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There’s no doubt about it, Mobile Beat Las Vegas is the biggest event dedicated to mobile DJing anywhere in the world. That’s why it not only attracts attendees from all across the US, but also from many other countries, including the UK. But why do so many DJs invest a lot of their hard-earned money to travel so far to attend MBLV? And should you be planning to make the trip too?
The Mobile Beat trade show and educational conference has been running in Las Vegas for well over 20 years. We’ve covered it here in Pro Mobile since almost the very beginning of the magazine, and I have personally attended at least ten times. It is unique in that it is both education-focussed and very heavily attended – sometimes by in excess of 1000 DJs! Other mobile DJ events tend to major on gear (like BPM here in the UK, or DJ Expo over in the States) or are more intimate (as is the case at our own Pro Mobile Conference).
Mobile Beat is also set apart by its location. Las Vegas is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world and, if you have never had the opportunity to visit before, it is a must for any DJ. With world-class DJs, musicians and entertainers performing at hundreds of venues throughout the city, just being there is a masterclass in the art form. Many UK DJs who attend Mobile Beat bring along their other half and tag on the weekend before, or after, to take in the sights of the city, catch a show, eat out and perhaps have a flutter!
The main reason most DJs attend the event is for the extensive education programme, which runs all day Monday and until 2pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. (The exhibit hall is then open in the afternoons on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the event officially ends at 2pm on Thursday.) The main stage conference line-up features dozens of speakers drawn from both within the DJ business and outside of the industry. This year’s DJ speakers include familiar names such as Peter Merry, Mike Walter, Rob Ferre, Joe Bunn and Rob Peters, as well as first-time presenters Michelle Miller, Eric Wenning, Ricky Mullane and Dave Galloway (DJ Alpha). Meanwhile out of industry guests will include banker, teacher and baseball coach, Kent Stock, as well as pediatrician and children’s book author, Dr Jill Pedalino.
Another reason that many DJs attend Mobile Beat year after year is the opportunity to meet and network with hundreds of peers from all over the world. The atmosphere at the event is unbelievably friendly, filled with DJs who not only want to make new connections but who are also more than happy to share their ideas and experience with fellow attendees.
No DJ event would be complete without gear, and Mobile Beat has this covered by its Expo floor. This area features demonstrations of the latest DJ playback, PA, lighting and effects equipment from well-known global brands as well as local niche suppliers. I think it is worth mentioning that this is the one area of the show that some UK DJs have told me they found underwhelming. The exhibition area is no bigger than the UK’s BPM show in its current form – and considerably smaller than its NEC heyday. However, the gear is really only an ancillary part of Mobile Beat; the real draws are the educational content, networking potential and opportunity to visit Vegas!
Another added bonus of the show is its After Dark programme of evening events, which provide an opportunity to socialise with your new DJ friends in an informal setting. There’s usually something happening in or around the host hotel from the Sunday evening before the show officially kicks off through to the Wednesday night. However, the biggest event is always the ‘MBLV Signature Party’, which takes place in the main conference room on one night during the event and features special guest performers. In recent years these have included Run DMC, DJ Casper, Vanilla Ice and LMFAO. And, for those who really want to party, last year’s Full Program Pass also included free entry to a different one of Las Vegas’ worldclass nightclubs on each night of the show.
2020 will be a significant year for MBLV,as it will see the last show organised by owner Ryan Burger, who recently announced that he will be selling the business to HPK Online Expos (the company behind the annual International Photo Booth Expo in Las Vegas) on the 1st of April. Here’s what Ryan had to say about his swansong: “I'm excited for Mobile Beat Las Vegas in many different ways this year, some of them being new to me. I'm excited because it will be my 14th MBLV conference and also my last. I'm excited because we are bringing some cool people to the stage, some of them (like Peter Merry) who haven't been on the MBLV stage in a long time, and Kent Stock who I have personally seen speak and am very excited about his message: ‘How do you want to be remembered’. That’s because I want to be remembered as someone who put his life into the DJ industry and is ready to have his last bow on the national stage. Come join me in Las Vegas this March - check out mobilebeatlasvegas.com to get your passes!”
