Google.cn and Google.com published this section (NCAAPB) at 9:12 a.m. in the morning on March 31, 2006. It covers about the 25 fliers from January 18, 2006 to March 21, 2006.

Just type your name, the title of a report or an article, your concerned, the name of an organization, an event, or a reporter;{like "Chairperson Elaine Chao", "ć⏬—–", "‹LŽŇä——˝‰Ă", and among others) on the searching box of Google.cn and Google.com please, and what can you find the good things that Google and WBTI have for you?*2

Many people have a good perspective on Google. Google.cn and Google.com will put more effort and wisdom to contribute to English and Chinese readers being an efficient visitor on the searching of fluent and useful information. Washington Business and Technology Institute's (WBTI's) website has been continuously published by Google.com and Google.cn about every 11 days. We wish advanced performance may be extended from Google.cn to WBTI.*3

You're on Google.cn and Google.com, if you're on Washington Business and Technology Institute's website at http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti

[[[A compliment or encouragement is verbal sunshine! We are pleased to quote the following three short but meaningful ones:
***** No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make other person feel important. ---Mary Kay Ash
***** There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assit another human being---to help someone succeed. ---Alan Loy McGinnis
***** There are two things people want more than sex and money ...recognition and praise. ---Mary Kay Ash
All art, permanent or temporary, has a life in the immediate experience, but then has a life in the imagination. ---Anish Kapoor 1954- :in "Sunday Times" 11 July 1999
"Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination." ---Dwight D. Eisenhower]]]

[[[Dear Dr. & Mrs. Lei:
I am writing this letter to invite you to my next Senior Advisory Committee meeting at 9:30 am on Thursday, February 23, 2006, at the Lieburn Senior Center, 6230 Garwood Avenue (map is enclosed). ..... Dr. Tony Tung-tien Lei has been U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley's Senior Advisor since January 2000.]]]*4

[[["It's really my pleasure and honor to be named as an Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration of WBTI. WBTI has a good reputation with its Advisory Board and faculty members. The Board has Governor Kenny Guinn as its Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign as Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman as Executive Directors. With the excellent and informative publications of 'Google.cn', 'Google.com', 'Communitylink of Reviewjournal.com', 'Next Weekly' and among others, high-ranking officials of Nevada with the spiritual leadership of Chairperson Elaine Chao of WBTI have been inspired to help realize the creed for professional righteousness, community service, and humane spirit of WBTI," expressed Justice Michael Douglas of Nevada Supreme Court at the Event and Dinner Party in the Emperor's Garden Restaurant on February 4, 2005 in Las Vegas. It was held by the Committee to implement the ART EXHIBIT of Mr. QIN QUAN XIONG.]]]*5

[[[Some of the significant idea from the letters to Dr. Tony Lei, President of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI):
"It's my great pleasure and honor to be named by you as a Senior Advisor and Honorary Chairman of CCDAPCC of WBTI. Please know that I irrevocably stand by my personal commitment to diversity issues in this state and that my sense of patriotism and faith in America stems from its embrace of that diversity." --A. William Maupin, Chief Justice of Nevada Supreme Court
"As Mayor, I will continue to devote my energies into the preservation and improvement of the standard of living enjoyed here in the City of Las Vegas." --Oscar B. Goodman
"It is only with the dedication and commitment of good people like yourself that I will achieve my goal of becoming Governor of this great state. Dema and I can't thank you enough for your assistance and your positive activivities in the community." --Kenny C. Guinn]]]*6

[[["As the Hononary Chairperson of International Cities Business Council of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI), I'll have more venues to work for international tourism with Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn who is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of WBTI. We're putting all our effort and wisdom to work for our people, land, and country under the spiritual leadership of Chairperson Elaine Chao of WBTI," said Lorraine Hunt, Lt. Governor of Nevada, on November 11, 2005.
The above message was signed by Lt. Governor of Nevada Lorraine Hunt:.....]]]*7

[[["It's my great pleasure to extend my warm greetings of 'Happy Lunar New Year!' to every American and Chinese here in Las Vegas and North America through the Communitylink (at http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti) of the largest newspaper in Nevada, Las Vegas Review-Journal," said James Gibbons, U. S. Congressman and Senior Director of Washington Business and Technology Institute, in the Event and Dinner Party held by Nevada Republican Party and ARCC on January 29, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event and dinner party were sponsored by Asian Republicans of Clark County for a reunion of the lunar new year to the Chinese, Asian, and American people in Las Vegas:.....]]]*8

