The Superbowl, Formula One, and now the Final Four.

How Las Vegas continues landing some major sporting events, that's this week on Nevada Week .

♪♪♪ Support for Nevada Week is provided by Senator William H. Hernstadt.

-Welcome to Nevada Week .

I'm Amber Renee Dixon.

Just one year ago, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority launched a campaign calling Las Vegas "The Greatest Arena on Earth."

- In Las Vegas, it is always on .

-The ad came mere days before the LVCVA announced that Las Vegas would be hosting its very first Super Bowl.

And in the 12 months since then, Las Vegas has gone on to secure Formula One and the Final Four.

Joining us for more on what it took to get these marquee sporting events are Steve Hill, Chief Executive Officer and president of the LVCVA; and Jim Gibson, Chairman of the Clark County Commission and LVCVA Board secretary.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us.

These are huge events that not too long ago, I think, a lot of people thought Las Vegas might never get.

Did you fall into that category, Steve?

(Steve Hill) Sure.

And, you know, "maybe someday" kind of thing, but certainly not this quickly.

When the conversation around the stadium first started and the idea that an NFL team could move to Las Vegas, that was 2015.

That still seemed like, I don't know about that.

We can try.

But things have changed quickly, and it's really been to the benefit of the city.

(Jim Gibson) I imagined someday there might be an opportunity, but it has happened so quickly.

It's hard to keep track of all the exciting things that are coming.

-And what do you attribute this to?

-Well, I think that the one most significant event, as was suggested by Steve, was the announcement and then the construction of a stadium.

So Allegiant Stadium and the NFL presence here, it opened doors.

It allowed us to show ourselves in a different way.

It enabled us to do a few more things that I'm not really sure we fully understood.

I mean, that stadium is busy with tens of thousands of people in there for shows and other events all the time.

-That surprised you?

-Well, I don't know that it surprised me.

I just hadn't thought out beyond there'll be all these great football games here, right?

UNLV and the Raiders play there, and it was exciting to see that.

I hadn't thought much about what else would be there.

I imagined that there would be more but had no clue that it would be used as much as it is and be such a great draw.

-As far as the Final Four, how long has the LVCVA pursued the Final Four?

-Well, really, since the stadium was built.

We did not have a venue where we could host a Final Four, because they need 65,000 fans or more.

And so we needed a stadium in order to be able to do that.

When we were analyzing the possibility of building a stadium, we talked about what the marquee events could be in that building and the desire to bring those events to Las Vegas.

The Final Four is certainly one of those.

And so we've really been working on it since then, but the conversation with the NCAA really couldn't happen in earnest until the PASPA was repealed, the prohibition in sports gaming.

-I'm glad you brought that up because, yes, the stadium is one aspect, but the legalization of sports betting across the country in several states, how did that make it okay for the NCAA to hold this event here even though-- I mean, the Pac-12 Championship is here, Mountain West Conference How significant was that?

-Well, the repeal of that law was really just a confirmation of every, you know, the evolution of this in the country over a 20-, 30-, 40-year period of time.

Nevada has always called ourselves the, you know, the gold standard of gaming regulation.

But I moved here 35 years ago, and we were one of only two places in the country where that could actually take place.

Now you can drive 50 miles in any direction and find a few places to do it, no matter where you live.

So people have gotten to the point across the country where they realized the points we had been making in Nevada for a long time were right.

And finally that law's repeal, it really just confirmed what everybody already knew.

-Expected economic impact of the Final Four, would that be you, or would that be Steve?

-Well, probably Steve.

We know that it'll be incredible.

You know, we've had the Final Four in Las Vegas forever.

The way that we approached it was we marketed the city and the incredible screens and the sports books and, Come to Las Vegas and attend the Final Four or watch the Final Four in Las Vegas.

So we've-- It's not something that we're not known-- that we didn't know about.

Obviously, the financial and the economic impact is something.

What are we estimating, Steve?

-Well, we think the impact of the Final Four is going to be about a quarter billion dollars.