So hopefully this article will have given you a good flavour of what to expect from Mobile Beat Las Vegas, and you may even be thinking about booking a trip to attend. So what about the costs and other practical considerations? Well, first of all, it's worth remembering that attending an industry conference is a legitimate business expense. This means that the cost of your travel, hotel accommodation and show pass can all ‘go through the books’ and be deducted from your profit when it comes to calculating your annual tax liability.
The main costs to consider if you're budgeting for a Mobile Beat trip are travel, hotel and show pass. Flights to Las Vegas can be pricey; however it’s also possible to pick up some good deals. A quick look at skyscanner.net at the time of writing found direct flights from London Heathrow to Las Vegas coming in at £680, while a layover in San Francisco added 7 hours of travel time but brought the cost down to £443. These are based on going on the Sunday before the show and returning on the last day of the event (Thursday). Bare in mind that all flights from Las Vegas are overnight, so you’ll arrive back into the UK the morning after you leave Las Vegas (Friday, in this case, just it time for a weekend’s gigs). Once you arrive in Las Vegas, it’s only a $10 Uber ride to the show hotel.
Las Vegas has a huge variety of hotel options ranging from the extremely cheap to outright ludicrously expensive. The event itself is held at the Tropicana hotel, right in the heart of the famous Las Vegas Strip. I personally prefer to stay there, to have easy access to the show. Mobile Beat has a group booking discount, linked from the show website, which currently works out at $135 (approx. £100) per night including the $15 ‘resort fee’ that you pay at check-in. However, if you are on a tight budget I know that some DJs have found very affordable motels close by for far less. Equally, the Tropicana isn’t the most salubrious of Vegas establishments and some attendees prefer to treat themselves to the nearby MGM or New York New York hotels.
The cost for a full event pass is $349 (approximately £265), which allows access to the complete conference programme, Expo Hall and After Dark parties. There is also a $75 (approximately £60) Exhibits and Parties pass that doesn’t include the learning sessions, but if you’re going to the trouble and expense of getting to the show, it really doesn’t make sense to miss out the most important part of it!
Mobile Beat Las Vegas is a unique event held in an equally unique city. While it may be prohibitibly costly for some, I’d encourage any DJ who can afford it to give it a try. For many, it has proved to be a positive turning point in their career, while for others it’s an enjoyable, informative and inspirational experience well worth the trip across the pond!
What UK DJs Think Of Mobile Beat Las Vegas
“The amount of information you take away from the show is immense. So much, that initially you will be overwhelmed. The key is to break it into bite-sized chunks, so you can implement them to meet your immediate needs.
Phill Makepeace, Bristol
"The show is a must for anyone wanting to up their game in the DJ industry. We know that the UK is a few years behind the States; just look at Sweet Sixteens and Baby Showers as examples. The MBLV experience allows you to get ahead of the curve and see what might be coming to the UK next."
Paul Gee, Manchester
“Mobile Beat Las Vegas is the most important event in my calendar each year. The wealth of knowledge that you can gain networking in the corridors and at the dinners that spring up around the show can be equal to, or on occasion even exceed, the great content of the seminars. Mobile Beat for me is an essential burst of positivity gained from the delegates and friends I have made from all around the world that annually attend. It is not only a great place to learn and grow your business, but also a chance to kick back and celebrate the successes of the past year. Best even still, it’s in Las Vegas yet counts as a tax deductible!”
Alan Marshall, Andover
“Not only did I learn how to run my DJ business better, but how I can run my life-work balance better whilst dealing with day-to-day tasks more efficiently. On the whole, I found MBLV to be a very rounded experience surrounded by positive, like-minded colleagues happy to share and collaborate. It hit me how great the experience was only when I returned and realised that the allure of Las Vegas was not enough to take me away from any of the learning opportunities available to me over the entire event and, let's face it, Vegas is a difficult mistress to ignore!”