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Michael Douglas is a distinguished Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court. Valerie Weber is a famous and achieved Assemblywoman of Nevada and the Minority Whip of the Assembly. Cheryl Moss is an outstanding District Court Judge of Nevada serving in Las Vegas, Clark County.
*2. PAI of WBTI. 'U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao's on Google!' "A search of 'U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao' on the Google.com," Mountain View, California: Google.com.
*3. Ibid.
*4. Berkley, Shelley. 'I am writing this letter to invite you to,' "A letter from U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley to Dr. and Mrs. Tony Tung-tien Lei," (February 8, 2006), Las Vegas, Nevada: Congresswoman Shelley Berkley's Office.
*5. Denton, Mark; Vega, Valorie; and Chang, Tiffany. 'Michael Douglas has been appointed Associate Professor of GSBPA by WBTI,' "A search of 'Justice Michael Douglas wbti' on the Google.com," (March 25, 2006), Mountain View, California: Google.com.
*6. Guinn, Kenny C. 'Nevada Proud of Our Troops in the Middle East,' "Section of 'Business & Administration' of the WBTI website," (March 23, 2006), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*7. Hunt, Lorraine. 'As the Hononary Chairperson of International Cities Business Council,' "A search of 'Chairperson Lorraine Hunt' on the Google.com," (March 26, 2006), Mountain View, California: Google.com.
*8. Gibbons, James. 'It's my great pleasure to extend my warm greetings of,' "A search of 'James Gibbons, U. S. Congressman' on the Google.com," (March 27, 2006), Mountain View, California: Google.com.

WBTI has supported Thai Cultural Arts Association of Las Vegas (TCAALV) already more than ten years for its annual Thai Performaning Arts - Appreciation Day.*1 It is a vivid example for its proclamation and creed which are for the encouragement and promotion of academic research, community service, and humane spirit. "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling him. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another," said the Bible.*2 The following is another example of what we would like to do for related and concerned associations in publicity:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Tony,

Thank you very much for your support of the Singapore Association of Nevada (a non-profit organization) during our launch year of 2003. It is with your support and encouragement that SAN has become a highly respected organization within the State of Nevada and the Republic of Singapore. When I founded SAN in 2003 it was with my strong passion and belief in the Republic of Singapore and the opportunity it provides for Singaporeans and can also provide for Nevadans (including businesses based in Nevada). SAN was formed in 2003 with the intent of creating a support mechanism for Singaporeans living in the State of Nevada (USA), providing support for Nevadans seeking to do business in Singapore (Southeast Asia), and to create government to government linkages between the Republic of Singapore and the State of Nevada.

I am proud to state that we have accomplished everything that we set out to do in 2003. We now have a electronic automated database of over 920 people / organizations that have shown an interest in SAN's role and also have a growing number of paid SAN members. We have also have begun the process of having regular SAN member meetings. Remember, SAN is as much of a business networking organization as it is a social support organization; for both Nevadans and Singaporeans. I encourage you to become a paid member of SAN and to always review www.singaporenevada.com for updates. I would also ask that you update your information with SAN for 2004. You will notice in the extreme lower left corner of this e-mail a link that says 'UPDATE YOUR PROFILE', please click on that link and provide SAN with your updated contact 2004 information. I sincerely wish you a very happy and safe holiday season; we look forward to your support of SAN in 2004.

Kindest Regards,

Jonathan Galaviz
President, Singapore Association of Nevada (SAN)*3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email: info@singaporenevada.org
voice: 702-595-5880
web: http://www.singaporenevada.org
Singapore Association of Nevada (SAN) ˇP 1930 Village Center Cir. #3-281 ˇP Las Vegas

-----------------------------------------------------------------
References

*1. Bell, Stewart; Walsh Jessie; Chang, Tiffany. 'Las Vegas nicer with community service through cultural arts,' "10 Years of Thai Cultures in Las Vegas, Nevada," (September 16, 2003), p.30.
*2. New King James Version. "The Holy Bible," London, England: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
*3. Galaviz, Jonathan. 'Letter of Season's Greetings to Dr. Tony T. Lei, WBTI,' "E-mail of Singapore Association of Nevada," (December 15, 2003), pp. 1-2.

