[Chapter 76: Business Activities in Las Vegas]
Paradise City was located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, considered a core urban area. More than half of the famous Las Vegas Strip belonged to this district.
As the name implied, it offered a dreamlike paradise, a kind of promised land. But the key word was "dreamlike."
Along both sides of the Strip stood countless resort hotels. These hotels combined live performances, movie theaters, theaters, and various entertainment facilities, of course, including gambling casinos.
For some, this was a place to live wildly, a dreamlike paradise. But dreaming was just dreaming. For many, if they found themselves here, they often felt more of a hellish atmosphere.
It was filled with the most soul-reaching temptations, gradually leading one to give their soul and body over to the devil.
This Las Vegas Strip was both a road to the underworld and a rainbow bridge to heaven.
The scenery was naturally fantastic. It was said they were applying for a designation as a "National Scenic Byway," recognized by the Department of Transportation under the 1991 Congressional plan, possibly to be approved around the year 2000.
If you wanted to sightsee and have fun here, you could enjoy services provided by the RTC transportation system like The Deuce double-decker sightseeing bus, or the Mirage-Treasure Island tram service.
Charlie wore a suit, not looking like someone on vacation. Sitting cross-legged on a lobby bench, he looked left and right.
All this information was smoothly narrated by the hotel's senior room attendant, a blonde woman who smiled as she spoke. "If you check in at Bally's Hotel again in two or three years, you can use your room card to get free access to the under-construction Mandalay Bay tram service. It will connect three hotels in the exclusive MGM International hotel group."
As she spoke, she glanced at Charlie from the corner of her eye.
Bally's wasn't a top-tier luxury hotel, but located in the heart of Las Vegas, many hotel management staff working there held bachelor's degrees in hotel management from top universities. The blonde attendant had a master's degree in hotel administration from Cornell University.
She knew very well who the truly important guests were.
At the same time, she kept smiling at Vera, who looked curious but was never made to feel ignored.
"Mindy, if we go out to have fun, could you be our guide?" Vera asked excitedly. "We can pay you a little. Right, Charlie?"
"I think she'd be happy to," Charlie snapped back with a grin, casually giving the attendant a thorough once-over.
"I'm honored. As a temporary room attendant, this is part of my job," Mindy said politely, unaffected by Charlie's somewhat intrusive gaze.
Then, seeing the young guest drift off again into thought, Mindy turned back to chat with Vera.
She talked a lot continuing to introduce the single-track monorail that started operation last year, as well as various attractions, amusement parks, sporting events, and Bally's recent show schedule - boxing matches, theatrical performances, singers and so on.
Vera listened intently, counting on her fingers Charlie's itinerary and wondering if there would be time to play.
The young woman was obviously thrilled to be in such a fresh, exciting place.
But Charlie was bored. Having lived two lifetimes, he had seen many things. This place still brought novelty, but unfortunately, his main purpose this trip was business -- to negotiate distribution channels with theater owners.
And with Vera in tow, it wasn't convenient to play around freely.
...
"Hey!" Charlie stood up and waved at a distance.
Etto, Patrick Whitesell, Gert, and Pierza strode over.
Old friends greeted each other.
Pierza pointed at a thin middle-aged man wearing glasses and introduced, "Thomas Abers, Vice President of Hollywood Theaters. Charlie Corleone, my boss."
"Hello, Mr. Abers. Glad you could make it," Charlie said with a polite smile, extending his hand.
Thomas was fairly friendly, shaking hands and chatting warmly. "Actually, I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Corleone. Your reputation has been discussed a lot in the industry lately. As a theater chain, we are impressed by your operational methods on Fifty Shades of Gray."
"Thank you. Getting your recognition is very encouraging!" Charlie responded unabashedly, not playing modest in this situation.
He then looked toward Mindy. "Take us to the booked restaurant!"
"Certainly, ladies and gentlemen!"
...
As they walked and talked, the business event they were attending was a small, temporary indie film market expo organized by the National Association of Theater Owners.
The association was a trade organization composed of theater chain operators. Not just in the U.S., but many theaters worldwide were members.
Obviously, this was because Hollywood films were capturing global markets.
The association's major event, ShoWest, held every March in Las Vegas and hosted by Nielsen Business Holdings, involved many majors like the Hollywood six big distributors showcasing the past year's achievements and upcoming films. There were also equipment displays and annual awards.
But the temporary indie film market wasn't so grand. Harvey just sent an unknown young guy.
This was why Mafia Distribution Company could participate.
Thomas and Pierza's father were somewhat acquainted but not close. Their conversation was polite but superficial. "This event is a chance for Corleone Entertainment to get exposure. Next year, you better get into ShoWest through Nielsen Holdings. Show yourselves in front of global theater owners! It'll help expand your distribution channels quickly."
This was pure nonsense.
Joining ShoWest required qualification, and Corleone Entertainment's current record was sufficient -- just pay Nielsen a fee.
Charlie wanted to know if they could help introduce North American theater operators to attend Corleone Entertainment's self-promotion event tomorrow.
Through that, luck could help them sign distribution contracts, or at least get theater owners interested in Corleone's movie projects, or at the very least, get some introductions.
But inviting those guys wasn't easy.
The company was weak and this was an unimportant temporary event.
Charlie wasn't in a hurry and politely chatted with the other party, "I heard Mr. Abers' theaters are undergoing stadium-style seat renovations. That's a great decision!"
Thomas was pleased to hear this, but his first reaction made Charlie feel a little awkward. "Oh, you know about those details? Sorry, I mean your main work is making movies. Not every producer would bother with theater building and management."
*****
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