Monthly Archives: February 2022

Las Vegas pool clubs had a monster summer last year as pandemic-weary partiers returned to the Strip in record numbers to celebrate once again. But one of the citys essential dayclub venues wasnt ready to reopen.

Tao Beach, the rooftop extension of the Tao restaurant and nightclub complex at the Venetian, actually hadnt planned to operate during the summer of 2020, when pool parties and so many other events and venues went dark on the Strip. Tao Beach had already shuttered for a complete renovation and expansion, part of a larger pool deck project at the resort that was delayed by COVID.

Its on track to restart the party this spring, but returning guests likely wont recognize the new version. This is no makeover; its an entirely new venue.

People will be completely mystified and have no correlation to what was before and what is now, Tao Group partner Jason Strauss said during a recent construction-site tour of the facility.

Originally opened in 2007, Tao Beach previously operated across an intimate 18,000 square feet, with a capacity of 1,586. Upon reopeningset for March 18 with a grand opening celebration on April 1-3it will be one of the largest dayclubs in Las Vegas: 44,000 square feet with an occupancy of 3,000.

The all-new, $50 million-enhanced experience will begin with a grand entrance, very different from what Tao Beach guests will remember. We made access dramatically better with this major investment, Strauss said. It was a herculean effort to build this escalator through the roof of the Venetian from Tao restaurant and nightclub to take you up here.

The Bali-inspired design marks a vibrant expansion on the style of the previous club, crafted by the Rockwell Group and Susan Nugraha, Taos Vice President of Design and Development. Every element is bigger, including the DJ booth (with LED screen), 21 cabanas and two huge bars.

Especially with the giant Temple Bar, I think well have the best bar experience and bar views. That was a big thing, Strauss said. Obviously the cabanas are important for guests who place a premium on that real estate, but for those people who are just coming to enjoy the bar and dance, we spent a lot of time creating unique experiences for them.

Tao Beach was one of the first Vegas venues built as a dayclub, and the first to operate daily, but its size resulted in limitations. Now, it will undoubtedly be one of the major daytime venues on the Strip. And after last springs merger with the Hakkasan Group, Tao Group is running many of those pool clubs, including the recently renovated Wet Republic at MGM Grand.

The pandemic might have taken attention away from the joining of those two global hospitality giants, but the new company has become a dominant force on the Strip (while also operating dozens of venues on five continents). Hakkasan restaurant and nightclub at MGM Grand, Omnia at Caesars Palace and Jewel at Aria are just a few more of the nightlife spots acquired by the Tao Group in that move.

As that deal moves into its second year, the arrival of the revamped Tao Beach brings the companys focus back to the Las Vegas property where it all began. This was the mothership of Las Vegas, the mother brand of the entire company, and this is close to our hearts, especially mine, because I came out here 16 years ago to open up Tao, Strauss said.

For us to see this evolution and come back to the market with something first-in-class, its almost like seeing your baby grow up.

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Las Vegas' revamped Tao Beach prepares to seize the summer spotlight - Las Vegas Weekly

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Las Vegas is in a class by itself for so many reasons and is now at the forefront of Alzheimer's research.

Dave Courvoisier got wind of a groundbreaking new study that's unlike any in the world, happening right now at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. He met one woman who's grateful to be a part of it.

"So my mother had Alzheimer's and I was with her," said Jodi Manzella.

Alzheimer's disease is a sworn enemy for Manzella. It took her mother and then struck again. Her brother also had the disease before he passed away from complications from it.

Now she's taking part in a first-of-its-kind study focusing strictly on Alzheimer's in women.

"We opened the Women's Alzheimer's Movement Prevention Center because women represent two-thirds of the people currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease," said neuropsychiatrist Dr. Jessica Caldwell with the Cleveland Clinic.

She's excited to be at the center of it, hoping to lead to better understanding and, ultimately, better prevention.

BETTER PREVENTION

"We know that up to 40 percent of current Alzheimer's cases might've been prevented if we had known then what we know now about lifestyle," Caldwell said.

