The city’s tourism board agreed to extend several multiyear contracts with an approved total spending cap of more than $460 million for a handful of third-party advertising and marketing agencies.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors on Tuesday approved extensions and updates to five interconnected agency contracts, as the authority’s leadership emphasized the need for speed, flexibility and scale in promoting the destination.
“Las Vegas is not the typical brand. It operates at an entirely different speed and scale,” Kate Wix, LVCVA’s chief marketing officer, explained to the board members why the multiagency effort has proven to be successful. “The pace of events, partnerships, media opportunities and cultural moments is non-stop, and our marketing capabilities have to move just as fast.”
The largest of the approved contracts is a three-year, $309 million advertising and marketing agreement with R&R Partners, with an optional two-year, $221 million extension. The Las Vegas-based firm, founded by Sig Rogich over 50 years ago, is responsible for the “What Happens Here, Stays Here” slogan.
“For more than 45 years, the team at R&R has been proud to be a steadfast partner to the LVCVA and this destination,” R&R CEO Michon Martin said in a statement following Tuesday’s meeting. “We’re grateful for today’s vote of confidence in that continued partnership at this critical moment for tourism in Las Vegas. In collaboration with the exceptional team of professionals at the LVCVA, we will continue our work to capture the magic of Vegas and keep it at the forefront of the minds of every visitor.”
The LVCVA board also approved a three-year, $122 million social and special projects contract with Grey Group, with an optional two-year, $106 million extension; a three-year, $18.5 million social partnership agreement with YKONE, with an optional two-year, $14 million extension; a three-year, $12 million production services contract with Frequency Pictures, with an optional two-year, $10.5 million extension; and a 30-month, $2.56 million market research agreement with Heart+Mind Strategies.
In total, the allocated threshold during the full span of all five agreements is $464 million, and additional funding can be approved if needed.
Existing contracts with R&R and Grey Group, executed in 2021, are projected to reach their spending caps early in the coming fiscal year, Wix said, prompting the need for board action on Tuesday. Instead of issuing a new request for proposals, LVCVA staff recommended extending the current deals.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.
