Richard N. Velotta
VEGAS INC coverage
Former Mayor Oscar Goodman was in his element last week, taking the stage at a major financial services industry conference, martini in hand and showgirls on each arm.
Goodman, in his role as the chairman of the Las Vegas Host Committee, delivered a key to the city to Anthony Scaramucci, managing partner of SkyBridge Capital, which has produced the SkyBridge Alternatives (SALT) conference in Las Vegas the past four years and is coming back again next year.
Scaramucci was genuinely surprised when Goodman strutted on stage since the presentation wasn’t on the SALT program.
“We just wanted to welcome you here and thank you for coming,” Goodman said before a crowd of more than 1,000 that was starting to gather in anticipation of hearing an address from former Vice President Al Gore.
For about three minutes, Goodman was Santa Claus in a three-piece suit, spreading good cheer and happy memories about Las Vegas for a group in an industry the city has long coveted.
SkyBridge, a research-driven investment firm with $6.2 billion in assets, was founded in 2005, and the SALT conference was born in the midst of the recession in 2009. The event incorporates debates on macro-economic trends, geopolitical events and alternative investment opportunities within the context of a dynamic global economy.
Over the years, the conference, presented at Bellagio, has had some heavy hitters speaking. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Republican Party presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former Defense Secretary Colin Powell have taken the SALT stage. This year, Gore was joined by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as conference speakers.
The first conference had 500 in attendance; this year’s event sold out in February at 2,000 tickets.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority convention sales executive John Schreiber has worked with SkyBridge partner Victor Oviedo since the event was first scheduled in Las Vegas.
“We sat down and talked about how he could surprise his boss with something light between speakers,” Schreiber said.
The hope is that the money managers attending the event not only would remember the impressive speakers but that they had a good time.
“When participants go home and somebody asks, ‘Why did you do this in Vegas?’ we want them to say, ‘Because Vegas appreciates us,’” Schreiber said.
Chris Meyer, vice president of sales for the LVCVA, said the organization is paying extra attention to the event because it represents a business sector of which the city wants to see more.
“The organizers of this event are big proponents of face-to-face business contact and meetings,” Meyer said. “And that’s the exact message we try to present, that we’re all business during the day, but we can have fun at night.”
Oviedo, the primary SALT organizer, is a Las Vegas fan.
“When you look objectively at Las Vegas, it’s an ideal place to hold an event or conference,” Oviedo said. “We’re having this at the premier conference and hotel facility in the world.”
Oviedo said the shared Las Vegas experience is conducive to conducting business.
“When you meet someone for the first time and you want to follow up on that relationship, if you come at them with a pitch, they’re less likely to take the phone call,” Oviedo said. “But if you call when you get back to New York and say, ‘Hey, remember at the conference when we sat down and had that conversation?’ and you have that shared experience, you’re more likely to maintain that relationship and build beyond the event.”
And if you think these executives are in search of wild and crazy times because what happens here stays here, think again. SkyBridge brought the entertainment to attendees.
One night, the company hired Maroon 5 to perform a private concert to kick off a nonprofit philanthropic initiative called the Aspire Giving Foundation.
Another night, there was a poolside event called “Under the Stars at the Feast of San Gennaro” with samplings of Italian food offered by Bellagio’s chefs.
Oviedo said SALT has been a big success and he’ll go to bat to recommend Las Vegas for industry conferences.
And if the former mayor and his showgirls can persuade one more financial organization to meet here, the effort will be worthwhile.