And that's an incremental amount.

That's despite the fact that we are full for people coming here to watch the event.

In almost every one of these events, there are more people in Las Vegas, even when the event isn't here than there is in the city where the event is taking place.

So it's a-- It's a pretty remarkable phenomena.

We already have the fan base that wants to come to Vegas to experience this.

-I'm glad you brought that up, because some of the estimates I've seen are 100- to $150 million.

But those other cities don't have the infrastructure, the sports betting aspect-- and I mean, not to the degree that Las Vegas does-- and the ability to host it as, like you said, an event, even though prior, it wasn't actually physically here.

It was already an event.

-Well, what you see with events in Las Vegas is that the event will draw the crowd that the event draws, but people will come around that event to just be in the same location.

There will be events that spring up around the main event.

The rodeo is in town right now.

It's a perfect example of that.

There are 20,000 people at the rodeo every night.

There's probably 50,000 people in town because the rodeo is here.

That's a phenomenon that Las Vegas has created that just doesn't exist in other places.

-And when you consider that we have as many rooms as we have proximate to any event that happens anywhere in Clark County, but along the Strip and places close to Thomas & Mack is close.

There just is nothing like it.

I mean, I think there are three intersections along Las Vegas Boulevard where there are more hotel rooms on the intersection than there are in the entire city of San Francisco, for instance.

You know, that is something that we're unique, and it qualifies us to make a more intimate experience for the people who come here.

-I've had the opportunity to kind of express this to a couple of these big organizations that are bringing these events here.

The difference between a Raiders football game and a Super Bowl, for example, there's probably 5- or 10,000 people at the Raiders game who feel like they're a VIP.

When you go to a Super Bowl, there's 65,000 people there who feel like they are a VIP.

In most other cities, that VIP is going to be in a hotel that's 75 miles away.

That is not really where they want to stay; it's the only place they can stay.

This is the only city in the world that has the ability to treat 65,000 people like a VIP.

There's no place else that can do that.

The experience that we are going to be able to provide for a Super Bowl, for a Final Four, for when we get a college football national championship is unparalleled.

It just can't happen anyplace else.

And those people who are deciding where those events come are seeing that, they recognize that, and they want to be a part of that.

-Formula One.

I got to ask who reached out to who to pursue that.

Because according to the Wall Street Journal , this is one of the biggest hurdles logistically for the sport because of how the roads are set up.

And then also it wasn't too long ago that Formula One was seemingly pulling back from the United States.

So I can't imagine you were out there pursuing them.

-No, actually, they first called me in the summer of 2019 and expressed an interest to come and have a race in Las Vegas.

And that seemed like a pretty heavy lift.

And I wasn't sure how well that would be accepted in Las Vegas.

But then the pandemic hit, and so we really weren't in a position to pursue it.

You know, Formula One is based in London.

They couldn't travel to the United States to really do the diligence to find out whether they thought it would work in our city.

So they couldn't come until September of '21.

And so Stefano Domenicali, who's the CEO now of Formula One, came to Vegas in September of '21, and we started the conversation then.

-Also during the pandemic is when people were watching a lot of Netflix and the Formula One Netflix series came out and really started making it popular here in the US.

How much, though, is this going to cost the county to put on those infrastructure improvements that need to be made, Jim?

-Well, in terms of which party bears the cost, we haven't really determined that yet.

We're working very hard with Formula One.

So this isn't about us against them; this is about us working with them to make sure that we cover everything.

There's a whole lot of infrastructure that is required in order to do this show, right?

I mean, this event requires a different asphalt mix on the roadway from what we typically have on our streets.

It requires barriers everywhere to provide a very safe environment.

It actually will include barriers around some rooms.

So there will be people who will be staying in hotels, but those people will be bounded by barriers that are the-- that are the track.

So police and fire and public works, and virtually-- I don't know that this hasn't touched virtually every different department of the county.

So there isn't a whole lot that will be provided in support.