This section is temporarily put here in this box. It's not for the series of main sections. It should go to the next large box as soon as possible. Thank you.

Sincerely,

WBTI

I’d like to tell you about another positive development for Nevada’s business climate. Since this administration privatized Nevada’s workers’ compensation system in 1999, one of the major success stories for our state has been the downward trend in workers’ compensation rates. This privatization resulted in the elimination of a potential $1.6 billion state liability and helped the state create better efficiencies, resulting in the elimination of more than 500 employee positions. As a result, most Nevada employers have seen a consistent reduction in renewal premiums.

Recently, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) submitted a filing to decrease workers’ compensation voluntary insurance loss costs in Nevada by an average of 6.8 percent. The NCCI also filed for a decrease in workers’ compensation insurance assigned risk rates by an average of 1.9 percent. The changes will become effective in January 2005.

This is the second year in a row that workers’ compensation loss costs have declined for Nevada’s employers. In 2004, rates were decreased by 12.3 percent in voluntary loss costs and 15.6 percent in assigned risk rates. This is in contrast to many other states, where workers’ compensation rates have remained flat or increased.

Nevada’s efforts to diversify the state’s business portfolio benefit greatly from these falling rates, as reduced costs encourage businesses to relocate to Nevada. In addition, reduced costs encourage existing businesses to remain firm in their commitment to Nevada. Although it should be noted that NCCI loss costs are only one component of the rates charged by insurers, this recent news is yet another encouraging sign of the state’s ever-strengthening business climate.

-----------------------------------------
Reference

*1. About Governor Kenny Guinn (by the Editor of this flier):

Kenny Guinn, 67, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan. He was named Superintendent of Schools in Clark County and served with distinction in that position until 1978.

In his work for the Clark County School District, Guinn was recognized as an effective administrator committed to educational excellence at a time when the county was experiencing exponential student growth. His service to Clark County students was honored when Kenny C. Guinn Junior High School was named for him.

In 1978, Guinn began applying his management skills in business as Administrative Vice President for Nevada Savings and Loan in Las Vegas, which later became PriMerit Bank. At PriMerit, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas-based bank. Soon thereafter, Guinn was recruited to the energy business as the President of Southwest Gas Corporation and eventually became Chairman of the Board of Directors of that utility in 1993.

In 1994, Guinn was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

In addition to his one-year term at UNLV, Guinn served the state in leadership roles on a variety of committees and commissions, including the Clark County Community College Advisory Committee, the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees, the White House Conference on Children and Youth, among others.

Guinn has also worked in his community in a variety of volunteer roles, ranging from involvement in the Boy Scouts and Pop Warner Football to the United Way of Southern Nevada and the Southern Nevada Independent Youth Athletic Association.

Kenny spent his boyhood in the small, Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 47 years. Kenny Guinn believes in families.

Dr. Kenny Guinn is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI). He is now the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A. at his second term.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark Denton and Valorie Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service spects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.

------------------------------
A fortunate tour of events --- Entrepreneur built success helping others find their way
By Chris Jones and LVRJ*1

In order to promote both the business and tourism for Nevada and foreign countries, Graduate School of Business and Technology Institute (GSBPA) of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) post the following report through the courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal on May 12, 2004:

Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

A fortunate tour of events
Entrepreneur built success helping others find their way

By CHRIS JONES
GAMING WIRE

***Elsa Patterson, right, and her daughter, Jennifer Patterson, stand Thursday inside McCarran International Airport. The two work for J&J Tours out of Las Vegas, a company handling everything from ground transportation and hotel reservations to show tickets.
Photo by John Locher.(Plese check the photo with LVRJ.)

***Ximena Ledezma, left, and Paola Vargas of Mexicana Airlines/OnVisa check in travelers from Mexico on Thursday in terminal 2 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
Photo by John Locher.(Plese check the photo with LVRJ.)

Millions of tourists come to Las Vegas each year hoping to find their fortunes in a casino.*2

Elsa Patterson instead found hers ensuring that many of those guests made it aboard the correct bus on their way out of the airport.

