South
Coast Hosts Horse Show
South Coast today raises the
curtain on a whole new form of entertainment
for Las Vegas: world-class horse shows.
Don
Williams, a horse owner from New England, said
Boyd Gaming Corp.'s new $600 million resort
on Las Vegas Boulevard, south of McCarran International
Airport, will change the dynamic of Las Vegas
as a destination for him.
"(I've)
never been here before, never wanted to. But
we're horse people. They're our business and
our hobby. That gives us a reason to come here,
probably several times a year," he said.
The
American Quarter Horse Association, the largest
horse owners group in the country, will help
kick off the new facility, the only equestrian
arena in the country tied to a major hotel.
More
than 800 horses were unloaded Monday and Tuesday
for the Silver Dollar Circuit Show, which runs
today through Sunday, South Coast Assistant
General Manager Ryan Growney said.
Vendors
have set up 40 booths in the exhibit hall to
promote their wares to attendees.
Attendance
is difficult to estimate because it's the resort's
first show, Growney said, but South Coast has
booked 3,500 rooms nights connected with the
show.
On
the peak night, 350 rooms were booked, although
the association could have booked 500 if the
second tower of the South Coast were already
open, he said.
"So
far, it seems to be a big hit. The show moved
down from Reno last year and everybody is in
love with the facility, especially the amenities
from the front-door bellmen on. It gives them
a chance to unwind after they get here,"
Growney said.
The
South Coast Equestrian Complex features a 4,400-seat
arena and 1,200 climate-controlled horse stalls
on the parking structure's first floor. It also
features a 31,250-square-foot show arena floor
and with an overlooking bar.
Growney
said 124 event days already are booked for the
rest of the year and he hopes to have 40 weeks
booked in 2007.
South
Coast General Manager Mike Gaughan Jr. said
the idea for the equestrian center stemmed from
his father's involvement in horse competitions
and his operating a working ranch in North Las
Vegas.
But
he said because the complex is the first equestrian
center in Las Vegas and the first tied to a
major hotel in the country, its opening and
operation were a particular challenge and opportunity.
Tim
Lanier, the original manager of the equestrian
center who recently left the company, said South
Coast and its equestrian center will appeal
to a whole new market segment for Boyd.
"Horse
enthusiasts as individuals have incredible discretionary
income, like people who own yachts," Lanier
said.
"An
equestrian crowd is an affluent crowd. The center
will do some rodeos, but a rodeo crowd is an
extreme sport crowd. It appeals to the masses.
... With the equestrian center, the business
will be unique in Las Vegas and the West Coast,"
he said.
"That
made it really a genius thing to do. There are
no other competitors for customers worth $1.5
million on average and an income of $175,000,"
Lanier said.
Advance
bookings even before December were so successful
that Boyd Gaming moved development of the second
South Coast tower up to coincide with the first.
That
was because the property was fully booked with
equestrian events, leaving its convention and
meeting areas underused, Lanier said.
"Las
Vegas is more of a key to this than all the
other factors involved. When people are showing
horses, it's their hobby. They want to come
to a great destination where they can have fun,"
Lanier said.
Thus,
the equestrian center also moves Boyd Gaming
away from catering to just local customers,
he said.
In
addition to the equestrian facilities, the center
includes 80,000 square feet of exhibit space
and 20,000 square feet of meeting and prefunction
space.
The
stalling area of the South Coast Equestrian
Center is available only to participants to
board their livestock during their events.
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