From desert town to neon empire: Las Vegas unveiled

Joris Dekkers’ luxury leather-bound coffee table The Las Vegas Book delves into the captivating transformation of Las Vegas from desert town to entertainment mecca. In an interview with SiGMA, Dekkers shares how historical intrigue and vivid nostalgia inspired his work. 

Special raffle during SiGMA Europe iGatherings 2024

Towards the end of each iGathering dinner taking place during SiGMA Europe 2024 a raffle will be held, with a special edition of the Las Vegas Book up for grabs – the ultimate collector’s item to add to your bookshelf. To participate, simply leave your business card when registering your arrival.

What inspired you to create a book on the history of Las Vegas, and what key questions drove this exploration?

I’ve been to Vegas a zillion times, and I always – like so many other people – wondered how such a successful city could have grown in the least favorable surrounding: a desert! But the real spark to write about it came to me when watching the movie ELVIS in the cinema. I saw all these beautiful images of the Las Vegas of the past and could not stop but wonder what the real story behind the creation of The Strip would be. I started ordering a lot of books on Amazon and although many of them were great reads, they were all outdated and not very well designed. I then found out that Las Vegas had no real coffee table book, whereas so many cities have one. And to think that Las Vegas residents and fans are so passionate about what is happening to the city. I thought: I will give them something to look back to, be proud of and put in their homes. Something that celebrates the past of Las Vegas, and puts all the people behind the creation of this wonderful avenue in the spotlight. It’s truly a celebration of the icons behind these magnificent casino resorts.

Las Vegas started out as a small and unremarkable railroad town in the Mojave Desert – how did it evolve so quickly into the entertainment capital of the world? 

Vegas has set itself apart from other major cities with the fact that everything revolves around The Strip. It is not just the heart of the city, it’s also the aorta and the brain. It kind of directs the tempo, the goal and pretty much the existence of the periphery, and that is: to serve at the behest of The Strip! Therefore there is much more of a driving force, a command if you will, that makes Las Vegas push its boundaries faster than any other region in the world I would say. The only regions that might compare are to be found in Asia and the Middle East, but here it’s mostly spurred by the force of government, oligarchs or mighty rulers. Las Vegas was much more dependent on quality and success: attracting tourists was and still is, its lifeline! A lifeline that has always been fought for much harder than anywhere else.

Small towns are a dime a dozen, what gave Las Vegas an edge?

Many think that because Vegas, as you mention, sat around in a deserted, sandy area, its fate was limited. Yet few know that underneath its soil, Las Vegas had something that made it very attractive: underground springs. Even though it’s located in the desert, there was plenty of water. Many Western Towns in Nevada and California, where the gold rush led to an intricate railroad and mining industry, might have found themselves in the vicinity of gold or silver, but not to something as unique as water in the desert. This gave Vegas a quick edge over other towns in that it was not neglected, but rather incorporated in the railroad industry. Later, I would say it was a combination of perseverance and smartness that put Vegas on a new path to glory: the entertainment and tourism industry. For that lengthier story I gladly would point you to the book. 

How did Steve Wynn and other visionaries contribute to the reinvention of The Strip, making it what it is today?

Steve Wynn has been the greatest casino resort visionary of the modern era, and someone who will not be replaced anytime in the near future when it comes to his unique combination of skill, ingenuity, vision, attraction and gut feeling. A true jack of all trades, and someone who could not just create but also market it so unbelievably well. He was also a CEO who people looked up to, a real founder in the old sense, who made his rounds through his resorts and made every employee stand on their toes. He is dearly missed, yet I think the current CEO of the Wynn&Encore (his last resort) is doing a great job catapulting the company into the next era.

The book shares stories from the early days, with headline acts like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley featuring. What role have entertainers played in shaping the city into a place of ‘surprise, mystery, and joy’? Do they still wield the same influence today?

Most definitely. It’s well known that the majority of the visitors of Las Vegas don’t necessarily visit the city for the casino games. They want the shows, the stars, they come for the best! In the old days this used to be even more true than today. In modern Vegas, the resorts, the whole Strip for that matter, has become so big that it’s sometimes difficult to choose what you will do. There is so much out there, also in forms of entertainment other than singers and shows. I’m talking; golf, spas, helicopter rides, racing, and dining. Today, much more than singers such as Sinatra and Elvis, it’s the DJ’s who rule the waves. In that sense, Vegas has grown much more into an attraction for the younger crowds, whereas in the old days the vast majority of the people would be in their mid 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

How did the introduction of MegaResorts change the competitive landscape on The Las Vegas Strip, and who were the key players in this transformation?

The introduction of MegaResorts (starting with The International in 1969, and then catapulted in the 90’s) has obviously made Las Vegas more impersonal, but also has grown the overall economy of the city and that of Nevada by tenfold. Yet, people nowadays feel that the soul has been taken away: the resorts are so large it is hard to find yourself ‘at home’ anymore. You’re now a customer with a unique member number, rather than a person with a name who gets greeted when he walks into his favorite restaurant. Rather than 1 or 2 players, it’s been the power of Wall Street and Private Equity in general that has pushed this trend forward: huge conglomerates now rule The Strip in terms of operating the megaresorts (MGM Resorts International, Caesar’s etc.) and in terms of the real estate (Private Equity). The good thing is that the operators can now fully focus themselves on maintaining the service and doing what they do very well: keeping the customers and shareholders happy at the same time. Not an easy job!

You partnered with MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts to bring out the visual history of Las Vegas. Tell us more about this.

Yes, and I am grateful to both of their management and PR Teams. They’re both very successful companies that don’t need books like this per se to make a profit. Yet their doors always stood open. And if you look at my story, I am heralding the founders much more than I am heralding the modern day conglomerates: so in a sense, they could have said NO to me. I really praise them for not doing so and opening up the history archives rather than hiding them. Because the past should be celebrated, and lessons should be learned from it!

The book also includes some historic, previously unseen photos. Without giving away too much, what do they reveal about Las Vegas’ past?

I have explored many archives and have had proprietary photographers who have done a remarkable job in capturing the Strip of today in its most beautiful fashion. I’d almost say the photos give a TOO good impression of the Strip. But that’s also the way I look at Las Vegas. I’m such a fan, also of its past, that I just choose to ignore the less beautiful sides of Las Vegas (and there are many!). Frankly speaking, the book is truly a result of looking through a bright, sunny, almost pink lense! A lense of love!