parking and transportation for SEMA show?

My DH is going to the SEMA show and staying downtown. The website says they have shuttle service from Golden Nugget and Plaza to Convention Center. But when I contacted the SEMA people they said this was not true. They said this must be last year's info - that they didn't have enough participation from downtown so would not be going there this year.

So - from what I can tell, parking at the convention center will be difficult (heavy traffic).

Options?

Take city bus?
Park at a casino on strip (Circus Circus?)? and walk to CC?

Cab - $20 each way seems pricey considering he was counting on free shuttle.

Anyone have experience with this?
Do the casinos put restrictions on parking when there's a convention going on?

 

Yeah I just looked at the AAPEX show website and no shuttles from downtown this year but nearly every hotel on the strip. We go on the monorail to the convention center. I guess you could park at any hotel that has a shuttle on the strip and ride it or just park at the Venetian. From there, you can go to the AAPEX Show at the Sands and then ride the shuttle over to the Convention Center for the SEMA Show. www.aapexshow.com. It has the shuttle schedule and hotels listed there.

 

Thanks for responding.
The way I read the info on the SEMA website, they have shuttles between LVCC and several strip casinos (Cosmo, Mirage, etc.). Seems like that might be easiest - unless the casinos put restrictions on parking when they know there is a big convention?
Very disappointed that they put the wrong info out there and now we have to find a different way.

 

So are you not going to AAPEX also. Their website gives much clearer info on shuttles listing each hotel. I would park at Venetian, look around the AAPEX show and then catch the shuttle over to SEMA and back. Maybe we will see you there!!!

 

Take the SDX from downtown. It stops at the convention center.

 

When I went last year we stayed at the Marriott Grand Chateau and just walked over to PH and took the free shuttle. If I were in your situation I would park at one of the strip casinos and take the free shuttle

 

Since the hotels and casino's use the very same parking lot, pretty difficult to put any restrictions on parking.

 

I've been going to ConExpo (another huge convention, so I assume this info could be relevant) for 15 years. Until the most recent show, you could hop on any of the shuttles, no problem - no checking credentials or anything like that. But during the most recent show, I was turned away because my name badge didn't specify that I could ride the free shuttle. I had booked a comped room, just as I had for previous shows. But this time, only people who booked through the show's website were allowed to ride the free shuttles.

Like I said, this was not SEMA. So it may be completely irrelevant. But, you might want to check if you plan on relying on the shuttles while staying at a "non-participating" hotel.

 

This is what I would do.

 

I'd just cancel my reservation and move to a much better room on the strip lol

 

Strip and Downtown Express (SDX) from Binion's to the Convention Center is defintely the easiest. The buses normally start up around 9AM but for SEMA they are starting at 7AM. $8 for 24 hour pass or $20 for 3 days so you can use any bus in the system continuously. Even take the WAX bus from downtown to the airport too.

 

Thanks so much. Have you done this when there's a big convention on?
He's worried that coming back at 5pm or so, there may be crowds on the bus. But since SEMA is not bothering to have transportation between CC and downtown, maybe the bus won't be crowded.

 

I have been on there when there are large crowds and it may be a tight fit, but if worst came to worst, he could wait for the next bus. At that time of afternoon, it may be kind of off as far as the Strip crowds go because they are headed to dinner, so it may not be so bad. The buses run about every 10-12 minutes or so.

Sicne here isn't transportation, more people might try to take the bus. At least the pass gives you access to the system in addition to the route you need so you can do more riding to other places.

 

thanks....he may take the bus
or may take the car, get there early (before 9am) and try to park either at Convention Center or at Circus Circus
or maybe Hilton?
He's worried that the properies closest to the convention center may be doing something to discourage people who are attending the convention from parking in their garages