New Media Expo/Las Vegas Visitor Tips
I’m excited to announce that I’m one of the 52 fortunate podcasters who have been chosen to speak at the 4th annual New Media Expo in Las Vegas during Thursday, August 14th through Saturday, August 16th. This conference has become the single event that new media content creators have to attend, want to attend, because it gives new media (audio and video podcast) producers the chance to network, learn from each other, teach those just entering the community and generally have fun.
Over 700 podcasters, authors and speakers applied to present and only 52 were selected, providing roughly five sessions per day for each of the five “tracks”: Audio and Video Creation 101, Attracting and Growing Your Audience, The Business of New Media, Audio and Video Creation and New Media Strategies. My session, scheduled for 11:45AM the first day, is entitled WordPress for Podcasters and I’ll be sharing some hard-learned lessons about using blogs in general and WordPress in particular to help produce and promote your shared media. If you’re able to come, please come up and introduce yourself… I enjoy meeting listeners of The WordPress Podcast and would appreciate the morale support as well.
I’ve become good friends with many of the presenters and it’ll be nice to catch up with them to discuss developments in podcasting and enjoy each other’s company. Of particular note, my friend and mentor, Jason Van Orden, will also be speaking on The Magic Triad: 3 Crucial Ingredients for Creating Compelling Content and a Loyal Audience, much of which I’ve been privy to… if you’re attending you’ll really learn a lot from how Jason’s developed a loyal following for his two shows: Internet Business Mastery and Podcasting Underground.
This will mark the first time the expo has been held in the #1 tourist destination: Las Vegas, Nevada. Previously, the expo had always been held in Ontario, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Organizers Tim and Emile Bourquin felt the show had grown too large for Ontario and wanted to attract larger exhibitors and sponsors, so the move to Vegas seemed obvious. The last time I was in Las Vegas, I was three years old, and as such, wasn’t able to gamble or do anything else Vegas has become notorious for. (For those of you keeping track of my age, that would’ve been 1963, during the time Frank Sinatra and “Rat Pack” would’ve been playing nightly at The Sands Hotel.)
I’ve been doing my due dilligence and learning as much as a tourist can know before checking into my room at the Hilton, and I thought I’d pass a few tips along in case you’ll be attending New Media Expo as well, or at least visiting Las Vegas one day.
- Most hotels offer check-in service at the airport! Avoid the lobby congestion and check-in shortly after picking up your luggage.
- Taxis cannot pick you up on Las Vegas Boulevard (i.e. “The Strip”). If you want to hail a cab, go to a hotel or one of the many cab stations scattered throughout the area. Or, at least try to hail a cab from near an entrance to a hotel, so they can legally pull off the road to pick you up.
- 35% of fatalities in Las Vegas step from pedestrian accidents. Use the crosswalks and crossovers! If you don’t, you’ll get a $150-$200 ticket for jaywalking or, at worst, you’ll end up dead.
- Try to avoid traveling on the strip between 2PM and 7PM, when traffic is at its worst.
- $40 gets you a three-day pass on the monorail that passes behind the Sahara, the Hilton, the Convention Center, Harrah’s, the Flamingo, Bally’s and the MGM Grand.
- Nevada has an open container law: You may drink your alcoholic beverages outside and on the walkways, however, you cannot carry your open drinks into a cab, limousine or other vehicle. (An exception to this is chartered buses.)
- You may gamble with chips… you may tip your cocktail waitresses with chips… you can’t pay your hotel bill, your cab driver, your bell hop or anyone else with your casino chips.
- Cash out when moving from one casino to another. Chips from Bellagio are worthless at the Hard Rock Cafe.
- Don’t hand anything directly to the dealer; lay it on the table so everything’s out in the open.
- If the casino “comps” your meal, tips aren’t included.
- Las Vegas is one of the few places in the United States that doesn’t require a blood test prior to getting married. As a result, you could get married in less time than it takes you to order your next drink.
- Table games, like Blackjack or Roulette, provides winnings that normally aren’t taxable. (Consult a casino shift manager if you have any questions.) All winnings are taxable, damn you IRS!
- The casinos have the right to refuse service to keep you from playing and ask that you leave the hotel for any reason, including winning!
- Most casinos offer courses on table games like Blackjack and Poker. If you’re new to gambling, take one of these courses before you approach a table and annoy more experienced players.
That’s all I have for now. If I learn more tips, I’ll add them to the list. Better yet, do you know of any Las Vegas tips? Be sure to share them in the comments.
Comments
You nailed some pretty good ones. Technically, all gaming winnings are taxable. Slot wins of $1200 and over will require you to fill out tax paperwork. Any transaction of over $10,000 (IE, cashing out $10,000 worth of chips) must be reported by the casino to the government.
Some other tips:
Buffets are your best friend. You can usually get just about everything you would in a coffee shop. If both the buffet and coffee shop have lines, at least you can eat right away once you get into the buffet and everyone can just grab what they want.
Las Vegas is very hot in August, which averages 104 degrees daily. You’ll dehydrate quickly if you don’t pay attention to your fluid intake.
When buying a drink at a bar, ask also for an ice water with (or without) lemon. Down the water first. Otherwise, the dehydration will give you an unexpected (or worse than expected) hangover.
Hotel gift shops are your friend for buying both bottled water and beer. You’ll generally pay 30-50% more for bottled water or beer at a hotel bar (and then be expected to tip). Many gift shops have a bottle opener at the cash register.
If you want to see any of the big name shows, buy your tickets before you come to town. The hot shows sell out early. And no… Cirque du Soleil does not blanket The Strip with discount coupons.
Speaking of coupons, you’ll find many in the “in room” magazines but don’t just use a coupon for the sake of using it. Make sure it is something you were already planning on doing.
Saving $5, $10 or even $20 can be costly. How? Your time is valuable here. (Divide the cost of room, food, and airfare to get here by your waking hours). It’s not worth spending some of that precious time (not to mention cab fare that will probably cost more than the face value of a coupon) to see something marginal.
Finally, if I can give myself a plug:
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If you find it valuable, please tell other attendees.
Thanks for the great post! Las Vegas is an unusual destination and always helps to get people all the best possible tips before they get here.
Ted Newkirk
Managing Editor
http://www.accessvegas.com
Some additional tips:
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