It's a confounding puzzle, figuring out why it strikes mostly women.

"I didn't know how disproportionate this disease affected with gender, so it really was surprising when I had first seen information about this program and targeting women with Alzheimer's," Manzella said.

But a study of this size takes money and influence, and that's where Cleveland Clinic's partnership with the Women's Alzheimer's Movement headed by Maria Shriver comes in.

"The Women's Alzheimer's Movement Prevention Center here at the Cleveland Clinic is a landmark center. It's the first of its kind in the world to focus on women," Shriver said.

Shriver's appearance at the Lou Ruvo Center in Las Vegas energized the program with funds, advocacy, and momentum.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

"What's fantastic about this prevention center is it says, we want to get you when you're young, when you're healthy and when you can make a difference. That's got to save not only your family and yourself financially, emotionally, spiritually, cognitively it will save our country," Shriver said.

"Maria Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement, they have a really amazing track record of raising funds for Alzheimer's disease, specifically. So to be able to have that resource in our corner is really amazing," Caldwell said.

And amazing because women like Jodi Manzella now have more hope to rise above their family history.

Right now the study is full, but there is a waiting list to get in on this first-of-its-kind study right here in Las Vegas. You can also help with program funding.

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First-of-its-kind Alzheimer's study happening in Las Vegas - KTNV Las Vegas

Every week seems to bring significant news about music festivals in Las Vegas. If it isnt the new emo-rock fest When We Were Young meeting wild demand by adding multiple days to its October debut on the Strip, its the homegrown Life Is Beautiful festival selling a majority stake to Rolling Stone magazine parent corporation Penske Media.

But a recent lineup announcement for the newest festival set to land in Las Vegas made news for an entirely different reason. Organizers of the Afterparty NFT Art and Music Festival, scheduled for March 18-19 at Area15, are calling it a first-of-its-kind event. Notable names like The Chainsmokers, The Kid Laroi, Charlie XCX, Gryffin and other DJs and artists will perform, but the festivals immersive digital art installations and unique connection to the NFT community will set it apart.

We want to bring NFT art to the forefront and create a celebration it deserves, says David Fields, co-founder and CEO of Afterparty. We believe this is a massive new movement, and were at the beginning of it. The centerpiece of the festival is the NFT art program, presenting it in a way it really hasnt been seen before, fully integrated into the experience.

And second is the idea of the communitys access to the event, that [attendees] will need to be a holder of the NFT or be a guest of theirs to actually attend. That creates a unique experience by really making the community the foundation of who can access the festival.

NFTs (nonfungible tokens) are unique, non-interchangeable units of data stored on a blockchain. Much of the current excitement around this new tech object is centered on selling digital art. For the festival, Afterparty has created an exclusive set of 1,500 NFTs curated by artists Nate Mohler and Alec Maassenknown as the Utopian collectionwhich will be among the installations at the festival and will also provide digital admission to the two-day event.

Chris Racan, formerly of the Kaaboo music festival in San Diego, and Ryan Doherty, former Life Is Beautiful partner and leader of Las Vegas-based Corner Bar Management, are serving as production partners for the Afterparty festival.

NFT art deserves to be seen and celebrated through an experience that is just as innovative as the NFT art itself, Doherty said in a statement. Were creating a festival that captures that energy and enthusiasm that fits into a future-ready environment that intensifies the impact these pieces have on the viewer.

Afterparty was founded last year and has attracted an investor group that includes Acrew Capital, TenOneTen Ventures, Reade Seiff and Craig Clemens. The company is based in LA.

Fields, a former Disney analyst who helped execute the companys acquisition of Pixar and later headed investments for former CEO Michael Eisner, says he decided he wanted to continue his career in the crypto world after reading the Ethereum Whitepaper, published before the 2015 launch of that open-source software project. Afterparty followed Fields founding of Wander, which uses low-cost wireless hardware proprietary software to provide wireless residential internet in Southern California.