Fabio Capozzi, Walton-On-Thames
“Every DJ should take at least one trip over the pond to get inspired and take their business to the next level in the surroundings of the entertainment capital of the world.”
Gary Evans-Osgood, Portsmouth
The Mobile Beat trade show and educational conference has been running in Las Vegas for well over 20 years. We’ve covered it here in Pro Mobile since almost the very beginning of the magazine, and I have personally attended at least ten times. It is unique in that it is both education-focussed and very heavily attended – sometimes by in excess of 1000 DJs! Other mobile DJ events tend to major on gear (like BPM here in the UK, or DJ Expo over in the States) or are more intimate (as is the case at our own Pro Mobile Conference).
Mobile Beat is also set apart by its location. Las Vegas is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world and, if you have never had the opportunity to visit before, it is a must for any DJ. With world-class DJs, musicians and entertainers performing at hundreds of venues throughout the city, just being there is a masterclass in the art form. Many UK DJs who attend Mobile Beat bring along their other half and tag on the weekend before, or after, to take in the sights of the city, catch a show, eat out and perhaps have a flutter!
The main reason most DJs attend the event is for the extensive education programme, which runs all day Monday and until 2pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. (The exhibit hall is then open in the afternoons on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the event officially ends at 2pm on Thursday.) The main stage conference line-up features dozens of speakers drawn from both within the DJ business and outside of the industry. This year’s DJ speakers include familiar names such as Peter Merry, Mike Walter, Rob Ferre, Joe Bunn and Rob Peters, as well as first-time presenters Michelle Miller, Eric Wenning, Ricky Mullane and Dave Galloway (DJ Alpha). Meanwhile out of industry guests will include banker, teacher and baseball coach, Kent Stock, as well as pediatrician and children’s book author, Dr Jill Pedalino.
Another reason that many DJs attend Mobile Beat year after year is the opportunity to meet and network with hundreds of peers from all over the world. The atmosphere at the event is unbelievably friendly, filled with DJs who not only want to make new connections but who are also more than happy to share their ideas and experience with fellow attendees.
No DJ event would be complete without gear, and Mobile Beat has this covered by its Expo floor. This area features demonstrations of the latest DJ playback, PA, lighting and effects equipment from well-known global brands as well as local niche suppliers. I think it is worth mentioning that this is the one area of the show that some UK DJs have told me they found underwhelming. The exhibition area is no bigger than the UK’s BPM show in its current form – and considerably smaller than its NEC heyday. However, the gear is really only an ancillary part of Mobile Beat; the real draws are the educational content, networking potential and opportunity to visit Vegas!
Another added bonus of the show is its After Dark programme of evening events, which provide an opportunity to socialise with your new DJ friends in an informal setting. There’s usually something happening in or around the host hotel from the Sunday evening before the show officially kicks off through to the Wednesday night. However, the biggest event is always the ‘MBLV Signature Party’, which takes place in the main conference room on one night during the event and features special guest performers. In recent years these have included Run DMC, DJ Casper, Vanilla Ice and LMFAO. And, for those who really want to party, last year’s Full Program Pass also included free entry to a different one of Las Vegas’ worldclass nightclubs on each night of the show.
2020 will be a significant year for MBLV,as it will see the last show organised by owner Ryan Burger, who recently announced that he will be selling the business to HPK Online Expos (the company behind the annual International Photo Booth Expo in Las Vegas) on the 1st of April. Here’s what Ryan had to say about his swansong: “I'm excited for Mobile Beat Las Vegas in many different ways this year, some of them being new to me. I'm excited because it will be my 14th MBLV conference and also my last. I'm excited because we are bringing some cool people to the stage, some of them (like Peter Merry) who haven't been on the MBLV stage in a long time, and Kent Stock who I have personally seen speak and am very excited about his message: ‘How do you want to be remembered’. That’s because I want to be remembered as someone who put his life into the DJ industry and is ready to have his last bow on the national stage. Come join me in Las Vegas this March - check out mobilebeatlasvegas.com to get your passes!”
