George W. Bush to Speak in Las Vegas at Carson Group October Convention, Further Sign of Recovery

Posted on: March 20, 2021, 07:30h. 

Last updated on: March 21, 2021, 01:33h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Ex-President George W. Bush is scheduled to speak this October at the Las Vegas-based Excell 2021 convention, sponsored by the Carson Group.

The convention is to take place between Oct. 12-14 at The Cosmopolitan. It will be held both in-person and virtually.

In 2019, some 1,600 attendees took part in the convention. It also is one of the longest-running financial services US conferences, coming up on two decades.

Bush’s talk is titled, “The Challenges Facing Our Nation in the 21st Century and the Power of Freedom.”

The company delayed the convention that was originally planned for June 2020, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It was postponed by COVID-19 risk.

The conference is targeted to financial service professionals. Among the scheduled topics are financial planning best practices, new technology, and prospecting strategy.

Las Vegas Conventions Considered Safe

A former president taking part in a Las Vegas convention the year after casinos were shuttered for months is a positive sign. That’s according to the Rev. Richard McGowan, a finance professor at Boston College who closely follows gaming trends.

“It is a clear signal that the Vegas community is trying to give that Vegas is back in business and that the coast is clear,” McGowan told Casino.org. “You certainly could not invite a former president to Vegas unless you thought it was a safe place for the president to attend.”

The Carson Group conference appearance by Bush follows word that the World of Concrete (WOC) conference will take place in June in Las Vegas.

That conference is Las Vegas’ first major convention in more than a year. It is also noteworthy that the WOC convention will be held in Las Vegas Convention Center’s North Hall and new West Hall. The $989 million West Hall was completed in January. WOC will be the first convention inside the 1.4-million-square-foot venue.

Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), earlier this month said Las Vegas is “eager to welcome back business travelers,” and noted the “pent-up demand” for meetings and conventions, the Las Vegas Sun reported last week.

Also, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) recently announced new rules to allow for larger public gatherings and events at casinos and other venues. He upped maximum capacity to as high as 50 percent of legal occupancy. Conventions and business meetings are a key revenue source for Las Vegas casinos and the local economy.