N. Nevada tourism guru focuses on gear heads

By Chris Ciarlo, KTVN-TV

As the economy continues to recover, every state is fighting for tourism dollars.

Here, at home, the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority is launching a new campaign it hopes will bring in the next wave of tourists called Northern Nevada Motor Madness.

“When I arrived in Reno, I was really delighted to see all the cool, special events we had all summer long,” said Chris Baum, CEO of the RSCVA. “What I noticed was a lot of those are what I call piston powered; motorcycle, car, airplane, even Jet Skis. When you put it all together, we really have about a dozen world class activities that appeal to the gear head.”

The idea is if there’s an audience for Hot August Nights and there’s an audience for off-road racing out at Mustang, why not cross-promote?

Baum said cross-promotion gives every event exposure and a boost in attendance.

He also said this series is all about repackaging Nevada to the rest of the nation and no longer focusing on just gaming.

“We will always have gaming here, it just can’t be the lead offer anymore. We have to take something else and put it out front as what Reno-Sparks and North Lake Tahoe are today. Fortunately, we have a lot to go with because unlike a lot of other destinations that might be a one trick pony, we’ve got incredible, natural surroundings.”