Las Vegas is considered by many to be the undisputed leader of nightlife in the United States, and for some, the absolute paramount in all the world. And it's really no surprise. Few cities can touch our exceedingly high operating budgets, aren't restrained by invasive alcohol laws, or can even come close to accommodating an almost 'excessive' customer base that will pour in seven nights a week with one thing on their mind – to go home with stories that will last a lifetime. What this means for club operators, and ultimately for club goers, is that Las Vegas nightlife is able to provide what very few others can – a multi-million dollar clubbing experience that caters to both millionaires and the 'Average Joe.' 
Of course, it wasn't always this way. Prior to 2001, Las Vegas was only beginning to realize the additional benefits that nightlife could provide to its overall bottom line, and just as things were starting to pick up throughout our city, 9/11 changed everything. After the September terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C., Las Vegas tourism took a serious dive and it was nearly 18 months before it would recover enough to sustain any notable entertainment growth. During this time, only a handful of clubs were even open, and few resembled anything close to 'modern Vegas nightlife.' However, once the dust settled and the coast was clear, Las Vegas did what it always has done and came back considerably stronger than it ever was before.
In 2003, Las Vegas casinos began to once again fully realize the true value, the unlimited possibilities, and the upgraded bottom line of what nightlife could bring to their properties. A 'Pandora's box' was opened and literally hundreds of millions of dollars started pouring in from around the world for the opening of new venues. In 2004, we saw the opening of the first true 'mega-club' in Las Vegas (a property of over 30,000 square feet), PURE Nightclub, which was soon followed by such nationally recognized venues TAO at the Venetian, Tryst at Wynn Las Vegas, and JET Nightclub at the Mirage. That truly was only a sign of things to come.
The new flood of high-end venues changed how nightlife was marketed, and forced nearly everyone to understand the need to dually accommodate both a local and a national market. Clubs no longer simply relied on having a local base waiting in line for hours to get in, and they finally encouraged their promotional departments to find inventive new ways to bend over backwards to keep their 'locals' happy. They now understood the national impact of having A-List celebrities hanging out in all areas of their clubs, and more importantly being photographed by the Press having a 'grand ole time.' As a greater audience began to take note, and lines started getting longer, this helped to usher in the era of 'celebrity hosts' in Las Vegas and has left everyone fighting for the biggest celebrity name to host their holiday parties (and paying the likes of Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton outrageous amounts of money to do so). Most would agree, the bar has truly been raised.
TAO partner, Jason Strauss, had this to say on the subject, "It used to be that Las Vegas took its cues from New York or Miami, but it is now obvious that Las Vegas is currently setting the bar for cities across the United States and beyond. Operators around the world are coming here throughout the year, seeing what we are doing, and definitely taking note." Apparently so, in 2006 Las Vegas continued to spread its influence around the world, and more specifically in the East, with the opening of Wynn Macau - a strikingly similar version of the Five-Diamond award winning Wynn Las Vegas. Like it's Vegas counterpart, Wynn Macau features an almost carbon copy version of Tryst Nightclub, and many of our leading nightlife managers have been sent overseas to make sure they get everything 'just right.'
Of course it doesn't stop there. In April of 2007, Pure Management Group will open a brand new venue within the hugely successful Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Aura, as it is so aptly titled, aims to deliver the same excess and celebrity clientele that high-end customers have come to expect from Las Vegas. "By partnering with Pure Management Group," explains George Markantonis, President and Managing Director of Atlantis, "we know that Aura will set the precedent for a chic nightlife experience in the Bahamas in the same way Pure Management Group has impacted nightlife in Las Vegas."
Even as the reach of Las Vegas nightlife continues to expand globally, both the international and U.S. markets continue to pour their influence, and dollars, back into Las Vegas. There are strong rumors that leading nightlife operators out of Toronto, London, Miami, Los Angeles, and New York will all soon be building major properties throughout Las Vegas Blvd, and will each aim to out do one another in terms of creativity and total build costs. Even to the tune of exceeding the $50,000,000 mark.
All of the added competition within our market has left many wondering the ultimate question; can Las Vegas sustain so many nightclubs fighting for the exact same customer base? The answer, of course, depends on the ability of Las Vegas to expand its overall market and provide considerably more to its nightlife customer base. But for now, the table reservation list for most major clubs will often exceed the actual number of tables by more than double, and the general admission lines will frequently leave many waiting for hours to even get in. For Las Vegas nightlife, the future looks pretty good.
About the Author: Jack Colton is the creator of the hugely popular 'character based' Las Vegas nightlife site jackcolton.com and is a columnist for several other national publications.
Where Is Robin: Robin is on a well-deserved working holiday and some of his Vegas friends are filling in on column duties with the LUXE LIFE staff filing reports from the Strip and beyond.
Tomorrow's Tease: Legendary comic and Flamingo headliner George Wallace will leave you laughing with his top five reasons to love Las Vegas.
Also Pop-ular in Vegas Right Now:
- LUXE LIFE: Kristin Cavallari Opens Lucky Strike
- LUXE LIFE: Hef vs. K-Fed: Celebrity Birthday Weekend
- AOL Vegas: Pussycat Dolls Casino in Vegas
Share This Little Slice of Vegas:
Subscribe to Vegas Pop RSS Feed
Digg! This Story
Add to Netscape
Add to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: las vegas celebrity jack colton vegas nightlife
