The slogan “What Happens Here, Stays Here” is one of the most famous and evocative travel and tourism taglines in history. So it only makes sense that the city of Las Vegas would use it as a concept to promote the implosion of the historic Riviera Hotel & Casino—and to honor the property’s 60 years as an icon of the city’s tourism business.
In preparation to implode the hotel with big fanfare on June 14—including showgirls and fireworks, naturally—the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority invited fans around the world to fill the building with confessions.
Beginning June 3, visitors had the chance to submit confessions on the “What Happens Here, Stays Here” theme, and those words and secrets would become permanent—and permanently concealed—parts of the city’s history at the moment of detonation.
People could submit their confessions into a “#WHHSH Vault," with options to do so either digitally or as hand-written sentiments. As well as getting to enjoy bragging rights that come with being part of the historic and dramatic implosion, each person who submitted a confession was entered into a contest for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas—to make new private memories in the city that capitalizes on its scandalous reputation.
“The Riviera Hotel & Casino has been a cherished piece of Las Vegas history and we felt it deserved a memorable farewell celebration,” said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “By collecting our visitors’ ‘What Happens Here, Stays Here’ memories, we are providing the opportunity for those moments to truly stay in Vegas forever as a part of the destination’s history.”
The implosion of the Riviera also marked big changes on the north end of the famous Las Vegas Boulevard Strip: The area will be used for an expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center, a major economic driver as part of the city’s powerful trade show market.
