Like Las Vegas itself, the four-year-old Vegas Certified program is constantly evolving. In fact, the program, which allows you to become a certified specialist on the destination via an online course, has already implemented several upgrades this year.

 

“The main changes are that we’ve gone paperless, and we’ve come out with a lot of incentives for you to take advantage of when you come to Las Vegas,” says Ed Fioravante, leisure sales executive for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Among those incentives is the ability to order free tickets to major shows, as well as discount cards for Las Vegas dining, retail and attractions, online.

 

For example, since February, once you have completed the program, you can download your diploma from the Travel Trade section of the LVCVA’s website. Previously, you would receive your diploma via the U.S. mail. And since March, if you are Vegas Certified, you can order free show tickets online instead of requesting them via email. Already, the LVCVA offers complimentary tickets to “Blue Man Group” at The Venetian and to “Tribute to the Rat Pack,” at the Plaza Hotel on Fremont Street. And at press time, negotiations were underway with approximately 15 other shows. In addition, you can order the LVCVA’s discount card online and pick it up at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone restaurant, located at the Planet Hollywood Resort’s Miracle Mile Shops. The card provides deals such as two-for-one dinners, and discounts on shows and tours.

 

In March, the LVCVA started providing information about hotels’ fam rates and validity dates on its website. The list also is included occasionally in the LVCVA’s trade newsletter, which is emailed to certified agents monthly. Hotels in Las Vegas have always offered fam rates, but until now, it was up to you to find out which hotels were offering them, as well as the details of each offer. And last year, the LVCVA launched a group booking RFP on its website for groups of 10 or more rooms, which prompts hotels and other venues to provide offers that best match the groups’ needs.

 

These benefits are in addition to existing perks that are available via the Travel Trade section of the LVCVA’s website, such as an online tool kit with brochures, flyers, post cards and newsletters that you can download and customize with your logo, to promote Las Vegas to clients.

 

In addition, the website features topics such as Commissionable Vegas, which lists area attractions, tours, wholesaler packages, golf, lodging and other amenities that are commissionable. Among the other online perks are interactive maps; a locator for hotels, shows, restaurants, attractions and other diversions; links to area hotels and motels; a special logo insignia created for business cards, stationary and other promotional material; and inclusion in a special database available to the Las Vegas hotel community.

 

Offering more Vegas Certified benefits online has “enabled us to keep up with the demand,” Fioravante says, noting that the huge amount of paperwork was slowing down the LVCVA’s marketing efforts. To introduce the online benefits, the organization plans to roll out a new marketing campaign sometime this quarter.

 

Currently about 19,000 travel agents are Vegas Certified, and the LVCVA wants to “move that number to 30,000 to 40,000 agents,” Fioravante says. “We want to get every agent Vegas Certified. We’re trying to show that Las Vegas is friendly to travel agents.”

 

To that end, the LVCVA also changed its Vegas Certified monthly trade giveaway in January to make it more appealing. Instead of giving away 10 $100 gift certificates, the organization now gives two $500 gift certificates. Once you have been Vegas Certified for at least 30 days, you are automatically entered. The gift certificates can be used at retail shops throughout the country.

 

In addition to its online benefits, the LVCVA hosts a “Vegas on the Road” program, with its sales team traveling around the U.S., hosting travel agent dinners and presentations. “We always invite Vegas Certified agents first,” Fioravante says. “We put a schedule out and try to go to cities where we think there’s potential Las Vegas business, such as cities with good air service into Las Vegas.”

 

The Vegas Certified program is available to legal residents of the U.S. who are licensed travel agents. The self-paced program consists of 10 modules, each covering a specific topic: Attractions and Activities, Dining, Entertainment, Gaming, General Info, Golf, Outlying Territory, Shopping, Transportation and Weddings. Following each module is a 10-question, multiple-choice test. A year after becoming certified, you must take a bonus module and pass a 20-question exam in order to stay certified. This year, the bonus module topic is the Fremont Street Experience.

 

For more information on the Vegas Certified program, email Ed Fioravante at efioravante@lvcva.com. For general information, call 800-332-5333 or visit www.lvcva.com.