For the past 12 years, Patterson has owned and operated J&J Tours, a Las Vegas-based tour company whose seven employees handle everything from ground transportation and hotel reservations to show tickets and expert advice for Spanish-speaking travelers.

Patterson's company initially served a handful of visitors each week, but as Las Vegas has grown in popularity among Latino travelers, so has her business. These days, J&J services approximately 35,000 to 40,000 visitors each year, most from Mexico or Central and South America nations.

"I came to the right place at the right moment," Patterson said of her company's growth. "All of the flights, almost everybody came to us. ... I was really lucky."

Patterson previously owned a travel agency in Mexico City that frequently sent customers to Southern Nevada. A family visit to Las Vegas during the New Year's Eve 1990 holiday inspired her to move from her native country a year later.

"Comparing this city with Mexico City, which is so big, I thought this was a place where I'd like to live," Patterson said of her adopted hometown. "There is the dynamic of the tourism industry here, but once you get off the Strip this is still a very nice, small town. Or at least it was in 1990," she joked.

In collaboration with OnVisa, J&J Tours' sister company in Mexico City, Patterson in 1992 began helping Mexican travelers make their way around Las Vegas. At the time, air service was limited to a handful of charter flights, but Patterson's arrival coincided with a growth period that today brings nearly 20 direct flights from Mexico to McCarran International Airport each week.

It's difficult to accurately track how many Mexicans visit Las Vegas each year because many travel here by automobile after entering the United States in Arizona or California. Based solely upon air passenger statistics, Mexico was this city's third-largest foreign market in 2002, according to the most current data available from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and U.S. Department of Commerce.

That year, an estimated 254,000 Mexicans flew to Las Vegas. Only Canada (1.05 million) and the United Kingdom (290,000) supplied more foreign visitors to this market.

To further improve business from south of the border, the convention authority last month opened its first foreign bureau in Mexico City. That office will be directed by Marco Aguilar, who has worked for more than two decades in travel and promotions-related industries including his current role on the Visit USA Committee-Mexico.

In announcing Aguilar's hiring, the convention authority reported that Mexico now sends 9.8 million visitors to U.S. destinations each year and is projected to post a 21 percent increase in U.S. visitation by 2006.

Inside the United States, the convention authority's contracted advertising agency, Las Vegas-based R&R Partners, last year debuted its first-ever marketing campaign aimed specifically at Spanish-speaking travelers. An R&R representative said last week those ads will again air this summer in several heavily Hispanic U.S. markets.

Regardless of how much the local Latino market grows, Patterson said she'll take pride knowing that her daughter, Jennifer, is also involved in the family business. The 24-year-old is today J&J Tours' manager, one of the many responsibilities she's gradually taken on since her first days at the office as a 12-year-old middle-school pupil.

"I've been in this for 30 years; I belong to the stone age," Patterson said. "She brings along knowledge of the younger generation, so it's a great combination."

Patterson's son Jasson -- whose first initial makes up the second half of the J&J name -- could also join the business someday, though mom said her 20-year-old son is now focused on his college studies.*3

---------------------------------
*****FOCUS ON TOURISM
THURSDAY
Profile of the travel academy at Valley High School, a magnet program that trains students for jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry.

---------------------------------------
References

*1. Through the courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal.
*2. Jones, Chris. 'A fortunate tour of events
--- Entrepreneur built success helping others find their way,' "Las Vegas Review-Journal," (May 12, 2004), Las Vegas, Nevada: reviewjournal.com.
*3. Ibid.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark Denton and Valorie Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service spects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.

------------------------------------------
The recent educational and academic publication of our Grazidio School of Business and Management of Pepperdine University

By Tiffany Chang

It's our pleasure to post the information about educational and academic study and research of the "Graziadio Business Report" of our Grazidio School of Business and Management. The School is one of the famous and achieved institution in Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, U. S. A..
We are also pleased to share the following information and knowledge with all our friends and faculty members of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI):

We are pleased to announce that there is now a new issue online. We invite you to visit the home page at http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/ or to click through to one or more of the features and articles below.*1

Slips, Trips and Falls: A primer for businesses on the law of premises liability
Charles Hunt, J.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/liability.html
Inviting the public into your place of business - or even to walk on the sidewalk in front of your business - carries some risk. What is your responsibility if someone trips or falls down while on your premises? Where are the places that you might need extra security in order to avoid someone being harmed? What kind of practices will provide you with a good defense should something happen? (Hint: Proactive safety measures as a routine part of business are a good idea!) To see what else might be helpful, read Charles Hunt's primer on liability.

