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CES Standouts and Las Vegas’s Startup Community

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CES has become the stuff of Las Vegas legend, and, every January, attendees flock from all over the country to see what is new and cool in the world of tech. Every year, companies like Samsung, Honda, and HP unveil a new show-stopper. Lately, though, it is the startups that are getting everyone’s attention.

Since 2012, CES has showcased more than 1,100 early and mid-stage startups. They have even dedicated the show floor of Eureka Park to startups, and, beyond Eureka Park, attendees can also find developments from some the United States’ top educational institutes in the University Innovations Marketplace. Some of the startups at CES that got top marks for innovation included:

Amber Agriculture enGadget named Amber Agriculture the top startup at CES 2017. Amber Agriculture is helping agriculture move towards smart farms, just in the way that we have adopted smart home features into our homes. Amber Agriculture uses sensors to enable farmers to check the quality of their stored goods, cutting down on attrition by ensuring that they get food to their vendors at the right time.

Cosmo Connected Cosmo Connected aims to make motorcyclists safer on the road. It is a detachable smart helmet accessory that hopes to save lives through a rear warning light, the ability to send GPS location to emergency services, and a rear brake light.

Nonda Nonda is a company that helps turn any car into a connected car. Some features launched at CES include: a tire sensor, a key finder, and a super-duty cable that it touts “the most durable charging cable”.

Some other startups-to-watch included: laundry folding machine FoldiMate, FitBit style health monitoring system for kids called Kiddo, by GoodParents, and a mobile weather station that updates weather with real-time data and a proprietary algorithm to make more accurate weather forecasts.

Could next year’s top startups at CES come from next door? It’s entirely possible. Over the last five years, Las Vegas has become an increasingly popular spot for startups to call home, and the startup scene is constantly evolving. Although it is not a startup capital in the way that San Francisco and Austin are, it is on its way to establishing itself as a real contender among the secondary startup cities.

Why is it that Las Vegas is good for startups? There is the obvious: generous tax policies extended by the State of Nevada. These include: no business or personal income tax, no franchise tax, and more. Many publications, ranging from Forbes to Inc. cite the low cost of living as one of the attractive features of Vegas for startups. When a startup is bootstrapped, the low cost of living and relatively low cost of doing business can be an incredible help when it comes to making that five-year anniversary that is the tipping point for so many young businesses.

Beyond the financial incentives, the startup community in Downtown Las Vegas fosters innovation and growth. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh invested $350 million into the Downtown Project, to create a thriving atmosphere for startups and small businesses. Among other successes is Container Park, designed to be an incubator for small businesses, that has become a tourist and dining hotspot, since people can dine, drink, and shop in microbusinesses run out of shipping containers. According to Forbes, the Downtown Project’s portfolio includes: 58 acres of land, 100 properties, 215,000 square feet of retail space and 130,000 square feet of office space, 1,000 apartments, $200 million in acquisitions. Startup accelerators, pitch competitions, and startup competitions are starting to become as frequent in Vegas as in Austin, and coworking spaces are bringing entrepreneurs and small businesses together to work in an environment in which ideas are traded and everyone is able to help each other. Through all these efforts, Las Vegas is forming a startup scene that will make our city great, far beyond the Strip, allowing us to graduate from the gossip pages to Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Fortune.

Rolling the Dice on Las Vegas’s Future: 2016 Presidential Debate at UNLV Promises Tremendous Impact for the Future of Las Vegas

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This year’s presidential election has been more than a little contentious.  The final 2016 presidential debate will be held on the UNLV campus on October 19th, putting Las Vegas in the national spotlight for the most highly anticipated debate of all: the final showdown between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton before the election.  

What does the 2016 Presidential Debate mean for Las Vegas?

As national news outlets are broadcasting from Vegas, the city is reflecting on what this kind of national attention could mean for the city, which has traditionally received attention for gaming, tourism, and entertainment.  This kind of attention will be entirely different, and it has a lot of people speculating about its future impact.

According to UNLV Magazine, securing the debate was all part of a strategy by top brass at the university to gain recognition as a Top Tier public university in research, education, and community impact.  This final debate will have some serious community impact, helping to propel UNLV towards its goal, which they hope to achieve by 2025.

