We didn't get a LOT accomplished, but we did generate some buzz and we exchanged
 names and numbers of people to contact who can steer us in the right direction.

  Sidebar:
 A Los Angeles "leg" is still possible, but it would have to be clean & easy.
 There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into setting a deal like this up,
 and setting up two deals seems impossible, but if someone had, say, a large home
 on similar venue that wouldn't need days worth of prep and set-up, we could try.

 I'm getting almost all Vegas feedback, Christian says she's hearing mostly LA buzz.
 I think we should plan for Vegas, and if LA falls in our lap, maybe that'll work, too.

 Back to Vegas:
 A primary problem is that the logical day to have the main event would be a Saturday,
 specifically Saturday October the 5th.  Trouble is, most hotel casinoes* don't allow
 Saturday check ins.  If you stay Saturday, they want you to stay Friday, too.

 One possibility is the old two-tiered system, with enough people staying at the
 expensive venue to get us a banquet room, while the more budget-conscious folk
 could stay at a reasonably-priced place, perhaps downtown. The going rate for
 a 4-star is almost 200 a night for Friday & Saturday, whereas downtown and
 off-strip locations are more in the $80 range.  More details to follow.

 Keep in mind the possibility of staying a few days. There is so much to do in
 and around Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon is 5-6 hours away. The lakes near
 Vegas are some of the most beautiful in the world and they are year-round.

              Bad picture - great lake

 I suggest you plan for the weekend (or week) of a lifetime, because you've going to
 remember this trip the rest of your life. If you've never seen Las Vegas at night,
 let me tell you - it's New York impressive.

 Update in an update:
 I just heard from The Rio.

 They are talking about some very reasonable room rates, ($119 x 3).
 Notice how that's phrased - $357 (plus tax) for Fri, Sat & Sun.
 This doesn't mean you can get a Saturday room for $119, so I'll get a further breakdown from them

 There are other casinoes* making offers, too.

 I would like to have a plan in place by July 1.
 That would give people 95 days notice to get some time off of work,
 and make hotel and plane reservations etc. for the Oct 5th weekend.

 We put together a lot of leads last night, more on this soon.