We started to see NFTs had this potential to be a powerful tool for creators, something that can enable them to much more closely connect with fans, so we started building Afterparty to build that community and create the tools to enable that community, Fields says. Weve built a lot of technology around NFTs as access, more than just a one-off digital art piece, something that can serve as this verifiable digital asset that unlocks things in the virtual space and in real life.

Next months inaugural festival will take over several spaces at Area15, including the outdoor A-Lot and the indoor, interactive space the Portal. The 1,500 Utopian NFT holders and their plus threes could add up to 6,000 potential attendees, Fields says, though he is anticipating actual attendance to land between 4,000 and 5,000.

When we saw the [Area15] site, we just felt like it was meant to be the home for the festival, a special place that already has this immersive art feel, Fields says. Las Vegas is a great fit for a number of reasons beyond that this venue really spoke to us. Its an incredibly international city, and crypto and NFTs are international movements, so that is important to us as well.

Additional Afterparty NFT festival musicians and artists are expected to be unveiled in the coming days and weeks, and more information is available atafterparty.ai/festival.

Area15 has a similar-sounding event on the books earlier next month, the NFT Moonfest on March 4 and 5. 3LAU and Boombox Cartel will headline an extensive bill of dance music artists for that celebration of the NFT and crypto community, which will also include speakers and panels, an immersive art gallery, networking sessions and other NFT project activations.

ClickHEREto subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!

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Blockchain tech and entertainment converge in Las Vegas with an NFT music and art festival - Las Vegas Weekly

Black business owners told Gov. Steve Sisolak that they want their businesses to be judged by their competency and successes, not by their minority-owned status, several said during a Wednesday roundtable discussion.

About a dozen Southern Nevada businesspeople met with the governor at Illusion Salon of Beauty in Las Vegas, a Black-owned business in operation for 30 years. Activity in the salon didnt stop while Sisolak and participants gathered. Instead, several women sat under dryers or in salon chairs listening to the discussion.

Attendees represented various industries, including technology, marketing, cosmetology and construction. Despite the range, many agreed that Black entrepreneurs still face bias when conducting business. While some said their businesses were able to push through the early recession caused by the pandemic with the help of federal loans, others said banks were more likely to dismiss their loan requests despite having an existing relationship.

The old school of, I know you, you know me, theyre still handcuffed to that, Shaundell Newsome, owner of Sumnu Marketing, said. The local lenders, SBA lenders, are still handcuffed because theyre owned by corporations.

Others said it can be difficult to be seen as competitive solely for their work. Many said the Disadvantage Business Enterprise certification a state program that confirms a business is majority-owned by minorities, women, veterans or members of the LGBTQ community can work against them because others may assume their success came from a handout.

Tiesha Moore, owner of G3 Electrical in Las Vegas, said she is hesitant to promote the certification or add photos of the team in case of a potential clients bias. She said the company would rather clients get to know them through their presence in Las Vegas construction community.

Its super important for us to know, as the Black community and all of the communities, we want the same thing, Moore said. We want to do our jobs, do it well and we want to succeed as well as everybody else. And we just want the opportunity to do it.

Others said they wanted to see more successes similar to the Las Vegas Stadium Authoritys high percentage of hiring women and minorities while building Allegiant Stadium.

Sisolak noted ways the state could break up its procurement into smaller contracts to support more minority-owned businesses. The challenge is to extend that kind of goal setting to private industry, Sisolak said.

It was a little different because there was public funds going in, he said. When theres public funds, I can exert a little more pressure, influence, whatever you want to call it. When its the private sector, its not so easy to say, Look Caesars Palace, or MGM, or Boyd, youve gotta start doing it. Because were not giving them resources.

During the discussion, Sisolak also asked about ways the state could further provide support to Nevadas Black-owned businesses.

One suggestion was to create more diverse state boards and commissions that reflect Black business owners expertise. Others pointed out that representation would be especially helpful for the State Board of Cosmetology because of the different cosmetology needs and practices of people with textured hair.

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.

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Sisolak discusses recovery efforts with Black business owners - Las Vegas Review-Journal