But when you think of an event that will attract, we're estimating, 170,000 people, maybe more with a direct incremental spend of $400 million, maybe the total economic impact of say $700 million, we'll work it out.

-I'm intrigued by that asphalt aspect.

Is that going to change-- I mean, that's permanent.

-It's permanent.

It's permanent, and we hope that track lasts awhile, because our expectation is that we have the Las Vegas Grand Prix here forever.

-And I'm hearing-- Well, at least the Review-Journal reported $30 million in infrastructure improvements.

Does that sound about right to you?

-The entire infrastructure improvement, particularly if you include the land that Liberty Media, who's the parent company of Formula One, bought, the amount of construction they're doing on their own on that land, that's probably a $400 million investment there.

-Wow!

-The entire construction project for the circuit itself is about 100 million.

The number that's come out around the conversation with the county has been in that 30 million dollar range as a-- just a part of all, you know, the half a billion dollar, roughly, investment that Formula One is making in this city.

-Did you want to add something?

-Well, all I was going to say is that there's a whole lot of work that we're doing anyway on Las Vegas Boulevard and some of the other streets, and we have scheduled our regular maintenance.

So that part of it, we're prepared to pay anyway, we would have to pay.

We'll upgrade the asphalt mix so that it is whatever they require in order to put those cars on it and race them fast.

And we don't have to replace entire roadways.

We have half of Las Vegas Strip, I think, in the area from Sands or Spring Mountain to Harmon.

We'll have, I think, one full side from the curb to the median will be the new asphalt mix.

But we're replacing all the infrastructure under that roadway anyway.

So we're digging all that up.

Our expectation is that there's a whole lot of this that we would be paying for anyway.

-Real quickly, gentlemen.

We've run out of time, but the next major league professional sports team to come to Las Vegas if we were putting some money on it, what would it be?

Steve?

-Well, baseball seems pretty interested right this minute, so we hope that we can find a way to make that happen.

That'd be great.

-All right.

-Baseball.

When the commissioner announced they waived the relocation fee for the A's to come to Las Vegas, not anywhere else, it makes that at the top of the list.

-I thought you were gonna say NBA.

But, hey, baseball, both sides.

-We're not saying that NBA is not coming.

-Okay.

-We think that, too.

-We know they're out there.

-Gentlemen, thank you so much for your time.

-Thank you.

-Receiving some of its funding from the LVCVA is Las Vegas Events.

The Nevada legislature established the private not-for-profit corporation in 1983, tasking it with producing and supporting events in Las Vegas, Mesquite, and Laughlin.

Here with us is its long-tenured president, Pat Christenson, who's set to retire at the end of this year.

Pat, thank you for coming in.

Why are you hanging it up?

-Well, it's time.

I'm at that age where I've got a couple grandkids and wanna do more of that and less of the structured daily work.

-You had told me off camera you have a picture of you at the Thomas & Mack.

You opened the Thomas & Mack in '83, was it?

-Yes.

-And you have a picture of you and your wife then?

-I have a picture of my wife, my daughter, who was less than a year old at the time, on the dirt.

And then I have another picture last year of my daughter, my wife, and my granddaughter.

-So that's how long you've been around overseeing the signature event there at the Thomas & Mack, which is the National Finals Rodeo, the signature event of Las Vegas Events, as well.

-Yes.

-How big of a deal has the NFR been to Las Vegas?

-I don't know if you can put it into words.

You look back in 1985 at Vegas at that time, and what you used to do is you would furlough employees and do maintenance during that time because there was nobody coming down.

So it filled that hole.

And for about 15 years, it really kept those-- you know, it grew those weekends.

Now it's become so big that it's, it and other shows now, are creating the first two weekends in December pretty productive calendar months.

-How would you describe and did you expect the explosion of sports in Las Vegas that has happened since you have began working in events and sports in Vegas?

-The event part of it is not so surprising.

The professional, anyone that says they would have foreseen the NHL and NFL here and possibly the NBA is dreaming, considering where we were back then.

But that stretch was a real important one for Las Vegas.

-Where were we?

