The first ad most visitors see in Las Vegas is not on the Strip. It is on the road in from the airport. That gateway changed owners today, November 3. New Tradition, an independent out-of-home media company founded in 2010, announced it has acquired Connell Outdoor Advertising, adding 88 static and digital billboard faces to its portfolio and expanding its Las Vegas presence with extensive coverage along Harry Reid International Airport's entrance and exit routes. The deal also includes two billboard faces adjacent to LAX in Los Angeles.
Connell has spent more than 40 years in the Las Vegas market, building relationships with hotels, entertainment venues, local businesses, and national advertisers. New Tradition already runs digital spectaculars on the Strip at BLVD, Elara by Hilton Grand Vacations, and The Venetian Resort, plus Westgate Resort and Casino near the Las Vegas Convention Center. Today it bought the road that leads to all of them.
The Deal, by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Billboard faces acquired | 88 static and digital faces, plus 2 faces adjacent to LAX |
| Connell history in Las Vegas | More than 40 years |
| Harry Reid International Airport passengers, 2025 | Nearly 55 million |
| Las Vegas convention attendees, 2025 | Nearly 6 million |
| New Tradition markets | 16 U.S. markets, including Las Vegas |
| New Tradition founded | 2010 |
Continuity is built into the deal. Don Krueger, Vice President of Connell Outdoor Advertising, has joined New Tradition and will help grow the company's Las Vegas presence while providing continuity for advertisers and property partners. Owner Mike Connell said: "We are proud of the business we have built and the relationships that have sustained it over the years."
Why the Airport Road Matters
New Tradition Chief Operating Officer Bret Richheimer put the strategy in one line: "Las Vegas is a city where brands come to make an impression, and that opportunity begins well before someone reaches the Strip."
That is the fresh insight here. Las Vegas advertising is usually talked about as a Strip story. The numbers argue for a wider map. Nearly 55 million passengers moved through Harry Reid in 2025, and nearly 6 million convention attendees came to town the same year. Every one of those trips starts on the airport access routes and major arteries into the Strip, exactly the coverage Connell brings.
The release says the combined portfolio gives advertisers the flexibility to pair landmark digital placements with broad static coverage across Las Vegas. In plain terms, one buy can now greet a visitor at the airport, follow the drive in, and land again on a Strip spectacular.
What Las Vegas Advertisers Should Do With This
- Think in trips, not spots. The release names the use cases directly: product launches, conventions, live events, and ongoing brand campaigns. A convention advertiser can now plan the airport arrival and the convention center area, where New Tradition already operates at Westgate, as one connected run instead of separate buys.
- Ask about pairing before you ask about a single board. The value New Tradition is selling is the combination: landmark digital on the Strip paired with broad static coverage across the market. Local businesses that only price one famous screen may miss the cheaper logic of covering the road every visitor actually travels.
- Use the continuity contact. Krueger moving over from Connell means existing advertisers and property partners keep a familiar point of contact. If you held Connell inventory, your first call is a confirmation call, not a cold start.
Las Vegas keeps growing outward from its famous core, and its advertising map just did the same. As of today, the whole trip, from touchdown to the Strip, is a single place to make a first impression, under one owner.
