Pageant Press: Where will Miss America 2007 be held?
The odyssey to lure Miss America back to Las Vegas
John Katsilometes
August 02, 2006
The odyssey to lure Miss America back to Las Vegas seems to be nearing a conclusion. We hear that the Aladdin - which held the 2006 pageant at the Theatre for the Performing Arts - is poised to bring the pageant back to Vegas in 2007. Negotiations among the hotel and representatives from the Miss America Organization and the cable channel CMT have nearly concluded. All that remains are a few relatively minor details to be resolved between the hotel and cable representatives before an official announcement is made. The entire deal might be finalized as early as the end of the week. Leading the negotiations from the Las Vegas end has been Aladdin/Planet Hollywood Chief Executive Mike Mecca, who jumped at the chance to negotiate with CMT, which broadcast the pageant for the first time in January, after Las Vegas Events backed out of the running in June. At that time a CMT spokeswoman said the pageant was negotiating with several venues in several cities; since, the Aladdin has moved to the forefront (the hotel will be in the process of changing over to Planet Hollywood through early '07 and is also refurbishing the Theatre for the Performing Arts, which should be finished in November.)Crucial to Las Vegas Events' decision to drop out of the pageant sweepstakes was that the Miss America Organization made plans to tape the reality series "Finding Miss America" exclusively in Los Angeles in September. That made Miss America Organization's request of $1 million for title sponsorship too steep for Las Vegas Events, but it is not yet known how much money, or what type of proposal, was made by the Aladdin to Miss America. What is certain is that the Aladdin really wanted the event, and Las Vegas has been Miss America's preferred choice since January's show drew record ratings to CMT.
John Katsilometes on how bringing Miss America back for a second date in Vegas is proving to be a tough proposition
John Katsilometes
June 16, 2006
It's not easy to get a date with Miss America.
The site of the 2007 pageant to crown Miss America remains a mystery , but we do know that Las Vegas Events has dropped its attempt to be the pageant's title sponsor, LVE President Pat Christenson confirmed Thursday. For months, Christenson had been negotiating with the Miss America Organization to bring the pageant back to Las Vegas, where it enjoyed an action-packed week of pageantry in January.
The city's final chance to host the pageant in 2007 probably rests with Aladdin/Planet Hollywood Chief Executive Mike Mecca, who is reportedly assembling a proposal to return the pageant to the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. The Aladdin was the pageant's host hotel in January.
A spokeswoman from CMT, which broadcast the pageant for the first time this year, did not rule out a return to Las Vegas. "We are in negotiations with several venues in several cities," Lisa Chader said Thursday from Nashville, Tenn. "The door is still open in Vegas."
One big reason Las Vegas Events dropped out of the pageant sweepstakes: The Miss America Organization announced this week that it will tape all episodes of the "Finding Miss America" in Los Angeles in September - meaning that Las Vegas would not be featured in any segment of the reality series on CMT.
"Most of this, from our perspective, was to look at this as a promotion of Las Vegas ¦ and what would be the best way to get promotional value," Christenson said. "We wanted to get the biggest and best amount of exposure, and the fact that the CMT reality series, that nine-hour show, was not part of the deal was a big factor. And also, Las Vegas would not be the title sponsor, so it was difficult for us to spend that kind of money, based on the return."
That kind of money is $1 million, which is how much Miss America was asking of LVE to bring the pageant back to Las Vegas. Christenson said that's 25 percent of the entire annual budget for all of the events LVE brings to Las Vegas, including the lucrative National Finals Rodeo and Las Vegas Bowl.
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