By Alex Snyder

Originally published in the July/August 2018 issue of APCO’s PSC magazine.
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Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas! This is the sign that conference attendees will read as they are welcomed into the city. While in Las Vegas, you will find yourself busy with conference meetings, vendor booths and professional development and continuing education classes. A few may have the time to explore the city. Some may combine business with pleasure and come earlier or stay later after the conference. Here’s your introduction to fabulous Las Vegas.

HISTORY
Las Vegas, which means the meadows in Spanish, was aptly named because of its lush valley filled with fields of wild grasses nourished by an underground aquifer in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The city was founded in 1906 and incorporated in 1911. In 1931, the first gaming license was issued. The year 1931 also saw the beginning of construction on the Hoover Dam. This brought in a population boom with construction workers and a boost to the economy. The Las Vegas Army Air Field, now known as Nellis Air Force Base, found its home in Las Vegas in 1941. The city has enjoyed many nicknames throughout years. Some are better known than others. While you have probably heard of “Sin City,” other nicknames include “Gambling Capital of the World,” “Entertainment Capital of the World,” and “Capital of Second Chances.” “City of Lights” is particularly apt, The Las Vegas Strip is the brightest place on Earth when looked at from outer space.

WHAT TO DO
The “Entertainment Capital of the World” boasts plenty of attractions. Shopping, spas, lavish stage shows and casinos immediately come to mind. But the city has so much more to offer. The Hoover Dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America’s seven modern civil engineering wonders. If you are a nature lover, visit Red Rock Canyon or Mount Charleston.

Nature Lovers can explore Red Rock Canyon, which was Nevada’s first national conservation area and is located 17 miles west of downtown. The area is visited by more than 2 million people annually. It offers a 13-mile scenic drive, miles of hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain and road biking, picnic areas and nature observing. It has a visitor center with indoor and outdoor exhibits. Another outdoor adventure is Mount Charleston in the Springs Mountains National Recreation Area. It encompasses more than 316,000 acres with snow-capped mountain peaks surrounded by desert and features hiking trails, campgrounds and snow play.

Maybe you want to explore an urban landscape instead. Check out the Fremont Street Experience. It is a five-block entertainment district in historic downtown. The Viva Vision Screen located within the district is 1,500 feet long, 90 feet wide and is suspended 90 feet above the pedestrian mall. The screen has 12.5 million LED lights and a 550,000 watt sound system. The APCO Block Party will make Fremont Street shine even brighter Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 7 to 10 p.m. The outside event will include music, food and adventure, backed by the David De’ Costa Band performing the classic tunes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and more. For details go to apco2018.org/blockparty.

Ready to take it back inside? The Mob Museum or rather the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement explores organized crime’s impact on the city, America and the world. Learn about real stories and actual events via interactive and engaging exhibits. Maybe you decided to take a step away from crime and law enforcement while away from the conference. The Neon Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs. The Neon Boneyard houses rescued neon signs from the city.

After all of the information to be learned from the conference, sometimes it is best to just find a spot to observe the hustle and bustle. There are incredible places throughout the city to take it all in: The Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay; Hyde Bellagio; The Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas; Maverick Helicopter Tours; Top of the World at the Stratosphere; Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental; Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; and High Roller Observation Wheel at The Linq are all highly recommended for viewing the city. After a quick breather, check out some local sports. Las Vegas is home to the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL, Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA and the Las Vegas 51s, a minor league team and Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

Finding a good place to eat is always welcome, and in Las Vegas you’ll have lots of company if shrimp is on the menu. The shrimp consumption in Las Vegas is over 60,000 pounds per day! This is more than the rest of the entire nation combined.

TIME TO SAY GOOD-BYE
At the close of the conference, you will be part of an impressively large group of people who have visited Las Vegas. In 2016, the city hosted over 6.3 million convention attendees with a total of 21,864 conventions. Among those, 27 percent were first time visitors. While driving out of the city, that famous diamond-shaped welcome sign reads “Drive carefully. Come back soon.” If you find yourself at McCarran International Airport, you most definitely will not find yourself alone. It welcomed 48.5 million arriving and departing passengers in 2017, marking it as the busiest year in the airport’s nearly 70-year history. The well-known saying is “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. During this conference, take the time to network and learn from the experience and bring those memories back to your communications center.

Alex Snyder is a Communications Floor Supervisor with Biloxi Police Department. She began her career in dispatching with the thought that it was a temporary job. Her 12-year anniversary was December 28. She has lived in Biloxi all of her life. She was one of the citizens who questioned where she would find herself at the end of Hurricane Katrina. She’s grateful that life led her to a career in telecommunications. She’s married with one daughter.