Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cost of ShoWest

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Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 09-01-2003, 11:53 PM:

My wife and I are considering going to shoWest in March. Has anyone from the upper midwest flown there, bought tickets to the show, stayed in a hotel for a few nights etc, what was your total cost? Trying to see if its in the theatre's budget to go or not. Thanks for any info.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-02-2003, 12:37 AM:

If you go to the whole show and stay onsite, you'll be lucky to get by for less than $3,500 - $4,000.

If you don't mind commuting to the hotel, you can shave much by staying at a cheaper place. (I did this once and hated the commute...but I'm from a small town and hate having to travel more than 2 minutes to get anywhere.)

If you can be satisfied with "just" the trade show, you can probably get free tickets from a dealer or vendor.

I was going to check the actual convention registration price at www.showest.com -- but the site says "Online registration will open in July." (Gotta love those savvy webmasters.) But it's around $750 per person for the whole convention.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-02-2003, 03:04 AM:

Not counting meals or any cost for the actual show, I paid $320 for my airfare and room at Bally's for a 3 night stay this year. Last year I paid $299 for my airfare and room at a hotel a couple of blocks away. Have I just happened upon spectacular deals, or has Mike just really gotten hammered in the past?

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 09-02-2003, 03:17 AM:

I stayed at the Boardwalk for $65 a night. It is just a few blocks to walk from there to the exhibition site.
You can walk from there to the exhibition site in a few minutes. Although after the film-tech party I elected to take a taxi.

Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 09-02-2003, 10:10 AM:

Some of my buddies want to go to Vegas around the same time, I am trying to set it up for that week...
I'm not worried about the airfare or rooms, but how can I get a good deal on just the convention???

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-02-2003, 12:55 PM:

Brad -

I dunno about "spectacular deals" because I'm a lousy shopper, but I do know that airfare is a lot less if you can fly out of a major hub, which in Montana is not in the cards. I have to admit, last time I went to ShoWest I just did it all by the book using the registration packet -- did not call in or surf around for any spectacular deals. Next time I'll be more savvy (or my wife will - she does the travel arranging!) But I still think it would be easy to spend 4 grand, especially if you take in a few shows, gamble, etc.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 09-02-2003, 01:30 PM:

Adam, outside the airfare, how much you spend depends on what you want to do. If you take the "full ride" ticket, it is expensive. If you go for the trade show, the ticket is much cheaper.

Showest 2003 costed me over 2,100 bucks for tickets and motel fees. This did not include food or gasoline expenses to drive there and back.

One thing to be certain of: Book your hotel AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO ATTEND! I arrived one day early last year, and the only hotel/motel I could find was on skid row for $125.00 the first night. NASCAR was in town and hotel/motel rooms were non-existant.

It would be a good idea to check on what other activities are going on in LV during that time and plan accordingly. If you don't, you could be on the short end of the stick.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-02-2003, 02:35 PM:

Like Michael, I stayed at the Boardwalk, which is only about a 10 minute walk away from Paris/Ballys. (I helped him find his way home after the Film-Tech "Drink" [beer]

)

Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 09-03-2003, 12:05 AM:

So, anyone can attend ShowWest, as long as they have the money for a ticket? Interesting. I'd assumed (you know what they say about that) it was a free 'industry only' trade-show.

Ron Yost .. thinking about that eight-hour car trip over the Sierra Nevada's to LV.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 09-03-2003, 01:16 AM:

Not exactly, Ron- You do have to provide some proof of an industry connection (A business card usually suffices) or be a member of the press to get into ShoWest. It's definitely not an open-to-the-public convention.

-Aaron

Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 09-04-2003, 10:46 AM:

Room prices in Vegas can vary wildly. Its all supply and demand. If there is a large convention in town, ie Nascar, Comdex etc, then expect very high room rates. During non peak times rooms can be found for as low as $49/night at some of the main hotels on the strip. Book your room as early as you can, but also check back with the hotel right before your trip to see if the price has dropped any as the projected room occupation may not have been reached and therefore they lowered the prices.

During Comdex of last year pre-booked a room at the Sahara for 60/night, however since Comdex was a disappointment last year by the time I checked on the room prices again they had dropped to $49/night. Rooms are also cheaper Sun through Thurs. But can still vary from day to day.

Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 09-04-2003, 10:50 AM:

Thanks, Aaron. That's what I thought. As easy to crash as NAMM. [Big Grin]

Ron Yost