Licensing Blog

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Las Vegas welcomes Licensing International 2009(Posted: 09-06-2009)

Las Vegas. Well, that was fun wasn’t it? I can’t believe how fast the time went.

I’d like to say the journey was a delight, but to be honest the Virgin plane was a bit old and tired (unlike the staff), the screens for the entertainment system were not top notch and the food was pretty crap. Still, we got there and back safely. That’s the main thing when you think of those poor people on that Air France plane that went down. There but for the grace of God, etc, etc. A tragedy like that with Virgin would have wiped out most of the great and the good of the UK licensing industry in one fell swoop.

It’s strange how a city can be built around one street. The Strip is quite a place. I hadn’t been to Vegas for a few years and had forgotten just how vast each of the hotel complexes is. If you were really sad you could stay the whole week and not venture outside. I think that perhaps, judging by the vacant expressions on the faces of the visitors playing the slot machines at 7 o’clock in the morning, some of them do just that.

With a bit of free time built into the trip, a visit to the Hoover Dam in a great big, gas-guzzling 4x4 was deemed to be in order and, as it transpired, well worthwhile. Quite a feat of engineering. Remembering James Bond abseiling down the face of the dam makes you realise just how brave he is. We cruised up round to Red Rock Canyon to finish the day with some of our party getting slightly too excited for their own good over rock formations.

We saw the dancing fountains at the Bellagio, the lions at the MGM Grand and the pirate ships at Treasure Island, but we passed on the gondola ride at the Venetian. The roller coaster at the New York New York was also given a wide berth!

The last of the free time was filled with a trip to the shooting range and a quick blast on an M16, an AK47 and some pistols. I now know how to “resolve the situation” using a downed policeman’s weapon – that is if I don’t get shot first.

We had a very pleasant drinks evening around the pool at the Four Seasons (thanks to Advanstar for our invitations) spoiled only by missing the moment when some-one fell in.

The choice of the Mandalay seemed to work for the show. Easy to get to, and to get a taxi from, the facilities were first class. The aisles were generous, but this was not unexpected. One criticism is that it wasn’t easy to locate the stand numbers, but I’m sure this can be addressed in some way for next year. Brand Licensing have this spot on. I think overall everyone was pretty happy with how the three days went.

Unlike New York, the location made it easy to bump in anyone and everyone who was out and about during the evenings. A few drinks, some live music and the company of some friends made throughout the years – perfect.

On the last night we visited the old town end of Vegas to see the fantastic light show down Fremont Street, home of the iconic Golden Nugget. Food and drink seemed cheaper in this area – note for next year, maybe. The head of LIMA UK certainly looked as though he had enjoyed his visit to the cigar shop whilst there.

So, now to all the follow up work. Just time to say thanks to all my good friends and colleagues for their company, especially Mr Pashley – my brother from another mother.