Live Tourism 2.0 at Skift Global Forum – Full Video
Photo Credit: Emily Prazer, Jennifer Koester, Kate Wik, and Sarah Kopit on stage at the Skift Global Forum. Skift
Skift Take
Las Vegas may be seeing softer tourism numbers, but live events remain a strong buffer as its shows and concerts remain a major attraction.
Las Vegas has experienced a tourism slump in 2025, but Sphere Entertainment President Jennifer Koester believes the city’s lucrative live tourism industry has been spared despite widespread concerns about the economy.
“We’ve been lucky in that we have been slightly insulated from some of the broader market dynamics,” Koester said at the Skift Global Forum, citing the 500,000 tickets sold for Wizard of Oz shows at the Sphere and repeated sellouts for the Backstreet Boys at the same venue.
“So I’m seeing no impact of price sensitivity on our experiences or from the market.”
Emily Prazer, CEO of Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, also believes live tourism is strong in Las Vegas, noting ticket sales are 50% ahead of where they were at this point last year.
"We're not seeing the effect of tourism being down or the economy," Prazer said. "We're seeing that the event is now established, and people are w
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