Losing National Finals Rodeo would be big blow to Las Vegas

By Richard N. Velotta Las Vegas Review-Journal
August 23, 2020 - 1:29 am

When it comes to the production of special events in Las Vegas, nothing has been more important to the city than the National Finals Rodeo.

Last week, it became clear that NFR could go the way of the 2020 NFL Draft, the NBA Summer League and Life Is Beautiful — that is, removed from the city’s special events calendar.

Las Vegas resort executives famously wrestled “the Super Bowl of rodeo” away from Oklahoma City in 1985, and the event had its first of scores of sold-out performances at the Thomas & Mack Center in 1987. It’s been a hot ticket ever since.

Las Vegas Events annually projects 17,000 people in attendance at every performance, or 170,000 total. The event has an economic impact of an estimated $200 million every year.

Under the guidance of Las Vegas Events, a private nonprofit specializing in developing signature events designed to draw visitors to the city, the rodeo has grown to become a template for how to turn a singular event into a multifaceted festival that draws thousands of fans, many of whom can’t even get a ticket to the competition.

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Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.