Hundreds of Thousands to Invade Las Vegas for Comdex Show

Traffic gridlock, packed hotels and long lines at restaurants are expected this week as 200,000 people attend the annual Comdex computer trade show.

For the past week, an endless line of tractor-trailer rigs has delivered exhibition materials to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Four temporary buildings representing 200,000 square feet have been built because the convention center’s 1.3 million square feet of space is not enough.

Las Vegas hotels and motels, with 95,000 rooms, are full. Some people are having to look outside the city for accommodations.

“It’s like setting up and breaking down a whole city in a couple of weeks,” said Rob Powers, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. “The city is just totally overcome.”

At Whiskey Pete’s, a hotel and casino 42 miles away at the California-Nevada state line, room rates have risen from the standard $19 a day to $125 a day, with a three-day minimum stay.