Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/78247
Superlatives a gem of a gm POWER STRIP CUSTOMERS. BY JOHN KATSILOMETES PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEILA NAVIDI CRYSTALS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER FARID MATRAKI LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVES TO SATISFY HIS HIGH-END A t Farid Matraki's grade school, 14 subjects were required for study. Art was one of his least favorites. "But I'm very good with numbers," says the 45-year-old senior vice president and general manager of Crystals at CityCenter, the 500,000- square-foot dining and luxury retail fortress in the heart of the Strip. Good thing, since Matraki is SVP and GM of the grandest retail structure in Vegas (which is at the center of the most expensive privately financed construction project ever undertaken in the US), and is entrusted with sorting out complex financial figures from a host of very different high-level brands from all over the world. That plethora of grand brands will make it a hot- bed of fashion action for the Fashion's Night Out event on September 6. Last year's 6,500-person blowout drew some of Vegas's biggest names, thanks in part to its charity crawl, which will be repeated this year, along with a men's lounge (the only one on the Strip) and a performance by Nevada Ballet Theatre. Matraki also recently revamped Crystals' website, and is debuting a fashion blog with information on seasonal trends, photo galleries, and a calendar of can't-miss events. Staying on the cutting edge of local retail is part of what makes Matraki so skillful at carving out his particular niche in the luxury shopping market. continued on page 58 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 57 PEOPLE, CULTURE, STYLE