The Dollar vs. the Euro: How low will it go?
Peggy Crawford, Ph.D., Terry Young, Ph.D. and Julia Takhtarov
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/devaluation.html
The fall of the dollar against most of the world's currencies over the past year requires that businesses consider another layer of complexity in making plans: How will the price of imported parts or goods (including oil), be affected by the slide of the dollar and how will that affect my business? On the other hand, can I sell more abroad if American goods cost less overseas? The authors tackle these questions, with a particular focus on the relationship of the dollar to the euro.

Currency Exchange Quiz
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/quiz.html
When you have finished the article, or maybe before, you can try your hand at the Currency Exchange Quiz. It is an interesting way to see how well you understand the concepts - and no one even knows your score unless you want to brag.

Slowing Runaway Juries: Court decisions provide new guidance for punitive damage awards
Larry Bumgardner, J.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/punitive.html
Businesses facing a lawsuit over some alleged product defect or improper behavior often fear that they may face punitive damage awards in the millions or even billions of dollars imposed by juries determined to "send a message." A recent Supreme Court decision provides corporate defendants some hope of relief. Find out what the guidelines now are based on a recent Supreme Court decision.

Using Conflict to Your Advantage: Butting heads is not always bad.
Teri C. Tompkins, Ph.D., and Kathryn S. Rogers, Ph.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/learningteams.html
Based on an in-depth study by Tompkins of work teams in the aerospace industry, the authors provide a four-stage process for teams that want to grow into effective learning teams. They show that while conflict is endemic in organizational life, it need not always be negative. Those working together must understand the basic principles of how to use conflict to facilitate becoming a learning team that increases its capacity to take effective action through diffusion of knowledge and skills.

Wired! Hong Kong, China, and Japan flex their electronic muscles
Mark Chun, Ph.D. and Charla Griffy-Brown, Ph.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/itinfrastructures.html
Whether your business is B2B or B2C, if you are planning to visit or do business in China, Japan, or Hong Kong you need to understand the nature of the electronic infrastructure and whether or not you will be able communicate in the same way you are used to doing back home. Chun and Griffy-Brown provide an overview of how these infrastructures have developed and what you can expect. They also point out the need to understand the cultural expectations that will also be there.

Merging Successfully: The importance of understanding organizational culture in mergers and acquisitions
Kent Rhodes, Ed.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/mergers.html
Mergers and acquisitions as a growth strategy seem to be coming back into vogue. In this article Rhodes warns that creating a new company is not as easy as it may appear on paper. However he doesn't stop there. He identifies particular problems and then strategies to deal with the most elusive, but critical, element of the new company -- its culture.

A Conversation with Tom Ross:
CIO and Vice President, Information Systems Division of American Honda
Mark Chun, Ph.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/conversation.html
Professor Chun, who teaches in the area of information systems, talks with Mr. Ross about the Honda culture, about the issues involved in moving from a technical position to managing a business, and the importance of real communication for a successful business operation.

Don't Panic: Try the way of the trout
Charla Griffy-Brown, Ph.D.
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/editor.html
The always-creative Dr. Griffy-Brown helps us understand the importance of being focused and constant, even in turbulent times. Using a number of metaphors from the sea and its life, she provides some good suggestions for business practice - along with introducing this issue of GBR.

The Book Corner
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/books.html
The response to this new feature was very positive in our last issue. We are therefore pleased to bring four new suggestions for books. This time the range of topics is broad, but we believe that you will find all of these very worthy of your consideration. We have added a new feature where you can click directly through to Amazon and order the book if you like.

The Arcade: Consumer Credit Calculators
http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/041/arcade.html
Instead of a strictly business software package this time, GBR brings you some calculators that may help you sort out your own personal financial situation. In a time when many jobs have been lost to downsizing, or when people have decided to try their hand at consulting or beginning a new business, financial decisions are critical. You can use these calculators to help figure out your situation. And if you find that you are already swimming in those turbulent waters that Dr. Griffy-Brown writes about, then there are suggestions here for you as well.

