The Bellagio Las Vegas invested $110M in its Spa Tower last year. Courtesy Photo

When it comes to selecting the ideal meeting location for a major client conference, Las Vegas is a no-brainer for its wide variety of dining, entertainment and activities. The city’s world-class resorts encompass more than 156,000 rooms. The Harry Reid International Airport is located just two miles from the Strip and features 1,100 daily flights to more than 150 cities. Las Vegas also holds three of the 10 largest convention venues in the country.

Now celebrating the 120th year of its founding, the neon oasis in the desert is hardly resting on its laurels. Reinvention is the name of the game that keeps attendees engaged year after year — the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reports that attendance increases 9% when conventions rotate into the city. That’s because everyone is eager to see what’s new in this always-buzzing town.

“Doesn’t everyone love Las Vegas?” asks Stacy J. Weber, CMP, meeting, travel & procurement senior manager for Moss Adams LLP. Weber says Las Vegas is a destination for the accounting and consulting firm because of its airlift, as well as the bounty of lodging, venue and entertainment options. And she recommends partnering with the LVCVA from the start. “The LVCVA are the destination experts — they can help you with hotel information, site visits, planning, contacts, etc.”

The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) launched a $600 million renovation of the facility’s legacy campus, a project designed to better integrate the west hall with the rest of the convention center. The renovation includes enhancing LVCC’s contemporary design, architecture and attendee experience of the 1.4 million-sf West Hall, which opened in 2021. A new east entrance will welcome convention attendees with an indoor lobby and an outdoor plaza, featuring 500 plants and shrubs, creating a grand first impression of the already impressive space. The renovation project is expected to last through 2025 but is designed to cause minimal disruption to the convention center experience.

Paris Las Vegas celebrated its 25th year of operation by adding 756 redesigned luxury guest rooms in the Versailles Tower (formerly Bally’s Jubilee Tower). The Versailles Tower features some of the largest standard rooms on the Strip, starting at 420 sf, and 38 guest rooms feature new 55-sf balconies with Strip views. The $100 million project for the Caesars property includes a bridge that connects the Versailles Tower to the main Paris resort. Featuring one of the largest ballrooms in Las Vegas, Paris offers 140,000 sf of pillarless function space.

In 2022, MGM Resorts’ New York-New York Hotel & Casino completed an expansive $63 million remodel of guest rooms and suites, drawing inspiration from the spirit and energy that is synonymous with both New York City and Las Vegas. In the same year, MGM Resorts acquired The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The resort has a 100,000-sf casino, a 40,000-sf concert venue, a more than 60,000-sf rooftop nightclub/dayclub, three distinct pool experiences, world-class cuisine and an eclectic mix of boutiques, as well as breathtaking views of The Strip. Planners will find at The Cosmopolitan more than 240,000 sf of vertically integrated meeting and event space available for their needs.

“Las Vegas is top-notch for meetings,” says Lauren Petersen, director, enterprise event management for Fiserv, a multinational technology provider for the financial sector. “It has everything, from an entertainment perspective and for the quality of service you find in the hospitality venues.”

In September 2024, Fiserv hosted 4,500 attendees during its Forum Client Conference at The Venetian Resort and The Palazzo. Petersen notes: “We always prefer an option where all of our participants can stay under one roof, and not many cities can offer that for a group of our size.”

The Venetian’s suites are the largest standard room on The Strip, and all 4,000 of them in the Venetian towers were completely updated as of September, part of a $1.5 billion reinvestment project as the iconic resort also celebrates its 25th anniversary. The new suites are inspired by the ornate traditional costumes of the Carnival of Venice in Italy, infusing energy, spirit and warmth in a contemporary, fresh design. Beyond accommodations, the redevelopment delivers other first-class offerings to Las Vegas, including the addition of exciting new chef-led culinary concepts. As part of the redevelopment, The Venetian committed $188 million to the renovation of its Convention Center.

The annual Fiserv Forum Client Conference was held last year at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and attended by more than 4,000 people. Courtesy of Lauren Petersen

“We have hosted our group at the Venetian for many years,” Petersen adds. “It’s a fantastic property, and the investment Venetian is putting into their meeting space renovation and the great variety of dining and entertainment throughout only adds to that. They are doing so much to keep the property fresh — even as a group that comes back every year, it seems like there is something new to experience every time.”