Why was it surprising?

-It was all the misperception of gaming and Las Vegas, and now it's gone.

-All right.

You are stepping down.

What events do you still want Las Vegas to pursue that would fit in with Las Vegas Events' mission.

Will you describe that for me, how you're different than LVCVA, as well?

-Yeah.

I think the LVCVA pursuing the Formula One, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, us landing those events is critical.

LVE is more focused on events that we can bring to town and then every year secure the event and ensure their success, like the NFR, Rock 'n' Roll marathon, NBA Summer League, these conference basketball tournaments.

So that's-- That's the partnership between the destination and Las Vegas Events.

-Over the years, some of the most memorable events for you?

-Well, obviously the National Finals Rodeo.

You know, you look back at '85 with Thomas-- Thomas & Mack at that time wasn't finished when it-- It was supposed to be in a 15,000-seat venue that somewhere along the line they added 3,000 seats but did not add the additional funding for the rest.

So when it opened, it had no pavement, no concession stands, they were plumbed for electrical plumbing, no suites, the concourse looked like a garage.

And what the university did is made the decision to go do special events to generate the revenue so that it could upgrade to-- it could finish the building and operate without more state support.

And that worked.

The events, the busy level of events, meant there was no-- We finished the building without any additional funding and operated in the black.

-Tim Keener is set to take your place.

He currently serves as the vice president of event and ticket operations for Las Vegas Events.

What have you discussed with him about his goals?

-Well, I think it's, Let's keep going.

I think Tim will take it to the next level.

Vegas is not going to quit growing.

It's going to continue to evolve.

And our Las Vegas Events will be a part of that, and Tim will lead that team.

-What would be an ideal event for Las Vegas Events to secure that continues coming here, that still isn't here yet?

-I think it's different than the LVCVA because a lot of ours we're going to-- You know, The NBA Summer League before we started to You know, The NBA Summer League before we started to work with them wasn't an event.

It really wasn't an event.

So a lot of it is creation.

A lot of it is taking things never been done before.

And we've got a couple ideas.

I can't really share them here.

But they start as in this incubation period, and two, three years later, you develop them and then bring them to the destination and work with all the hotel properties to ensure their success.

The NBA Summer League, yes, it was in a couple other destinations, but it didn't draw more than 500 to 1,000 fans.

The concept and, again, it wasn't we-- Two promoters that approached us on it.

It wasn't our idea.

But we immediately started to work with them on developing it, and it went from, I think, we had maybe 6,000 the first year to 100 and-- I think we're close to 140,000 over the 10 days now or 11 days.

So there's a great example of a signature event.

-You were bringing events to the Thomas & Mack, also to Sam Boyd Stadium.

I wonder what your thoughts are on what should happen with Sam Boyd Stadium.

It's currently shuttered, hasn't been in use since the pandemic when some college football teams were using it.

-You know, I'll never forget the five years we did the Grateful Dead at stadium.

It was, it was gratifying, not because I'm a big Deadhead fan, but producing it, or working with them to bring that and have that work here, spurred another dozen stadium concerts.

But you know, I think the NFR and the Grateful Dead probably are the two events that stick out.

Sam Boyd Stadium, it's had its day.

And you've got-- Allegiant Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the world right now.

So I think the best place for Sam Boyd Stadium would be, I mean, just raze it.

I don't see anyone being able to afford the operation to do events there.

-Pat Christenson, thank you for your time.

And as we mentioned, one of Las Vegas Events' signature events is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, underway December 1st through 10th at the Thomas & Mack Center.

And while NFR contestants are in town for it, several of them give of their time.

As Maria Silva shows us, the nonprofit Rascal Rodeo is teaming contestants up with some very special local cowboys and cowgirls for the experience of a lifetime.

(Maria Silva) You're a cowgirl, huh?

Cowgirl Randi?

(Cowgirl Randi) Yes.

-With her festive cowgirl hat and those fabulous red cowgirl boots, no doubt Cowgirl Randi is ready for Rascal Rodeo.