We hope that you find this issue of the Graziadio Business Report informative and valuable. We also invite you to pass this message and information about GBR along to your colleagues and friends.

------------------------
References

*1. Graziadio School of Business and Management. 'Graziadio Business Report: The latest issue of the Graziadio Business Report is now online!' "An e-mail to Dr. Tony Lei from the Grazidio School of Business and Management, Pepperdine University," (April 27, 2004), Malibu, California: Pepperdine University.
*2. Ibid.

88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%88%

Thursday, April 29, 2004
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Report says LV extends reign as convention king*1

City ranks atop Tradeshow Week list for 10th year

By CHRIS JONES
GAMING WIRE

Workers on Wednesday arrange Milliken Carpet's booth for the Hospitality Design Show at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Measured by square footage, Las Vegas' 16.9 million total equated to a 27.4 percent market share of the nation's 200 largest shows, Tradeshow Week said.
Photo by John Gurzinski.

Las Vegas was again named the nation's top convention destination for 2003, extending a remarkable 10-year reign as the industry's No. 1 host market, editors of a respected industry publication said this week.

Since 1974, Tradeshow Week, a Los Angeles-based magazine that monitors the global convention industry, has compiled a list of the nation's largest conventions and trade shows. Its annual Tradeshow Week 200 report, to be published in Friday's edition, also lists the industry's busiest cities as ranked by most large shows hosted, as well as total square footage leased by such shows during the year.

For 2003, Las Vegas again ranked as the industry's dominant market in both categories. Its 38 shows were 11 more than second-place Chicago and 21 better than last year's third-place finisher, Orlando, Fla.
....

Paul Dykstra, whose GES Exposition Services supports some of this city's largest trade shows including the International Consumer Electronics Show and National Association of Broadcasters' annual event, said Wednesday he's not surprised Las Vegas has maintained its top ranking for so long.

"We've seen strengthening in all of our Vegas-based business," said Dykstra, who is president and chief executive officer of GES. "It's got a terrific convention and visitors bureau, three of the (nation's) largest venues and the hotels and infrastructure that really support the convention and trade show business."

That opinion was supported by Patti Shock, who is chairwoman of the tourism and convention department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Shock said Wednesday that conventions held here usually draw more attendees because guests know there's plenty to do outside the trade show hall -- a characteristic that often means less work for show planners.

"Who wants to sit at a banquet room, rubber chicken dinner when they can be out doing Las Vegas?" Shock asked. "Here (show organizers) don't have to plan so many events" to occupy delegates after hours.

Shock added local convention centers' proximity to hotels, restaurants and other attractions makes Las Vegas more appealing than cities where guests must travel great distances from venue to venue, particularly for large, citywide conventions.

Las Vegas is the only city that's home to three of the country's 10 largest convention venues: the 2.3 million-square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center; 1.9 million-square foot Sands Expo and Convention Center adjacent to The Venetian; and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, a 1.5 million-square-foot center on the south Strip.

While the presence of several large halls allows Las Vegas to maximize its trade show calendar, Shock said she routinely hears from meeting planners who complain that they can't book space in Las Vegas because the city is already too busy.

"We're so busy we can't keep up with all the business we do have," Shock said. "There would be tons and tons more people who'd meet here if they could get in."

To that end, 871,000 square feet of new meeting space is scheduled to open at various sites in town by the end of 2006, bringing the citywide inventory close to 10 million square feet.
....
Last year, conventions added an estimated $6.5 billion to the local economy, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That total included smaller shows as well as those mentioned in the Tradeshow Week 200.

The 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show, held Jan. 8-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, was named the year's largest trade show with nearly 1.25 million square feet used. Overall, Las Vegas was host to six of the year's 10 largest events.*2

-----------------------
References

*1. Jones, Chris. 'Report says LV extends reign as convention king --- City ranks atop Tradeshow Week list for 10th year,' "Las Vegas Review-Journal," (April 29, 2004), Las Vegas, Nevada: reviewjournal.com.
*2. Ibid.