The Venetian Resort Las Vegas offers not only a plethora of meeting space but world class restaurants, gaming, shopping and entertainment, and access to the futuristic Sphere complete with state-of-the-art theater and robots. Photo by Thomas Hart Shelby / Courtesy of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas

When Deanita Davis, CMP, the vice president of meetings for the National Multifamily Housing Council, began planning two gatherings for association members last year, she found Las Vegas was an ideal choice.

“Our attendance has grown and we have outgrown the properties we previously used,” she says. “It makes sense for us to hold the meetings at a Las Vegas hotel. They have plenty of meeting space and can accommodate in one hotel the number of rooms we had to split between several hotels in other cities.”

With over 156,000 guest rooms and dozens of properties with over 200,000 sf of meeting space, Las Vegas has many desirable qualities, including direct flights from 164 markets and entertainment options galore.

“Las Vegas is a city that continues to reinvent itself,” says Stephanie Glanzer, CMP, chief sales officer and senior vice president for MGM Resorts International. “Each time attendees return to the destination, they discover a new restaurant, show, attraction or even entirely remodeled rooms.”

Rebecca DeLuca, CMP, vice president of destination sales for Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, adds, “Groups can find any number of activities and experiences to fill their time while in Vegas, from fun, live entertainment venues like Brooklyn Bowl to unique, immersive experiences such as Area15,” she says. “The wide variety of offerings that can only be found here are as diverse as the visiting groups themselves.”

Area15 Las Vegas, an entertainment venue a few miles from The Strip, offers art shows, virtual reality experiences, axe throwing, a flight simulator and a top chef restaurant.

Caesars’ newest property, Ole Red Las Vegas, opened early this year, in a four-story building in front of Horseshoe Las Vegas. The 27,000-sf restaurant, bar and entertainment venue includes 686 seats. The first and second floors have a honky-tonk with dance floors, the third floor has lounge seating and a private event space for groups.

“Located center Strip, it is a Blake Shelton-inspired bar, restaurant and music venue offering stunning views of The Strip, great food and live music,” says Kelly Gleeson Smith, Caesars’ vice president of sales for national meetings and events.

Horseshoe Las Vegas is among the many renovated resorts in the city. The Jubilee Tower will be transformed into the Versailles Tower, a $100 million investment that is renovating 756 guest rooms and adding a pedestrian bridge that connects the property to Paris Las Vegas.

The Colosseum Tower, formerly has been renovated at iconic Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino Las Vegas. “The redesigned tower offers 440 guest rooms and suites with classically inspired yet modern décor,” DeLuca says.

Also, Peter Luger Steak House opened at Caesars Palace last fall. The company’s original steak house debuted in New York City in 1887, and has been a favorite there ever since. Caesars Palace has 3,960 guest rooms and 300,000 sf of meeting space.

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has been garnering attention with its two new additions. At more than 360 feet tall and 516 feet wide, the $2.3 billion Sphere at The Venetian is the world’s largest spherical structure. It debuted last fall, and includes a high-resolution LED screen that wraps halfway around the 17,600-seat interior.

With a crystal-clear audio system, it is a spectacular venue for concerts and other events. The outside of the building boasts 1.2 million hockey puck-size LEDs that can be programmed to create dynamic and colossal image displays. The other new attraction, Flight Club at Venetian Resort, offers fast-paced games, craft cocktails and elevated culinary choices.

The resort has 7,100 suites, making it one of the largest hotels in the world. It includes Venetian Convention & Expo Center (formerly known as Sands Expo and Convention Center), which offers more than 2.25 million sf of meeting and event space. The convention center will begin a three-year, $188 million transformation that will bring enhanced technology, luxury lounge spaces and an elegant new color palette.

MGM Resorts International is awaiting the completion of its Mandalay Bay Convention Center this year. “The project reflects the needs and preferences of today’s meeting planners and attendees, with significant technology upgrades, dynamic digital signage and a fresh, new design and ambiance,” Glanzer says.

The convention center is part of a new wave of enhancements at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, which offers 3,209 guest rooms and 2.1 million sf of meeting and exhibit space. These include the recent opening of Orla, a new Greek restaurant concept by celebrated chef Michael Mina, and the upcoming Swingers Crazy Golf, which takes mini-golf to a new level.

Recent renovations at MGM properties include a $110 million transformation of the 923 guest rooms in the luxurious Spa Tower at Bellagio Las Vegas, which has a total of more than 3,900 guest rooms and more than 200,000 sf of meeting space, and a $63 million remodel of all 1,830 guest rooms and 155 suites at New York-New York Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

“MGM Grand, with 6,852 guest rooms, 850,000 sf of meeting space, remodeled its Studio Tower, giving all 700 rooms a refreshing, retro-desert feel with a modern, stylish design that is ideal for both business and leisure travelers,” Glanzer says.