Petersen continues: “Our guests appreciate the quality of accommodations at the Venetian. The large hotel suites and the elegant and vibrant atmosphere make the experience special for them, and having the ability to offer a high-quality experience for our clients is important to us. The Venetian is a great partner to work with to create that. Whether during contracting, pre-planning or onsite, they want to understand what is important to our group to help us be successful.”

She suggests there is one downside to the growing popularity Las Vegas enjoys. “Finding available dates has been so challenging in recent years — it’s important to plan ahead,” Petersen says. “We are finding that we need to be contracting at least three to four years in advance to secure the meeting space and rooms we need to accommodate a group of our size.”

Still, the demand is there because Las Vegas has built the infrastructure to meet it, according to Julie Pierson-Fields, vice president of marketing for Fathom Holdings, Inc. “Most places have a direct flight to Las Vegas, or there’s a cost-efficient way to get there,” Pierson-Fields says, adding that the airport is adept at handling the volume. “And there’s much more to do than just going to a convention. Between the restaurants, the entertainment — Vegas makes for a very easy event.”

For the annual Fathom Summit, which was held in November and attended by 500 real estate agents, Pierson-Fields negotiated a room block at the midsized 1,613-room SAHARA Las Vegas, with an eye on making the event cost-effective for attendees. “From a straight-up logistics perspective, we’re not a complicated event,” she says. “SAHARA worked with us to find creative solutions at the property that helped us maintain our budget. A lot of places, when you say you want to do things that aren’t standard event items, you get pushback. But they said: ‘We’ll try,’ and it helped our budget.”

Fathom’s event utilized most of the SAHARA’s 85,000 sf of event space, creating breakout areas in a classroom setup. Following a short-lived rebranding as SLS Las Vegas, in 2022 the casino resort underwent a $200 million reimagining that gently updated its original Moroccan theme. “They did not skimp on their renovation,” Pierson-Fields notes. “We wanted to ensure that everything we needed to provide a seamless experience was in place, and that everything was state-of-the-art. Attendees spend money to come to these things, and you want them to feel welcome and that they are getting value. We were pleased with everything the event staff did for us — they were a cohesive unit and made our lives easy.”

Pierson-Fields says she wouldn’t normally use a pool area for an event, but she felt comfortable utilizing the SAHARA’s new AZILO Ultra Pool. It is a flexible event space that works for nighttime events, with cabanas, bungalows, lily pads, daybeds and lounge seating for up to 1,180 guests, or standing-room events for up to 2,000.

“I’m a former lifeguard and I have paranoia about people ending up the pool,” Pierson-Fields explains. “But they took what we were envisioning and said: ‘Expand your thinking and let’s leverage these pool spaces [in a way that makes you comfortable].’ ” The result was a memorable evening event that took place within the safety standards Fathom desired.

For an event in June, Moss Adams wanted a centrally located upscale hotel with ample space to host 1,600 attendees. The dates the company needed were inflexible. Fortunately, MGM’s Bellagio was available, and Weber says that the hotel worked hard to create a package that was too good to pass up. “The sales team took the time to understand our goals and objectives, dynamics, needs and budget of the meeting,” she explains. “The meeting was three days, with a general session, a meal room and numerous breakouts of various sizes. Hotel options in Las Vegas meet and exceed those needs under one roof — an important consideration for us. We owned the entire meeting space, and that, combined with the caliber of hotel, made our attendees feel special.” Weber also notes that holding the event in summer enabled them to contract a luxury hotel with reasonable rates and maximize the meeting space, as there was less competition.

Bellagio recently unveiled its Spa Tower renovations, in which it invested $110 million to reinvigorate guest rooms and suites with an enhanced, sophisticated look through custom furnishings and bespoke art inspired by the natural vibrancy of Italy’s famed Lake Como. Weber says many of her attendees are adamant about not wanting to walk through a smoky casino, and Bellagio worked to house most of the group in the guest room tower closest to the meeting space, so they could get from their hotel room to the meeting without traveling through the gaming areas.

“The meeting space is contained on one level. It’s very easy to navigate and offers rooms of all sizes and shapes. Some even have outdoor patios,” Weber says. In addition, she calls the Bellagio’s sales staff, catering manager and AV team top-notch. “Every one of the team understood who we are, what we were doing and what we wanted to accomplish. Throughout the sales, planning and execution, they offered suggestions and concessions that improved the event execution and experience and helped us manage the budget. Based on this experience, we are returning to Bellagio in 2025.”

