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Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Set for Big Pay Raise, Bonus

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) CEO Steve Hill is poised for a significant pay raise for leading the agency responsible for keeping Southern Nevada bustling.

Steve Hill LVCVA Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, stands on the left next to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (middle) and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. Hill has been recommended for a large pay raise by the LVCVA’s Compensation Committee. (Image: R&R Partners)

The destination marketing organization’s Compensation Committee this week made the recommendation that Hill’s salary be increased by 7.5% and his bonus be elevated by a whopping 40%. The six-member committee highlighted Hill’s performance over the past 12 months in concluding that better compensation for the agency’s leader is warranted.

The Compensation Committee endorsed increasing Hill’s base pay by $33,570 to bring his salary to $481,179. The panel additionally backed a meaningful hike to his bonus, bringing the annual award to $179,043.

The LVCVA Board of Directors is expected to approve the compensation increases during its meeting on July 11. If that happens, Hill’s package for 2023 will be roughly $660,222.

The LVCVA is primarily funded by Clark County’s nightly hotel room occupancy tax. With Las Vegas casino resorts charging higher rates over the past year because of inflation and increased overhead, the LVCVA has seen its revenues surge. The LVCVA also generates income by owning and managing the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Pedal to the Metal

Hill and the LVCVA were instrumental in bringing Formula 1 to Las Vegas, with the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix set for November. The tourism agency is a major sponsor of the F1 race.

LVCVA officials are also playing a critical role in trying to find the Oakland A’s a home ballpark should the MLB franchise formally decide to relocate to Las Vegas. Hill’s leadership of the LVCVA also resulted in landing the 2024 Super Bowl LVIII and the NCAA March Madness Final Four in 2028.

This year would have been easy to come out here as a leader and talk about F1, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and do a mic drop,” said Compensation Committee member Scott DeAngelo. “But you didn’t take your foot off the gas. In fact, you pushed harder.”

Hill told the Compensation Committee that there remains much work ahead. Among his top goals for 2023 and beyond are driving visitation to record highs, keeping the Las Vegas Convention Center booked with marquee events, and seeing the $600 million renovation of the North, Central, and South halls to completion.

Hill also said the authority will continue to improve the culture and work environment at the LVCVA.

LVCVA Compensation Committee members reasoned that in order to continue Las Vegas’ reign as one of the premier destinations for tourism and major events, the city marketing agency must be willing to shell out big bucks for the best executives in the business. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that even after Hill’s proposed compensation increases, his pay package would still “leave him below the average pay rate given to top leaders of destination marketing organizations nationwide.”

Lofty Convention Segment Goal

The LVCVA has set the goal of attracting 8.3 million convention attendees to the destination by the calendar year 2026. The current record for conventioneers in a single year is 6.6 million businesspeople, which was set in 2019.

Only five million people arrived in Southern Nevada last year primarily to attend a convention.

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Rapper Blueface Arrested for Alleged Robbery at Palms Casino in Las Vegas

A Los Angeles rapper was facing a robbery charge on Wednesday for allegedly stealing a cell phone from a woman at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas last week.

Johnathan Jamall Porter, known professionally as Blueface
Johnathan Jamall Porter, known professionally as Blueface, pictured above. He was arrested this week for an alleged robbery in Las Vegas. (Image: Blueface)

Johnathan Jamall Porter, known professionally as Blueface, 26, was arrested when he walked into the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday for an unrelated case.

In last week’s incident, a fan took a video of Porter’s girlfriend Chrisean Rock, 22, using a cell phone, authorities said. That led Porter to allegedly grab the phone.

We are hopeful we can quickly resolve this for him to everyone’s satisfaction along with his current charges,” Kristina Wildeveld, a Las Vegas-based criminal defense attorney representing Porter, told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Attempted Murder at Strip Club

He also was arrested last November for attempted murder and firing a gun into an occupied vehicle. On October 8, he fired the gun at a man identified as Kentabius Traylor, authorities said.

The victim was not seriously injured. It appears a bullet grazed his left hand.

Earlier, the victim reportedly made a joke about Porter outside of a strip club identified as Euphoric Gentlemen’s Club. It is located off of the Las Vegas Strip.

Later, Porter allegedly pulled out a firearm. He then shot a truck driver who had driven a truck alongside Porter and his crew, TMZ reported last November.

