What this solves
Booking sites don't warn you. You pick your dates, see "from $169," book, and arrive at a Strip where 180,000 tech nerds have already eaten all the inventory. The room rate is the same — until the convention block releases and the surge hits. The major offenders are CES (January), SEMA (late October/early November), NAB (April), and the rotating Super Bowl. This calculator scans your dates against the 2026 convention calendar.
It also proposes alternative dates in the same season that dodge the convention block but preserve your weather or event preference.
The date-vs-rate calculator
2026 Las Vegas convention calendar
Alternative dates
Convention multiplier reference
CES: 3.0× base rate. SEMA: 2.5×. NAB: 2.0×. NASCAR weekend: 1.8×. Super Bowl (rotating): 4.0–6.0×. National Finals Rodeo (early Dec): 2.0×. AVN / AdultCon (Jan/Feb): 1.6×. Mr. Olympia (Aug): 1.5×. World Series of Poker (May–Jul): 1.4×.
How to read the result
- Multiplier is applied to the baseline Strip rate. CES at 3.0× on a $169 baseline is $507/night before resort fee and tax.
- Convention detection is conservative: we list any 50,000+ attendee event that historically clears 80% of Strip inventory. Smaller events still raise rates, but not as dramatically.
- Day-of-week matters: most conventions run Mon–Thu or Tue–Fri. Checking in on Sunday and checking out Thursday gives you 2 baseline nights + 4 convention nights — the worst case.
- Alternative dates preserve your general season but move you off the convention block by ±1–2 weeks.
- Last-minute deal: convention inventory often does NOT drop. Conventions pre-block rooms 12+ months out. Walking up to a Strip desk during CES gets you "sold out," not a discount.
Limitations
- The 2026 convention calendar is compiled from publicly posted dates as of late 2025. Some events shift by 3–7 days; reconfirm at the convention's official site 60 days before your trip.
- CES dates are typically announced in mid-2025 for the following January. The 2027 CES has been publicly confirmed for Jan 5–8, 2027; 2026 dates are Jan 6–9, 2026.
- The Super Bowl rotates cities. Las Vegas hosted in 2024 (Feb 11); 2025 was New Orleans; 2026 is San Francisco. Vegas is not hosting in 2026, so the SB multiplier does not apply this year.
- Smaller conventions (1,000–10,000 attendees) raise rates 10–25% on nearby hotels but not the entire Strip. The calculator focuses on Strip-wide impact events.
- Resort fee, parking, and tax are not part of the rate multiplier — see the Resort Fee Reality Decoder for that.
FAQ
When is CES 2026?
January 6–9, 2026, with media days Jan 5 and pre-show setup starting Dec 30, 2025. Strip rooms are essentially sold out Dec 28 – Jan 11.
Is SEMA as bad as CES?
Smaller (160,000 vs. 180,000 attendees) but more concentrated — SEMA attendees block out every hotel in the LVCC corridor and the off-Strip properties near the speedway. SEMA 2026 is Nov 3–6.
Are conventions bad for tourism?
If you want a Strip "experience," yes — pools are crowded, restaurants booked, and the vibe skews toward business travelers. If you want cheap rates, no — conventions are when pricing is highest. Pick your poison.
What about the National Finals Rodeo?
Early December, 10 days. It draws 170,000 visitors and pushes rates up 1.8–2.5×. NFR is a Vegas tradition — but if you're not going for the rodeo, avoid it.
Sources
- Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) — 2026 convention calendar
- Consumer Technology Association — CES 2026 official dates
- Specialty Equipment Market Association — SEMA Show 2026
- National Association of Broadcasters — NAB Show 2026 (April 18–22)
- NASCAR Las Vegas — 2026 schedule (South Point 400 weekend)
- PRCA — National Finals Rodeo 2026 (Dec 3–12)