MGM has also been busy refreshing its Mandalay Bay Convention Center, with a $100 million project completed last summer. The remodel includes upgraded technology infrastructure, cutting-edge Cat6A Ethernet cabling throughout, additional dynamic digital signage and a fresh, invigorating design that complements the resort’s tropical-inspired brand. Last year, the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas — part of the 120-acre Mandalay Bay campus — completed a multimillion-dollar redesign of its 424 rooms and suites. Inspired by the Mojave Desert, the new motif balances contemporary design elements that provide a sense of place, a softer feel and a more residential environment, in addition to the nearly 40,000 sf of event space throughout the resort.

CAESARS FORUM is a great option for large events, with 550,000 sf of indoor space and 100,000 sf available outdoors in the plaza. Courtesy Photo

With 3,980 guest rooms and suites, the iconic Caesars Palace remains one of the largest Las Vegas hotels, featuring five towers of rooms, suites and villas, and abundant meeting and event spaces. When it’s time for a break, attendees can explore spectacular entertainment and nightlife, including the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace (with more than 160 boutiques and restaurants) and a wide variety of celebrity chef-run dining venues. At 550,000 sf, the LEED-Silver-Certified CAESARS FORUM is an architectural marvel that reimagines the Las Vegas event destination landscape and provides an unparalleled event experience with its ultra-modern design, immersive technology and world-class service. For large-scale gatherings, the Forum Plaza offers 100,000 sf of outdoor event space — constructed specifically for grand affairs — as well as the world’s two largest pillarless ballrooms, which can accommodate up to 10,000 attendees.

Beyond the Strip

While Las Vegas Boulevard holds the lion’s share of conference space, meeting planners building smaller or mid-size events would be wise to look beyond the Strip, where costs are often lower and distractions may be fewer for attendees.

The Palms Casino Resort reopened in 2022, following a two-year, $620 million renovation that included redesigned guest rooms, new restaurants, a new nightclub, a redesigned casino floor and a miniature art museum. The Palms is the first Las Vegas casino to be fully owned and operated by a Native American tribe — the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The resort offers 703 guest rooms, featuring a collection of fantasy suites, and 170,000 sf of meeting and event space, including the 10,282-sf Grand Ballroom.

In September, Rio Hotel & Casino revealed the completion of the first phase of a $340 million multi-year, property-wide transformation, blending modern sophistication with a mix of affordability and luxury. The resort now boasts 220,000 sf of remodeled meeting and convention space, several new dining destinations within its new Canteen Food Hall, a revamped pool district (with four distinctive pools inspired by the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and a new exterior art installation.

In November, the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa announced the completion of a $75 million multi-year renovation. Located in Summerlin, NV, a master-planned community on the western edge of Las Vegas, the property’s new design blends its existing Spanish Colonial architecture with more modern elements. With 548 renovated guest rooms that are oversized and equipped with new luxury bedding and elevated furniture, the resort also features more than 110,000 sf of meeting space, including the 14,409-sf Grand Ballroom.

Heading for a remodel this year, the Green Valley Ranch Resort, in nearby Henderson, NV, announced the next phase of its $150 million property-wide transformation with the upcoming renovation of its 495 guest rooms.

Even ahead of the remodel, Green Valley Ranch proved to be an ideal setting for the San Francisco-based tech software company Mixpanel, which held a 300-person global kickoff event there last March. Katie Bohrer, CMP and CEO of event planner Onwardly, says her client was looking for a property where they could do a buyout. “Green Valley Ranch was the perfect size for us,” Bohrer says. “We got to own the space. We loved that it’s off the Strip and without the distractions. This group likes to be outside, and the resort has great outdoor space. We did registration outside, and the breakfasts and lunches as well. When they went back inside to the meeting space they weren’t indoors for 10 hours straight.”

Mixpanel hands out end-of-year awards, and Green Valley Ranch has a spa and 71 suites — so the award-winners were upgraded to a suite at check-in and received experiences at the spa. The company had also asked the F&B team to be creative, as about a third of the group was vegetarian. For the year-end awards ceremony, lunch consisted of an ancient grains veggie bowl plate that could be customized with or without protein.

“The staff at Green Valley Ranch is excellent,” Bohrer adds. “We didn’t have to compromise on anything. Mixpanel has never rebooked a destination, so it was a big compliment that the meeting stakeholders were willing to rebook the hotel for 2025.”

No matter the meeting or event, Las Vegas and the surrounding area remain a top choice for meeting planners seeking world-class entertainment, plentiful accommodations and a surplus of meeting and event space. C&IT