NHL team supporters ramp up ticket sales
The prospective ownership group for a Las Vegas NHL team has begun recruiting corporations and casinos “to ensure ticket sales is as widespread as possible.”
The move was revealed in emails being sent to potential season ticket holders by Todd Pollock, director of ticket sales.
The NHL had asked the ownership group to get a show of support from 10,000 individual season ticket holders before going to the corporations and casinos.
“We are happy to report that the ticket drive is going very well and the progress that has been made in this campaign has been phenomenal,” Pollock wrote in the email obtained by the Review-Journal.
“Las Vegas has really shown that it is ‘all in’ for an NHL team in our great city. While we are not ready to make a formal announcement, we DO anticipate having an announcement in the next several weeks.
“In the meantime, to ensure that support for ticket sales is as widespread as possible, we are now reaching out to corporations and casinos to ask them for commitments to purchase tickets. If you work with or for a large company, casino or similar organization, please encourage them to think about committing to purchasing tickets.”
Bill Foley, the lead investor, has been saying, “If we sell the 10,000 tickets, we’ll be amazed if we don’t get a franchise.”
In a related development, the R-J has confirmed the 20,000-seat arena being built by MGM Resorts International and AEG will break tradition and not be named after a corporate sponsor.
Instead, it will keep the generic name, the Las Vegas Arena, to make competing local casinos more comfortable about supporting the venue by buying luxury boxes.
One of the first purchases of the arena’s luxury boxes was by Wynn Las Vegas. A Wynn spokesman confirmed the transaction on Thursday. The rink-side luxury boxes are reportedly being sold for $1 million a year for 10 years.
The arena, set to be completed in May 2016, would become the home of the NHL team starting that fall.
THE VEGAS DOZEN
A former mayor, an NFL player, a downtown visionary and a five-star chef are among the 12th edition of The Vegas Dozen: The Men We Love and Why We Love Them.
The fundraiser, a benefit for Keep Memory Alive, will be held April 29 on the Fashion Show Mall runway.
The honorees: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who started the Downtown Project; Tom Jingoli, senior vice president of Konami Gaming; Hae Un Lee of Lee’s Liquors, former Las Vegas Mayor Ron Lurie, general manager of Arizona Charlie’s; Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall; Jerry Nadal, senior vice president of Cirque du Soleil; developer Kevin Orrock, president of Summerlin and vice president of Howard Hughes Corp.; Ian Staller, executive vice president and general manager of Southern Wine &Spirits of Nevada; chef Alex Stratta, who opened Tapas by Stratta this week in Tivoli Village; Dr. Ryan Walsh, director of the Parkinson’s Disease &Movement Disorders Program at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health; Tim Wong, president and CEO, Arcata Associates, and yours truly.
Sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue, the event honors 12 men each year who exemplify great personal and professional commitment to the community by raising funds and awareness.
Mercedes Martinez, host of “Mercedes in the Morning” (KMXB-radio, FM-94.1) returns as emcee. Entertainment includes Bob Anderson, the star of “Sinatra: The Man, The Music,” and an aerial hoop act by Cirque du Soleil performers.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Magician Murray Sawchuck and his wife/assistant Chloe Crawford thought it would be cool to say goodbye to the Riviera by having an intimate party in the Frank Sinatra suite. “I thought it would be fun for me and Chloe to stay one night at the legendary hotel before they shut it down and imploded it,” Sawchuck said in an email. But once the word got out, room confirmations soared from 25 to 180, and the Sawchucks had to move the party to the Presidential Suite. The sentimental sendoff, held last night, included a three-piece band with an upright bass player to play old standards.
SIGHTINGS
University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, on hand for Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s workout on Wednesday. Pitino was heard saying, “I’ve never seen any athlete work that hard.’’ … Buddy “The Cake Boss” Valastro and his family at Dirk Arthur’s “Wild Illusions” (Riviera) on Tuesday night. They were joined by restaurateur Elizabeth Blau and her son, Cole. Blau and her husband, chef Kim Canteenwalla, are business partners with Valastra at Buddy V’s Ristorante at The Palazzo. … Elton John, giving a shoutout Tuesday during his show to the Rosen family, which owns and operates Wax Trax Records. The Caesars Palace headliner, who showed up at their store twice last week to shop for vintage vinyl records, told the audience the store “has become my new home.”
THE PUNCH LINE
“The top 15 contenders for the Republican nomination own at least 40 guns among them. If we elect a Republican president, no one is hopping over the White House fence ever again.” — Conan O’Brien
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or email him at norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.