What could having a top-tier university mean for Las Vegas?  Well, for one thing, the focus may shift a little from Rebel basketball to UNLV’s other achievements, attracting more top students from around the country, supplying Las Vegas with a strong workforce, which would, in turn, bring more innovation, industry, and professionals to the Las Vegas area.  UNLV Magazine predicts that top tier status for UNLV will lead to economic development efforts, fostering a climate of innovation, improvement of healthcare in the region, and enrichment of the cultural vitality of the community.

Vegas has become more locals-friendly of late, and creating new jobs and industries outside of the gaming industry could bring national recognition to Las Vegas, positioning it to bring even more conferences and conventions.  While it might initially shift the attention away from casinos and tourism, the additional influx of business travelers would, potentially, lead to more restaurants, hotels, entertainment, and transportation to serve them.

Who are the political players in Las Vegas?

While Las Vegas may be known more for partying than for politics, the city is no stranger to political attention, as the home to two major political movers and shakers: Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn.  

What is Sheldon Adelson’s involvement?

Sheldon Adelson, who owns the Venetian and the Sands Expo Convention Center—as well as other properties around the world, has been a major player in the Republican party for some time now.  After switching political parties—citing his beliefs that (1) Republicans support Israel more than Democrats, (2) Republicans are more charitable than Democrats, and (3) fiscal policy that was more in line with his economic views—Adelson has thrown himself whole-heartedly into his political efforts for the Republican party, even hosting one of the GOP debates at the Venetian earlier in the election.

The casino magnate and owner of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, endorsed Donald Trump earlier in the election.  As the 21st richest person in the world, he was the largest donor in the 2012 election, donating over $100 million.  When he endorsed Trump, he explained that he “felt strongly that someone with that level of CEO experience would be well-trained for the job of president.”  Since then, however, he has changed his tune and has not contributed money to the campaign, after his initial plans to donate $65 million to the campaign.

What is Steve Wynn’s involvement?

Steve Wynn—who has made sizable contributions to Nevada’s Republican State Leadership Committee, the Republican Governors Association, and other political groups in the past—has found himself in the position of choosing between friends during the 2016 election, as he is friends with both the Clintons and Trump.  He is not alone in his awkwardness, as former BFFs Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton have had to cool down their previously very public friendship during the election.  Since he is close to both families, he will not reveal who he is backing for president.  Wynn told CNN that he has not even decided who he will vote for, as he is “waiting for someone to have a responsible conversation and discuss the issues that affect the American people.”  Wynn says that he will decide who to vote for after the debates.

The debate is one that is certain to keep the eyes of the nation on Las Vegas during what is, quite possibly, the most talked about election ever.  No matter what happens during the debate, hosting the debate is good news for Las Vegas.  While we may always be “Sin City”, this national attention has the potential to shift the future of the city.

Regular updates for the impact on parking, traffic, and other logistical information can be found at https://www.unlv.edu/2016debate/campus-impacts.

New T-Mobile Arena to Launch with Iconic Guns n’ Roses Reunion

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Las Vegas may have become more of an electronic dance music destination of late, but people still flock to Sin City for the rock-and-roll lifestyle that it embodies.  And nothing says rock and roll quite like Guns N’ Roses.

Guns N’ Roses is kicking off a historic tour with its original members for the first time in over 20 years.  After an A-List crowd that included Bradley Cooper, Lenny Kravitz, Jim Carrey, Nicholas Cage, and Michelle Rodriguez at their concert in West Hollywood, the legendary band will be making its way to Las Vegas for two sold-out shows in the new, state-of-the art T-Mobile Arena. The band will play a two-night engagement April 8th and 9th, before headlining Coachella and then heading out on tour.

Though Guns N’ Roses has been playing for many years with its original front man, Axl Rose, this tour is the first time the original members have reconvened since 1993. Rose, rejoined by Slash and Duff McKagan, are reuniting to perform a set list of their greatest hits in what will, undoubtedly, become the stuff of rock and roll legend.