(Deborah Avery) Do your move.

-To prepare for the big day, Cowgirl Randi and her mom, Deborah Avery, stopped by McKee Ranch in Las Vegas to hang out with some very special friends.

-And Rusty.

-Proud mom, Deborah, who also serves as the chief collaboration officer at Autism Cares/Down Syndrome Cares, shares why Rascal Rodeo has quickly become a yearly tradition for so many families here in Southern Nevada.

-You know, when she went off on her own and just grabbed that pony and started riding barrels, I was just like-- It just, she just came out of her shell.

And some of our other kids that were there that I know, they just all had so much fun.

It was, you know, and all ages.

It doesn't matter the disability, they just take care of all of them.

-Rascal Rodeo also helping create lasting friendships.

-Hi, Aaron.

-That's where Randi and Deborah met Aaron Jarrett in 2019.

(Amira Noshi) He made friends.

Yeah.

-Hi, Sweetheart.

-Aaron, through family friend Amira, sharing his Rascal Rodeo experience.

And let's just say he has quite the sense of humor.

-Did you wear a cowboy hat?

(Arron Jarret) No, but I L-O-O, looked like a cowboy.

-So he says being a cowboy is a lifestyle, right, not a choice.

Yeah.

-This proud cowboy, grateful Rascoe Rodeo is giving so many the chance to experience what it's like to ride a horse.

-That was-- That would have been hard to do it any other way.

But the people really knew how to do it, so he felt safe.

-And creating a safe place where these cowboys and cowgirls can feel loved and accepted is exactly why Founder and Executive Director Ann-Erica Whitemarsh created Rascal Rodeo.

(Ann-Erica Whitemarsh) How's it going, cowboy?

Woohoo!

-Their moto, "Where abilities are greater than disabilities."

-We've discovered that they discover abilities that they haven't been using.

And so we've had people say their first words after coming and riding horses.

Not even-- They hadn't even gotten on the horse yet, and they started speaking.

-Good boy.

There we go.

-Rascal Rodeo was Ann-Eric's senior high school project in Pasco, Washington.

Her kind heart and giving spirit, something she learned early on at home.

-Growing up, I always had a heart for people with special needs.

My dad did play a big part in bringing Special Olympics program to our area back like in the '70s.

My God given calling.

It's in my blood, and it's just my purpose.

-That purpose and her tenacious spirit-- -I prayed so hard, door after door just kept slamming closed.

- --led her to not only create Rascal Rodeo, but expand it from 2 rodeos her first year to 17 in 2022, including a stop in fabulous Las Vegas during National Finals Rodeo.

(Jesse Brown) I got on my shirt right there.

-NFR contestants, like Steer Wrestler Jesse Brown, inspired to lend a helping hand.

-It really puts things into perspective.

You might have a bad night at the rodeo and be down, but then you go to something like that, and every day they're going through a lot tougher things.

So-- And for that to be-- That's their NFR.

That's their around 10 right there and, yeah, it's pretty special.

-One of those pretty special moments happened last year when Jesse helped a young boy in a wheelchair get on a horse.

-He didn't look like he wanted me to pick him up and go up there very bad, and he didn't want to.

And then when I did and put him on the horse, he, yeah, his smile, ear to ear.

And taking him off, it was a completely different feeling.

Just holding him in my arms, I mean, on the way there, pretty reluctant.

And on the way back, he was-- he was happy.

-These amazing volunteers are not only putting smiles on the faces of these cowgirls-- -You bet.

Go have some fun.

- --and cowboys-- [singing] ♪♪ Oh, the horse came along with his feet on the groud.

♪ ♪ The horse came along with the feet on-- ♪♪ I'm riding a horse!

- --they're helping create precious memories these Rascal Rodeo participants will treasure for years to come.

And that definitely deserves a-- -Yee-haw!

-Yee-haw!

(the crowd) Yeeee-haaaaw!

-That's all for us here at Nevada Week.

For any of the resources discussed, go to vegaspbs.org/nevadaweek.