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Ralenkotter was CEO of the agency from 2004 through August 2018. State prosecutors brought a complaint against him on allegations of theft and misconduct of a public officer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Investigators say Ralenkotter, Brig Lawson, the former director of business at the LVCVA, and Cathy Tull, the agency’s former chief marketing officer, purchased $90,000 worth of airline gift cards with tax money, but used the credits predominantly for personal travel. Prosecutors assert Lawson convinced Southwest marketing executive Eric Woodson to disguise the cards as promotions handed to the LVCVA. In exchange, Woodson was wined and dined in Las Vegas with free concerts, dinners, and hotel rooms.<\/p>\n
Ralenkotter has denied any wrongdoing. The case is set to continue in May when a judge will decide whether the matter will head to trial.<\/p>\n
Agency Benefits<\/b><\/h2>\n The Ralenkotter scandal isn’t the only black eye on the LVCVA. In 2017, the Las Vegas Review-Journal <\/i>exposed seemingly excessive spending. The agency spent $700,000 on alcohol and $85,000 on adult entertainment over a three-year period.<\/p>\n
Agency officials claim it’s value received, as part of the process of keeping marquee conventions coming to town is wooing the brass who are responsible for coordinating the events.<\/p>\n
In 2017, Ralenkotter’s final full year as LVCVA chief executive, his pay and benefits totaled $862,953. DeLone’s full-year 2018 compensation totaled $431,065.<\/strong><\/p>\nBy comparison, the governor of Nevada receives less than $200,000 annually. The president of the United States is paid $400,000 a year.<\/p>\n
The mission of both agencies is to promote their respective areas as premier business and leisure destinations. The LVCVA 2020 fiscal year budget is $358.2 million. The RSCVA operates on a much slimmer budget, roughly $50 million.<\/p>\n
Visitor volume increased one percent in Las Vegas last year, with 42.5 million people coming to town. Convention attendance increased 2.3 percent.<\/p>\n
Visitor volume and convention business has been increasing steadily in Reno-Sparks<\/a> over the last five years. Roughly five million visitors traveled to Reno last year, and occupied room stays totaled 3.6 million nights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Phil DeLone is under investigation on allegations of misconduct, the agency said last week. Responding to a request submitted by the Reno Gazette Journal, RSCVA attorney Benjamin Kennedy confirmed that DeLone is the subject of an investigation. He did not provide specifics on the allegations of misconduct. In regard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":125991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,21],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Reno Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Under Investigation<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n