huge smile on his face, because he had been hired by the new Aria Resort & Casino, part of the MGM/Mirage City Center, which opens this week. City Center is a massive project, with a half-dozen hotels, a monster retail mall, restaurants, clubs, and beautiful art.
As I’ve absorbed the steady stream of news and information about City Center, I’ve finally begun to understand it. It’s a cohesive, well-designed urban center, within the Las Vegas strip. It’s a walkable, beautiful setting, decidedly different than the rest of the city.
The big question is: “Will City Center bring new business to Las Vegas or just cannibalize business from other parts of town?”
I am now ‘off the fence,‘ and am decidedly upbeat about the prospects of success for City Center, and in turn, its positive effects on increasing travel to Las Vegas.
I admit that I’m am influenced by the enthusiasm of Frank Gregory and his new job in the crown jewel of City Center, Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas.
Frank has become one of my symbols of good news, heading into the New Year. I’m sure there is plenty of bad news where you are. But if you, look around, you can find specific examples of great news.
Find your reasons for optimism, and let them buoy your outlook.
Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority
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