The driver had walked into the club earlier that night. He was attacked by Porter’s crew and then went outside to wait for the rapper and his crew, TMZ added.

As of earlier this week, Porter was in custody at the Clark County Detention Center, according to Las Vegas TV station KVVU. By Thursday, it appears he was released from the jail, according to online jail records. Bail was set at $20,000.

Porter was scheduled to appear in the courthouse on Thursday for the new robbery charge. Next Wednesday, Porter will appear in court on the attempted murder charge.

Prior Charges

In 2022 and 2019, Porter also was charged for gun possession in unrelated incidents, according to TMZ. The earlier charge was dropped.

In November 2018, he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the New York Times. In addition, in 2021 he was arrested after he allegedly attacked a bouncer who would not let him into a San Fernando Valley, Calif. club.

In a separate case, Porter faces civil court actions as a result of last October’s shooting, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS. One of the lawsuits was filed against Porter by the Euphoric Gentlemen’s Club.

Popular Hip-Hop Hit

Porter’s hip-hop hit “Thotiana,” went viral.  Billboard magazine ranked it the 26th-best song of 2019.

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Insane Graffiti Art Loft Hides in Las Vegas Suburb

The wildest home we’ve seen in years has come on the market in Las Vegas for just shy of a mil. Its walls are slicked in gallery-grade graffiti and comic strip art, and dangling from the rafters is a sculpture of a human body hanging upside-down from a fish net.

Andy Warhol’s New York City studio, The Factory, did not look like this, but should have. (Image: realtor.com)

The 3,381 square-foot home was built in 2005 to resemble a New York City artist’s loft, with two large bedrooms downstairs and a large loft upstairs. The asking price is $995K.

Judging from the blah look of the exterior, it’s a safe bet the neighborhood is governed by a homeowner’s association. (Image: realtor.com)

Perhaps the wildest thing about the property is how blah it seems from the outside. Located in a gated suburb, the house is painted in traditional desert pastels, without a shred of a clue what’s inside.

Jordon Metz, a realtor with BHHS Nevada Properties, told Realtor.com that the sellers were inspired by the graffiti art in downtown Las Vegas to do something special with the house they bought in 2011. So they hired three of them – Tiki Jay One, Pretty Done, and Juan Muniz — to decorate the walls and other surfaces, including the cement floors, which were then sealed to preserve the art.

One of the downstairs bedrooms. (Image: realtor.com)

Metz said the perfect buyer will be someone who leaves the art as it.

“When you have something that special and unique, when the right buyer sees it, he or she is going to say, ‘Oh, my goodness. This is really special. I want it this way,‘’” he said.

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Major League Baseball Park, Oakland A’s to Join Bally’s Tropicana Las Vegas

major_league_baseball_park_oakland_as_to_join_ballys_tropicana_las_vegasBally’s Corporation and Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLPI) have announced a binding agreement with the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (Oakland A’s) to construct a Major League Baseball park at Bally’s Tropicana Las Vegas.

Bally’s consummated its purchase of the gaming and other assets when GLPI and PENN transferred ownership of the non-land assets of the Tropicana Las Vegas to Bally’s for $148 million in cash paid to GLPI on September 27, 2022.

Bally’s still intends to operate a casino from the location and expand assets on other portions of the property.

2.5 Million New Visits to the Location Expected Annually

The park is expected to deliver two and a half million fans per year to the only site of its type on the Las Vegas Strip. Benefits heralded in the announcement include enhanced attraction at the site driven by increased visitations, and the ability to further develop the site in a phased manner with a financial approach based on disciplined further investment.

Additional enhancements for iconic and sponsoring brands at one of the busiest traffic intersections in America which sees over seven-million visitor impressions each month, and significant marketing database growth for Bally’s to exploit as part of its global omnichannel growth strategy.

GLPI maintained ownership of the property which it had earlier purchased and was leased back to Penn National Gaming prior to Bally’s purchasing the gaming assets, license rights, etc. GLPI will pitch in up to $175 million toward improvements and receive future rent increases based on the increased value.

Bally’s is also banking on increased footfall for the casino and other assets through the ballpark and other attractions.

The Oakland A’s or stadium authority will have about 9 acres of the 35-acre site assigned for development by Bally’s and GLPI. The stadium would hold as many as 30,000 visitors at a time.

Oakland’s Triple-A minor league team, the Aviators already calls Las Vegas home.

