I'm hoping that certain people who have an opinion of small-town Nevada as fitting a certain stereotype might surprised when they watch this video.
Something that may not be completely clear from this interview, but that we got from our off-camera discussions, is that besides the nice business opportunity for the hotel, the people here are personally interested in attending the event. SF/F fandom isn't exclusively something that belongs only to residents of large metropolitan areas. People in small towns (and I'm from an even tinier town myself) can be interested in the subject as well but may not have the opportunity to participate.
The Tonopah committee anticipates selling reduced-price memberships at the door to local residents.