When Community Brands Conflict: Sin City Image Repels Corporate Relocation

The marketing of sin that helps draw tourists to Las Vegas is an impediment in luring corporate headquarters to Southern Nevada, according to a white paper released by the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies.

The long-anticipated report drafted from a community roundtable in 2006 paints a pessimistic picture of Las Vegas' ability to recruit companies to Southern Nevada and diversify its economy beyond gaming.

In addition to the perception of Las Vegas as Sin City, soaring land costs, higher rents than other Western markets, a lack of affordable housing, a poorly educated workforce, weak school system, and a lack of cultural amenities make corporate recruitment a challenging task. The results were included in a report on office and industrial development framed by a panel of developers, planners, business owners and executives, government staffers and elected officials.

"Another difficulty stems from the idea of perception," the report said. "The kind of marketing that brings all tourists to Las Vegas - basically, sin - is exactly the kind of market that keeps corporate headquarters away." Read more here.