Bally’s Confident but Hedging its Bet

Bally’s kept an Ace in the hole to assign assets and attract other partners, and it has other parties expressing interest in a similar offering. However, it is expected the necessary approvals from the MLB Association as well as public finance and legislative agreements will all come into place to make the current plan a reality.

Bally’s President, George Papanier, said “We are honored to have been selected to partner with the Oakland Athletics on this monumental step in helping to bring Major League Baseball to the great city of Las Vegas and to be a part of the once-in-a-generation opportunity of having a professional baseball team located within a short walk of the Las Vegas Strip.

“The Tropicana has been a landmark of Las Vegas for generations, and this development will enhance this iconic site for generations to come. We are committed to ensuring that the development and ballpark built in its place will become a new landmark, paying homage to the iconic history and global appeal of Las Vegas and its nearly 50 million visitors a year,” Papanier noted.

Among other comments, Peter Carlino, Chairman and CEO of Gaming & Leisure Properties said: “We are pleased to help facilitate their exciting vision for a new ballpark through our contribution of nine acres of the Tropicana site and look forward to the prominent place that the overall project will occupy in the Las Vegas skyline. The Oakland Athletics’ interest in developing a world-class Major League Baseball stadium on our site underscores its status as one of the most prime locations on the Las Vegas Strip and will enhance any future development of our remaining 26 acres.

“As the project moves forward, we also expect that Gaming & Leisure Properties will have opportunities to further invest in the various aspects of the overall project to the extent we deem that doing so will generate an attractive risk-adjusted return on our shareholders’ capital.”

Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval added: “We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location. We are thrilled to work alongside Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties, and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada.”

Source: Bally’s to replace Las Vegas Strip casino with MLB ballpark, G3 Newswire, May 16, 2023

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Las Vegas Never Forgot Tina Turner

Though Tina Turner retired from the concert stage in 2008, the R&B superstar — who died Wednesday at age 83 — was not forgotten by the town whose history intersected for decades with her own. “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” had already been set to play Las Vegas June 6-11 at the Smith Center.

Tina Turner performs on Dec. 30, 1999 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. (Image: tinaturnerblog.com)

“With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow,” an update posted by Turner’s official Facebook site read. “Today, we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music.”

Tina and Ike Turner perform at the Las Vegas Hilton on Dec. 21, 1973. (Image: Las Vegas News Bureau)

Simply the Best

Turner — born Anna Mae Bullock in a segregated Tennessee hospital — made a career of overcoming obstacles. In addition to poverty and racism, she also survived the physical abuse and financial ruination heaped on her by Ike Turner, her 20-year musical and romantic partner, with whom she had hits with the signature songs “Proud Mary” and “River Deep, Mountain High.”

In August 1969, Ike & Tina Turner headlined the International Hotel — not in the main theater but in the 500-seat Casino Theatre. It was during this stint that Ike began using cocaine, according to a profile in Ebony magazine published following his death from a cocaine overdose on Dec. 12, 2007.

The duo also performed at Caesars Palace in May 1971, as the opening act for Johnny Mathis, and at the Las Vegas Hilton in their own residency from Dec. 13-26, 1973.

Let’s (Not) Stay Together

When Turner finally found the courage to break out of the orbit of the man who discovered her, she returned to Caesars Palace to launch a solo career from July 21 to August 2, 1977. In her 40s — an age when most female singers are relegated to the oldies concert circuit — she finally became a superstar. Her hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It” was the best-selling single of 1984, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide.

Turner shared the bill with Elton John as part of two “Millennium Concert” performances they gave Dec. 30-31, 1999 at the Thomas & Mack Center. And Turner performed three concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2000.

It was also on the Caesars stage — during a May 2008 “Oprah Winfrey Show” taping with Cher — that Turner announced her retirement at age 68. Her 50th anniversary tour spanned 84 concerts in North America and Europe from October 2008 though May 2009.

Turner sold more than 150 million records during her career, won 12 Grammys, and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice –with Ike in 1991, and on her own 30 years later. She was also honored by the Kennedy Center in 2005.

Turner died at her home in Switzerland, where she became a citizen a decade ago. According to her spokesperson, the cause of death was “a long illness” that was not identified.

Turner was predeceased by her sons, Ronnie Turner, who died in 2022 at age 62, and Craig Turner, who died in 2018 by suicide.

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