Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

May 28, 2011

Where Should the Vegas Internet Mafia Have Its Picnic?

Posted by daveschwartz

Now that we have a date (10/22/11) for the first annual Vegas Internet Mafia Picnic, speculation is building about which hotel the VIMP braintrust will deign to grace its presence with. Naturally with an event of this significance, there's a considerable veil of secrecy around the high-powered negotiations that are taking place at this very moment.

Since I'm not directly involved in the complex back-and-forth that's currently on-going, I'm free to publicly speculate about where the VIMP will end up pitching its tent (yes, it's going to be that exciting of a weekend). Here are seven distinct possibilities:

Flamingo: Hosted the final (for now) Podcast-a-Palooza last year; we might get some overflow wedding guests, too.

Cosmopolitan: The newest with the mostest on the Strip, for the foreseeable future. Special bonus: the Cosmo will have the mother of all door prizes, a completely comped weekend (RFB) at one of its swanky clubside bungalows. The winner won't be picked randomly, as in the past. Instead s/he will be the one who guesses correctly the exact number of hours and minutes that Chuckmonster has to wait before his room is available.

Tropicana: Currently setting the Vegas eating press all abuzz with its spectacular opening party for Nikki Beach, this would be a great chance for the resort to show off its new look. Unfortunately, no one invited looks good in white.

Sahara: For a special one-night-only event, the fencing comes down and the VIM invades! Tragedy ensues, however, when Sam Nazarian, true to his word, secures a construction loan and chooses that weekend to implode the place to make way for the SLS Las Vegas, which opens on December 15, 2014.

Wynn Las Vegas: Yes, its social media star has been fading, but the resort offers the perfect venue: a repurposed Alex, which is just right to accommodate the raucous but eminently discerning Picnickers. It could happen.

Bellagio: The atmosphere is electric (and quite cramped) as the revelers push out the construction crews for an evening and take over the in-progress Hyde Lounge.

Vdara: Paul Carr guest stars as we take this weekend to highlight what is truly one of the Strip's under-appreciated gems.

Wherever this event lands, this much is clear: even five months out, excitement is building, and casino executives are working themselves into a frenzy out-bidding each other for the right to hold the gathering. Keep checking the official Vegas Internet Mafia Picnic website for updates.



Comments

Read archived comments (4 so far)
May 28, 2011 7:33 PM Posted by Chris Hall

I like the Sahara idea...maybe we'll hit all the shuttered casinos.
Strip - Sahara
Off Strip - Key Largo
Downtown - Lady Luck

May 29, 2011 2:28 AM Posted by BigHoss

Instead of shuttered casinos, maybe yet-to-be-opened properties should be considered. I'm sure Uncle Shelly would let us set up some cots and a Porta-John or two on one of those unfinished floors of the St. Regis. We could build a big bonfire up on the roof by the giant "L" for the weenie roast portion of the event. The downside to this is that most of us probably aren't high-rollery enough for LVS. If we want to get closer to the center of whatever, we could try for the Harmon (lower floors only). The Fontainebleau may still have enough vacant scaffolding in October to serve our needs. Of course if we want to go the organic, vacant-lot route, we could just let Chuck pull his bus up in the middle of either the Echelon or Plaza site and let it spread out from there.

May 30, 2011 6:38 AM Posted by JEF

In the Pocket Park!

June 13, 2011 9:49 PM Posted by thebucket

Quite seriously (though your promotional web page names the place as 'on the Las Vegas Strip'), you may want to consider talking to the folks at Plaza downtown. I have found their social media efforts to be some of the most on-target, genuine (non-corporate-PR-flavoured) efforts I have witnessed to date.

The folks in charge of their online efforts are no doubt quite aware of the VIM members and associated blogs/podcasts/websites/whatever. I would not be surprised if they might be willing to donate a venue and perhaps refreshments of some sort in the newly-reopened Plaza facility. I'm not sure who one should contact, but the right people's attention should be caught by communication thru their Facebook page.