The highly anticipated T-Mobile arena has been under construction on the Strip, and it will finally be opening its doors for Axl and the rest of the crew. While music may be what it is making headlines for, it is a multipurpose facility that can accommodate 20,000 guests for a variety of events, including sporting events and, of course, concerts.

Though it is not open yet, it has announced an impressive lineup for its first concerts and events, which will include everything from the Harlem Globetrotters to Nicki Minaj to George Strait to Billy Joel.  Janet Jackson will take the stage in May, Garth Brooks will be returning to Las Vegas in June and July to perform with Trisha Yearwood, and the arena will host UFC 200 in July.

According to T-Mobile chief operating officer Mike Sievert, the arena may be playing host to events like the 2016 Built Ford Tough World Finals of rodeo, but that doesn’t come at the expense of luxury.  In a recent statement, he described his vision for the arena, “T-Mobile Arena will have the biggest shows in a town known for big shows and T-Mobile customers will always be treated like VIPs with priority access and exclusive benefits.”

The arena is located west of the Strip, between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, making it far more accessible and convenient than some of Sin City’s other arenas. Best of all, unlike many of the big concerts that are hosted by casinos, the pricing for concert tickets is comparable to concert prices throughout the country, leaving concert-goers, boxing enthusiasts, and sports fans with enough money in their pocket to hit the roulette tables, their favorite club, and fully enjoy everything that Las Vegas has to offer.

Fantasy Draft Parties Trending Up In Las Vegas

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The kickoff to the 2015 football season also brings an end to the fantasy draft party season in Las Vegas.  The entire city felt the positive impact of the thousands of fantasy football owners who came to Las Vegas to hold their draft party, attend one of the many fantasy sports conferences and enjoy the best of the Vegas Strip.  Destination draft parties are a fantastic way to build league tradition and create lifetime memories.  As the popularity of fantasy sports continues to grow, so too does Las Vegas as the most popular draft party location in America.

2015 marks the sixth year that Sin City VIP has been the draft party provider for a number of the most popular locations on the Vegas Strip.  Owner Frank Corto has been recognized for growing draft parties into a season of events that benefits the entire Strip industry in Las Vegas.

“The growth in terms of numbers is incredible,” Corto said, “but what I really notice is the excitement and enthusiasm of the guests themselves.  These leagues are more fired up than ever; having a blast but still taking their draft seriously.”

While the traditional favorite draft locations such as Lagasse’s Stadium and Venus Pool Club stayed busy throughout the draft season it was Sapphire Pool & Dayclub that made the biggest splash on the 2015 fantasy draft season in Las Vegas.  The package at Sapphire Pool included round trip limo service, bikini draft hostess, private VIP cabana and $500 food & beverage credit.

“The energy at the (Sapphire) dayclub was unreal.  Every cabana had a draft board with 10 guys going hard.  One of the prizes for each draft was a set of jumbo Mardi Gras beads for last year’s champ.  All the guys at the pool who had the beads on were looking at each other like ‘Yeah Bro, I see you!’; so the leagues were feeding off each other and it was fun to see.”, said Sin City VIP host Billy D.

The power of the NFL has a long reach and in 2015 the Las Vegas Strip hosted fantasy football leagues from all across America and the World!  International drafters came from Mexico City, Canada, The UK and even Australia.  New locations on the Las Vegas strip are advertising as fantasy draft party locations as the growth of this new sports season increases faster each year.

“We’ve come a long way from our first draft party in 2010.”, said owner, Frank Corto.  “We setup a draft board in the middle of the Aria sports book and nobody said a word to us.  We tried it again the next week and security shut us down.  We walked that group over to The Deuce and still put together a legendary event for those guys.”

Sin City VIP received many compliments throughout the draft season and many guests have already inquired about reservations for next year.  The locations are also very excited about the success of this year’s events and details for 2016 draft party packages are already being discussed.

Pre-bookings for select locations will be available through Sin City VIP by January 1st.

Sin City VIP is a professional party planning company in Las Vegas and was recently featured on NBC’s First Look as the draft party provider at Lagasse’s Stadium at Palazzo.  Watch the segment – click here