Meant for each other

Gay marriage + Vegas wedding biz = $$$

By Andrew Kiraly

The front of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office isn't the most romantic spot for swapping wedding vows, but you can't beat it for significance. That's where Lee Plotkin and partner Robert Smith tied the knot March 10, joining thousands of other same-sex couples who've trekked there in recent months to get married.

"It was awesome," says Plotkin, a longtime Las Vegas gay rights advocate. "What's fascinating is that the couples I saw in San Francisco were serious, long-term couples. It wasn't some Britney Spears `oops, what did I do?' thing. I think the public got to see that loving gay couples are not menacing or extreme. If they were, you can bet it would have been plastered all over the '700 Club.'"

Plotkin and Smith's brief ceremony was followed by dinner, drinks and sightseeing. And, at the risk of souring the newlywed vibe, it's interesting to note that Plotkin and Smith spent a fair amount of money during their 48-hour whirlwind hitching; by Plotkin's accounting, between $1,500 and $2,000. "That's not counting if we'd bought rings or had more time to plan, or more friends who were able to attend," he says.

And to think he could have spent that money in Las Vegas.

Sure, same-sex marriage is illegal in Nevada. State law prohibits it, and a constitutional amendment that went into effect in 2002 says the state only recognizes marriage as a guy-girl affair. Still, with the issue of same-sex marriage on the country's mind, it's a tantalizing proposition: How would Southern Nevada's bottom line benefit if same-sex marriage were legal in Clark County? By some accounts, it could bring in as much as an extra $27 million a year, perhaps more. Between Vegas' rep as a marriage mecca and the much-vaunted power of the pink dollar--according to some, worth about $485 billion annually--it'd be, ahem, a match made in heaven.

"It's difficult to say what the economic impact would be," says Rob Powers, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "But you could certainly make the argument that, were such unions allowed here, there'd be no question that many gay and lesbian couples would come to Vegas to get married."

Let's play pretend. According to LVCVA numbers, last year, 2 percent of Vegas' 35.5 million visitors--710,000 tourists--said they came for a wedding, whether as brides, grooms or guests, generating $450.1 million in nongaming revenue. Broken down, that's about $634 spent per person.

What if a percentage of those weddings were same-sex? The math gets murky, but there's definitely money to be made. Gay leaders have often said that about 10 percent of the population is gay, a number that comes from the 1948 book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Alfred Kinsey; that figure's been questioned ever since. Others say the figure is between 1 and 6 percent; many studies these days use 6 percent. Six percent of last year's 710,000 wedding visitors is 42,600. Assuming a same-sex wedding party is just as lively as a straight one--spending the same $634 per person--that amounts to an extra $27,008,400 per year. It's no Megabucks, but not chump change, either.

"I suspect it would have a marginal impact," says Keith Schwer, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV. "A few people might decide to come here who otherwise wouldn't."

Twenty-seven million dollars is a conservative estimate. After all, if more than 4,000 marriage-minded gay and lesbian couples flooded San Francisco in little more than a month's time, who's to say what Vegas could do? Assuming that Las Vegas--with a robust marketing campaign and gay-targeted chapels--could bring at least that many couples a month, that makes for 48,000 gays and lesbians getting hitched here annually, pushing the revenue over $30 million. While same-sex marriage is illegal here, "commitment ceremonies" for gays and lesbians already take place regularly all over the valley; for instance, gay-owned Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel performs about 60 a month, says owner Ron DeCar.

And who could predict the overflow effect? Effects such as them settling here. Katherine Levy, spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, points out that legalizing gay marriage might not only tap into a new market, but might have longer-term economic consequences. "If we had a perception of being a welcoming place to the gay community, that would definitely have a positive effect whether through tourism or people settling here."

Indeed, same-sex couples in wedding garb is one thing, but same-sex couples sporting J. Crew as they mow suburban lawns--becoming permanent residents--is another avenue. According to a 2003 study by Witeck-Combs Communications and MarketResearch.com, the total buying power of the U.S. gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adult population is estimated at $485 billion. The study assumes a 6 to 7 percent GLB population--or between 14 and 16 million individuals over age 18--and points out that it's not that GLBs earn more, they just have more to spend (the secret: no kids). It's a pool of money Vegas would be wise to tap into, says Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. Other cities are beating us to the fruit punch.

"If there's one thing that Vegas needs to be aware of, it's that we're at a moment when other major markets like San Francisco, Portland, New York and Washington, D.C. already have gay-specific and gay-tailored marketing and promotions programs," Witeck says. "I don't think Vegas has a niche strategy [for the GLB market], and it lacks that at its own peril." Witeck is loath to speculate on how much Vegas could benefit from an infusion of GLB cash--whether lured through legal gay marriage or just sharper marketing programs.

The LVCVA's Powers say it's hard at work on a "diversity marketing" campaign, which will target not just gays, but a rainbow of groups from Latinos to African-Americans to Native Americans. It's part of a larger, five-year strategic plan to bolster Vegas' marketing muscle.

"There's no question this is a new program for us. You could make the argument that we could have done it a while ago, but [the gay and lesbian market ] is not something we've completely ignored in the past," Powers says. "We certainly know we were reaching them with our overall marketing program, but publicity specifically targeting the gay and lesbian market is a part [of the diversity marketing campaign]."

Meanwhile, some hotels are doing it themselves--catch is, they're not Las Vegas properties. Kimpton Hotels, a chain stretching from San Francisco to Cambridge, has come up with a honeymoon package tailored to gay and lesbian couples who've recently tied the knot. Kimpton spokesman Andrew Freeman declined to say how much the market is worth, but he does say that the honeymoon packages figured in significantly to a 10 percent boost in Kimpton's business last month. Vegas could easily take advantage of that boost.

"Gay travelers love to go to Las Vegas," says Freeman. "I think the amazing thing about Vegas is it has the opportunity to hit a lot of segments of the [gay and lesbian] market, from targeting value-conscious or younger people who'd go for a small wedding chapel on the Strip, to others who would go to the Bellagio or Paris and treat it as an upscale affair to celebrate their commitment."

And there's always just a good old-fashioned Elvis wedding. "I can certainly think of plenty of gay people who worship camp in all its forms, and that's pretty much what you get at any Vegas wedding chapel," says Jere Keys, editor of the gay newspaper Q Vegas. "Elvis weddings, `Star Trek' weddings, any kind of theme. After all, gay men invented the theme."