Crisis Cases: Overcoming the Las Vegas Harvest Festival Tragedy
Sin City’s reflection and response show how to overcome the stigma of disaster.
Jason Aldean had just taken the stage at the Route 91 Harvest festival on the night of October 1, 2017. What happened next scarred Las Vegas forever. The shooting tragedy affected the many thousands in attendance—including first responders—at that night’s concert. It also threatened to upend the city’s entire economy in an instant.
When the media’s intense attention eventually shifted to other headlines, scary images were left impressed in collective memory. The city’s long reputation as a happy-go-lucky party town was suddenly shaded with a dark stigma.
[The] key to their vision for the future is the adoption of tourism by the local community
This same global media disaster spotlight is one that accosted St. Maarten/Martin weeks prior. Cameras were rolling as soon as the winds and waves from Hurricane Irma relented enough to reveal the devastation. A sunny reputation of sandy beaches, big cruise ships, exquisite French and Dutch cuisine, and glittering turquoise waters was replaced with bare palm trees, obliterated buildings and most pointedly, lives lost.
Today, two years on, the island still has much to accomplish.
There’s no question that Las Vegas’s crisis communications response had to be carefully managed to handle such a delicate matter with tact and consideration. However it was critical to convey the message that the town was still open for business. After all, if no one came back the economic tragedy that would follow would only heighten the pain.
By immediately suspending all advertising and creating messaging around the hashtag #VegasStrong, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority allowed the emotional weight of the event to be expressed while showing the support and resolve of the community. That gave way to later campaigns thanking visitors for coming, and featuring celebrities inviting more to return. The strategy tempered the tourism decline that followed, and helped the city recover faster.
To combat the negative press, the island needs locals to tell the story of renewal through their eyes.
Though recovery waivers on, St. Maarten/Martin is still suffering from its worst moments being splashed across screens globally. Both island nations have signed an agreement to work together, but residents know they must take part to create change.
With an economy almost completely reliant on tourism, more visitors equates to faster recovery. To combat the negative press, the island needs locals to tell the story of renewal through their eyes. Trailblazers should be spotlighted, and their individual efforts to welcome tourists featured.
The message visitors need to know is that it’s okay to return, because infrastructure is in place and recovery is happening day by day. Time heals all wounds, but steady business at least diverts attention from the pain.
