Rick Harrison of ‘Pawn Stars’ plans sports memorabilia authentication event

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Mikayla Whitmore

In his line of work, Rick Harrison comes across plenty of jewelry, including championship rings from professional sports teams. Athletes often use the rings as collateral for loans.

Sun, Jan 24, 2016 (2 a.m.)

Hard Rock Hotel’s 30,000-square-foot convention expansion, which began in October at the hotel’s surface lot on Paradise Road, was launched to fulfill the hotel’s need to host large-scale meetings. That need was obvious.

But the build-out also was designed to alleviate pressure from the Joint, which was built primarily as a concert hall but frequently had been used as a convention hall.

“The conversations I have personally had with business owners that bring their business to the Hard Rock suggested we needed to expand or risk losing the business and relationships,” said Hard Rock Hotel Chief Operating Officer Jody Lake, who has worked at the hotel for four years. “Essentially, they asked, and we responded.”

“The Joint has been an attraction as both an entertainment venue and exhibit space, but our goal moving forward is to book more big entertainment acts in the Joint and push more of the convention business into the traditional meeting space,” Lake said. “The expansion will provide an overall upgrade to the existing space, making it a state-of-the-art facility that will compete with any space of its size anywhere in the United States.”

The expansion follows an overhaul of the hotel’s casino floor and Center Bar, which was finished in October. The new convention center is targeted to come online in November, and if form holds — and I expect it to — that project will be finished on time and on budget.

• If you have a call drop or are faced with that infernal buffering pinwheel while trying to access cell service at T-Mobile Arena, remember this: The plan at the new arena is to have the best wireless service possible.

That’s important for any area of mass gatherings on the Strip, but it is essential for an arena named for a wireless operator.

T-Mobile, the wireless communications company with U.S. headquarters based in Bellevue, Wash., recently bought naming rights to what previously was known as Las Vegas Arena. Fans will expect to able to access that service while walking in the concourse or anywhere else in “The T,” as the arena is expected to be called in shorthand.

Bad cell reception would be akin to a pro sports team taking on a uniform endorsement from a major apparel manufacturer, only to have the jerseys fray during the home opener.

Officials from MGM Resorts International say service will be strong for T-Mobile’s rival carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and the like — as well.

Openings of major venues and resorts in Las Vegas often are marked by poor wireless service. That certainly was the case during the opening of CityCenter, where those walking the complex could not stay continually connected.

Expect T-Mobile to be put to the test April 6, when Wayne Newton and the Killers open the new arena.

• Rick Harrison has been a busy man, though often out of our immediate radius.

A star of “Pawn Stars” on the History channel, Harrison recently campaigned for his buddy, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, at an event at the Intercontinental Miami hotel. In October, Rubio was on hand for the grand opening of Pawn Plaza, Harrison’s cluster of businesses on the same parcel as Gold & Silver Pawn on Las Vegas Boulevard, just north of Charleston Boulevard.

There, Harrison is tying into Super Bowl 50 with an authentication event at the Pawn Stars’ Las Vegas headquarters. On Feb. 6, the day before the “Big Game,” sports-related items and memorabilia will be authenticated by expert Steve Grad.

Meanwhile, the 2001 Super Bowl ring issued to Patriots defensive back Brock Williams is on display at Rick’s Rollin Smoke BBQ & Tavern at Pawn Plaza. Williams didn’t play in the Pats’ victory over the Rams because of a knee injury and famously pawned the ring for $2,600. The ring is shown in the opening credits of “Pawn Stars.”

Harrison, as promised, still tends bar beginning 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Rick’s Rollin Smoke, where a $40 all-you-can-eat-and-drink ribs and PBR special is in place for all NFL playoff games. But don’t ask for that ring; it’s just for show.

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