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NAB, what days are best and where to stay?

Christopher Barrett

Christopher Barrett

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Ok, I'm making plans to finally attend. I can't imagine spending more than 2 or 3 days. What would be the best timeframe... Mon - Wed? Or more importantly when is the RU Party likely to be? I'd also appreciate hotel recommendations. I may just do the Bellagio to make my first trip to Vegas over the top.

Thanks!
CB
 
Personally, I'd arrive Sunday (mid-day), hit the show Monday and Tuesday, and leave Wednesday.

And last time I was there we stayed at Vdara (non-smoking, non-gaming hotel), and it was really nice. Cosmopolitan and Aria also looked fantastic.
 
last year the RED party was Sunday evening (no announcement yet for this year...) BUt lots of corporate parties that start Sunday and usually go thru wednesday late into the night - EVERY nite!
 
Christopher Barrett said:
Ok, I'm making plans to finally attend. I can't imagine spending more than 2 or 3 days. What would be the best timeframe... Mon - Wed? Or more importantly when is the RU Party likely to be? I'd also appreciate hotel recommendations. I may just do the Bellagio to make my first trip to Vegas over the top.
Click to expand...

Bellagio is certainly a very nice hotel .... but it is not cheap! Here is a list of hotels/prices from the NAB web-site:

http://attendeemx.expobook.com/?EventId=234

I used to cover NAB for the old "Video Systems" Magazine and have actually written a survival guide for attending the show. I have been to probably 20 NAB shows. Now, if the RU /Light Iron Party is at the Tropicana, like it was last year, then the Tropicana is a possibility. We stayed there last year and it was OK. Nothing great, but convenient for the party. This year we booked across the street at the MGM Grand. The MGM Grand has a lot more restaurant choices and the NAB shuttle buses and the monorail both depart from the MGM, making it very easy to get around. (Cabs can be in short supply during the show ... and don't even think of renting a car, unless you are a masochist.) In the event the Party turns out to be at the Tropicana, then it is just a short walk across the bridge from the MGM to the Trop.

We are going from Sunday to Wednesday ... $49.00 each way from Long Beach to Vegas on Jet Blue. Such-a-deal! The other thing is when you arrive at the airport on Sunday, DO NOT get in the taxi line! You will wait in line for at least an hour (probably more) and then end-up paying well over $20.00 to be delivered to your hotel. Instead, look for the shuttle vans. You may have to wait 10 or 15 minutes for them to get the number of passengers required to begin the trip, and you may have to stop at a hotel or two before your hotel, but it will be much quicker and much cheaper than a taxi.

Last, but not least, NAB is huge. Mind numbing in fact. You will be on your feet for hours and will be walking a mile or more a day. Wear comfortable shoes and stay well-hydrated.

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Just a word of caution for those flying. I fly on Spirit airlines back and forth from LA to Vegas all the time. Spirit has great prices but has started to crack down on their carry on rules. They will only let you have one personal item for free, which is about the size of a school backpack! Anything else and they will charge you. Last time a couple in front of me each had a small roller bag that would fit normally on any airline carry on, They charged them $100 each at the gate!
 
And I'm sure they will never fly Spirit again. And just hearing that, neither will I. This is how airlines die. Free bags on Southwest still and you can rebook your flight the day before and not get any fees. So when a job pops up last minute you can cancel your flight and not get charged at all, just rebook your flight! The only thing that blows is direct flights don't really exist on Southwest...
 
Lame. I was looking at Spirit as their rate is $100 lower than American. I just went to their website and reviewed the "Optional Fees". Screw them. I'd rather pay more than give my money to thieves.
 
I usually try to fly in on Sunday afternoon and beg for early check in.
I've stayed at most of the hotels over the last 16 years - Paris, Bellagio, Venetian, Treasure Island, Circus Circus, Palazzo, etc
I really like the MGM, even though it is way big and some of the rooms ain't that great (avoid the old section).
But, their pool rules, and after getting worn down pounding the pavement at NAB, it is a great place to lax out.
But when I went to their website it appears Sunday night is sold out.
I might go with the Mirage on Sunday night and then transfer over to MGM on MON and TUE.
PS: BIG SECRET - The Monorail starts at the MGM station, so every train arrives EMPTY and many times only one stop later - forgettaboutit.
The NAB buses are okay and get you there, but I love the Monorail - reminds me of Disneyland as a kid and is FAST and cheap.

Someone said you might walk a mile a day. I think my average is 5-10 miles a day. Half of that on the show floor(s),
so YES, good shoes (I try to go with new, but broken in, tennies. Water is expensive at the casinos, so head down the strip and
hit CVS or Walgreens for water, booze and mixers.
 
I'm in vegas a lot for work (in the hotel commercial world) and have stayed about everywhere. My favorites are the Palms (off the strip but really fun place, cool casino, playboy club, over the top nightclub, great sushi restaurant, and if you're a baller and have a few friends you can get a fantasy suite which are friggin amazing themed rooms) or the Aria. The Aria has the best rooms, and super comfortable as well as a great casino, and some really great places to eat. The Bellagio is a classic, but I don't really like to stay there...it's too stuffy for my taste. Dont forget to go to chinatown off the strip for some awesome dim sum.
Trey
 
MGM is handy because the monorail access. For NAB I recommend staying at one of the hotels that will have the NAB shuttle service. I've done well at the MGM, NYNY and a few others. The two I DON'T recommend are Planet Hollywood and the Tropicana. Neither have bus service for the convention. The Tropicana isn't too bad because you can take the walkway over to the MGM and ride the monorail, but it's a shithole, even after the remodel. Planet Hollywood is off-strip and they have poor transportation services. No convention shuttle access.

If I manage to make NAB this year, I'm probably going to stay at the Aria or some place nice. I've hosed myself 3 years in a row now and refuse to do it again.

For off-strip, the Palms is nice and the Rio isn't bad either. I've had good luck at both.
 
...I take back what I said about Planet Hollywood in my previous post. I got them totally confused with the Hard Rock. Don't stay at the Hard Rock... Just don't do it.
 
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Normally I'm done seeing stuff by the first exhibit day, but I know what I'm looking for and where to go from previous years. Tuesday and Wednesday are usually party/event days. The rest of the time is for second looks, giveaways, and, funny enough, the RED booth because since the day RED began, the RED booth has been packed solid for at least the first two days of NAB.
 
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