Las Vegas News Bureau
Fremont Street Experience President and CEO Patrick Hughes speaks as Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak proclaims January 30th as Only Vegas Day during an event at the Fremont Street Experience Thursday, January 30, 2010.
Published Thursday, July 23, 2020 | 11:59 a.m.
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2020 | 4:32 p.m.
Patrick Hughes, president and CEO of the Fremont Street Experience, is stepping down Oct. 31 after more than four years in charge of the downtown Las Vegas entertainment district.
Hughes is leaving to “spend more time with family and evaluate the next phase of his career,” according to a news release.
“My time with Fremont Street Experience has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience in my professional career,” Hughes said in a statement. “Fremont Street Experience will always hold a special place in my heart.”
The organization credited Hughes with playing an "integral role in the revitalization of Fremont Street Experience and downtown Las Vegas."
Over the next few months, Fremont Street Experience and its board will conduct a search to find a new CEO who is experienced in working with public and private hotel casino owners as well as local political leaders, officials said.
Prior to joining the Fremont Street Experience, Hughes worked as a casino executive in Las Vegas.
“I came here 25 years ago at age 25 and, honestly, I’ve just never switched off,” Hughes said. “It’s times like these that make you think about life in general. My wife and I have been talking about taking some time off for the longest time, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Hughes said he’s proud of what the organization, which receives funding as public-private entity, has been able to accomplish over the past nearly five years. But it's the people he’ll remember most, he said.
“The Fremont Street Experience board gave me an opportunity to build a team within our ranks, and our team is stronger now than ever before,” Hughes said. “That gives me great confidence in being able to step away. I know they’ll keep everything together. It’s a group that works well together. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
The Fremont Street Experience is an open-air promenade of gaming, dining, entertainment and shopping.
It offers daily free live entertainment and features Viva Vision, the world’s largest single video screen – 1,500 feet long, 90 feet wide and suspended 90 feet above the pedestrian mall.
