The Billboard alliance
The concept of a Vegas-centered music conference has been building steam for quite some time, and with each evolution the name evolves with it. A so-so first go at a Vegas Music Conference left us hanging last year, while the infamous Winter Music Conference in Miami continues to expand on an exponential level. While there is plenty of Vegas talent to go around and a strong local interest in the electronica scene, what’s missing, it seems, is a backbone and a connection to mainstream audiences.
Well, we think this latest attempt has some real legs: The 14th Annual Billboard Dance Music Summit has joined forces with the locally grounded Vegas Alliance in a partnership to create the Vegas Music Experience. The joint venture not only connects our local scene with the national music scene, it also establishes a relationship that is likely to produce one of the most revered annual events in the city. Says Vegas Alliance mastermind Gino LoPinto: “This will encompass far too much to be just a conference,” hence the decision to call it an Experience.
Beginning on October 4 at host hotel the Palms, events will happen literally 24 hours a day the following week. Ranging from pool parties, expert panels with celebrity speakers and live concerts to insane nightclub events, every one will showcase the best in talent, technology and promotions available. “After years of conceiving and fine-tuning the concept of a music conference in Las Vegas, it was only appropriate to meet with the biggest name in the music industry,” LoPinto adds regarding the union with Billboard. “After months of brainstorming our goals, we came to an agreement that I believe will eventually lead to the largest, most important music industry gathering in the world for both business and pleasure.” For more info go to www.vegasmusicexperience.com.
Promarama—a Weekly exclusive
Vegas Entertainment Inc. cordially invites you to the third annual Vegas Prom on Monday, October 3. Whether you made it to your prom or just got sick in the parking lot, now is your chance to relive that special memory.
In previous years, the prom has been held outdoors, first at Green Valley Ranch’s Whiskey Beach and most recently at the Palms Pool & Bungalows; this year’s event will move inside to the Joint at the Hard Rock. The popular concert venue will be transformed into a high-school gymnasium, complete with 40 tables, basketball hoops, decorations, spiked punch, a band and, of course, slow dances.
Vegas Entertainment partner (and Bare Pool Lounge marketing director) Kalika Moquin says, “The Joint will truly represent the spirit of what the prom is all about,” and encourages everyone to go all out with limos, corsages, dates, dinner and a hotel room for, well, you know. Heading up the prom committee and overseeing all marketing is Vegas nightlife promoter John Thomason. Founded by Moquin, promoter Bo Karlen and Chad McGheean (aka DJ Vegas Vibe), Vegas Entertainment Inc. has taken advantage of much input from everyone in the industry for the creative process. “With two years of experience under our belts, the Hard Rock behind us and our new marketing team in place, we are sure to bring one of the best proms Vegas has ever seen. The afterparties won’t be so bad either!” Karlen raves. The reigning Prom King, Spearmint Rhino’s Guy Wilson, and Queen, Body English’s Shannon Dupont, will host the event and crown this year’s winners. Nominations and ticket sales begin September 3 at www.vegasprom.com.
Easy riders
Bikers know how to have a good time. This Saturday, August 18, the first annual Las Vegas Bikers Ball brings together the two-wheeled motorheads of Sin City for a day of fun and chopper-bred networking. Vanity Inc. and Definitive Talents, in cooperation with Pat Clark Motorsports and the Nevada Beverage Company, will host the daylong festivities at Corporate Catering. A $10 admission will get you live rock ’n’ roll, Smoke’n Sam’s barbecue and access to plenty of cold beer. After you take in the vendor’s showcases, all of the latest biker duds and accessories, things pick up inside the showroom, where a dozen custom-bike builders will display their work. All of this is going on while DEFTAL’s top DJs provide the sound. Preceding the event is a $25,000 poker run, in which the rider with the best poker hand wins a custom Big Dog Chopper from Pat Clark Motorsports. And if you are still a novice when it comes to the big bikes, you can work the event, as they are hiring staff. Log on to www.lasvegasbikersball.com or call 434-6000 for details.
Well-done
During a recent stop at Steak, on Horizon Ridge in Henderson, we experienced a delightful surprise that had nothing to do with beef. Saturdays from 2-4 p.m., Steak offers a free wine-tasting. As it turns out, the upscale meat locker also offers a Wednesday night party. Wicked Wednesday goes from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. with a live DJ and absurd drink specials—and now it has implemented the DJ on Saturdays, giving you a great reason to return after sleeping off the free wine.