So hopefully this article will have given you a good flavour of what to expect from Mobile Beat Las Vegas, and you may even be thinking about booking a trip to attend. So what about the costs and other practical considerations? Well, first of all, it's worth remembering that attending an industry conference is a legitimate business expense. This means that the cost of your travel, hotel accommodation and show pass can all ‘go through the books’ and be deducted from your profit when it comes to calculating your annual tax liability.
The main costs to consider if you're budgeting for a Mobile Beat trip are travel, hotel and show pass. Flights to Las Vegas can be pricey; however it’s also possible to pick up some good deals. A quick look at skyscanner.net at the time of writing found direct flights from London Heathrow to Las Vegas coming in at £680, while a layover in San Francisco added 7 hours of travel time but brought the cost down to £443. These are based on going on the Sunday before the show and returning on the last day of the event (Thursday). Bare in mind that all flights from Las Vegas are overnight, so you’ll arrive back into the UK the morning after you leave Las Vegas (Friday, in this case, just it time for a weekend’s gigs). Once you arrive in Las Vegas, it’s only a $10 Uber ride to the show hotel.
Las Vegas has a huge variety of hotel options ranging from the extremely cheap to outright ludicrously expensive. The event itself is held at the Tropicana hotel, right in the heart of the famous Las Vegas Strip. I personally prefer to stay there, to have easy access to the show. Mobile Beat has a group booking discount, linked from the show website, which currently works out at $135 (approx. £100) per night including the $15 ‘resort fee’ that you pay at check-in. However, if you are on a tight budget I know that some DJs have found very affordable motels close by for far less. Equally, the Tropicana isn’t the most salubrious of Vegas establishments and some attendees prefer to treat themselves to the nearby MGM or New York New York hotels.
The cost for a full event pass is $349 (approximately £265), which allows access to the complete conference programme, Expo Hall and After Dark parties. There is also a $75 (approximately £60) Exhibits and Parties pass that doesn’t include the learning sessions, but if you’re going to the trouble and expense of getting to the show, it really doesn’t make sense to miss out the most important part of it!
Mobile Beat Las Vegas is a unique event held in an equally unique city. While it may be prohibitibly costly for some, I’d encourage any DJ who can afford it to give it a try. For many, it has proved to be a positive turning point in their career, while for others it’s an enjoyable, informative and inspirational experience well worth the trip across the pond!
What UK DJs Think Of Mobile Beat Las Vegas
“The amount of information you take away from the show is immense. So much, that initially you will be overwhelmed. The key is to break it into bite-sized chunks, so you can implement them to meet your immediate needs.
Phill Makepeace, Bristol
"The show is a must for anyone wanting to up their game in the DJ industry. We know that the UK is a few years behind the States; just look at Sweet Sixteens and Baby Showers as examples. The MBLV experience allows you to get ahead of the curve and see what might be coming to the UK next."
Paul Gee, Manchester
“Mobile Beat Las Vegas is the most important event in my calendar each year. The wealth of knowledge that you can gain networking in the corridors and at the dinners that spring up around the show can be equal to, or on occasion even exceed, the great content of the seminars. Mobile Beat for me is an essential burst of positivity gained from the delegates and friends I have made from all around the world that annually attend. It is not only a great place to learn and grow your business, but also a chance to kick back and celebrate the successes of the past year. Best even still, it’s in Las Vegas yet counts as a tax deductible!”
Alan Marshall, Andover
“Not only did I learn how to run my DJ business better, but how I can run my life-work balance better whilst dealing with day-to-day tasks more efficiently. On the whole, I found MBLV to be a very rounded experience surrounded by positive, like-minded colleagues happy to share and collaborate. It hit me how great the experience was only when I returned and realised that the allure of Las Vegas was not enough to take me away from any of the learning opportunities available to me over the entire event and, let's face it, Vegas is a difficult mistress to ignore!”
Fabio Capozzi, Walton-On-Thames
“Every DJ should take at least one trip over the pond to get inspired and take their business to the next level in the surroundings of the entertainment capital of the world.”
Gary Evans-Osgood, Portsmouth
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 99, Pages 26-28.