Davis planned a meeting for some 800 members at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino last October. “The conference was held in Las Vegas for the first time, at the request of our community leadership,” she says. “We chose the MGM Grand because of its conference center. It is nice, with windows in the main foyer on all levels and even has some outdoor space.”

The group mainly met on the third floor. “It was great to have networking space in the large foyer, next to our registration. The windows in the foyer provide amazing views,” Davis says.

Since the group did not have suites in its block and there was great demand for subgroup meeting space, some attendees stayed at The Signature hotel at MGM Grand, which offers all suites, while others stayed at nearby hotels.

“The hotel has upgraded one tower of rooms (Studio Tower), and they are beautiful,” Davis says. “Unfortunately, that is not the tower closest to the meeting space. When they upgrade the rest of the rooms, especially those in Grand Tower, it will enhance the overall experience for attendees.”

According to Davis, attendees were a bit overwhelmed at the size of the property. “The hotel works well for larger groups, with over 1,000 attendees. We do have a larger meeting, with approximately 3,000 attendees, that will be held at the MGM Grand for two years. We have the first floor, which will also make a difference.”

In 2022 and 2023, Brian Landers, senior vice president and team director for ConferenceDirect, helped to plan two gatherings for 3,000 members of a chapter-based trade association client at another MGM property. “The client chose Aria Las Vegas,” he says. “It has enough space to accommodate a large group, but allows the attendees to feel as though they are in a high-end conference center. They can still have exhibit space and large general sessions, but in the convenience of a room with windows, carpet, soft seating and quick access to and from the hotel. The intimate feeling of Aria’s space is key.”

Aria, with 4,004 guest rooms and 500,000 sf of meeting space, has an East and West Convention Center, located next to each other. “The larger of the two buildings (West) allows for a large group to utilize a stacked space concept and quickly move attendees from exhibits to meetings,” Landers says. “Having access to a large outdoor space for private events would make the property even more ideal. They utilize the pool, but the distance to the meeting space and challenges with outdoor events make that less appealing. Although there is ample natural light in the space, the ability to host a large-scale outdoor event would be fantastic.”

SAHARA Las Vegas recently completed a $200 million renovation that features elegant new design elements, a porte-cochere facing The Strip and brand-new restaurants. The property has 1,613 guest rooms and more than 95,000 sf of meeting space.

During a site visit, Samera Zavaro, a meeting planner and owner of Conference Connectionz, found the newly renovated property to be ideal for a meeting with around 200 attendees she is helping to organize for the International Association for Chemical Testing (IACT) in 2025.

“The IACT meeting has never been held in Las Vegas,” she says. “We looked at five properties there and SAHARA was a perfect fit.”

Zavaro was particularly drawn to a ballroom adjacent to the kitchen. “It will be perfect for our vendor space, where we also like to have our attendees’ meals,” she says. “I also like that the meeting space is separate from the gambling space, which is not very large. The majority of attendees for this conference will be law enforcement employees, so there will be lots of government employees. Being able to stay at a hotel in Las Vegas that does not focus so heavily on gambling is a benefit for our attendees.”

Zavaro was impressed with the dining options at SAHARA Las Vegas and liked that the property is away from The Strip, but still close to several restaurants and after-hours activities.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas, which opened last December, is the newest luxury hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The 67-story resort includes almost 3,700 guest rooms, 550,000 sf of meeting space, a 150,000-sf casino, a 6-acre pool and 36 bars and restaurants.

In 2020, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas completed a two-level expansion that added 300,000 sf of meeting and convention space, featuring sweeping views of the resort’s golf course. The complex now offers 560,000 sf of rentable space, 2,034 suites at Encore and 2,716 guest rooms at Wynn.

Resorts World Las Vegas, which offers 250,000 sf of meeting space, is planning to build a 370,000-sf convention center on an undeveloped area of the property. Plans call for a 109,000-sf expo hall on the first floor and ballroom space and a pantry on the top level. The project will include a 145-foot rooftop plane and a decorative promenade linking it to the resorts.

Resorts World Las Vegas contains a 59-story tower, housing three Hilton hotels: the 1,678-room Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World, 1,496-room Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World and 332-room Crockfords Las Vegas.

The 777-room Circa Resort & Casino Las Vegas recently expanded its meeting space. “Circa’s ballroom space has a state-of-the-art Daktronics LED screen plus four additional drop-down standard screens, as well as over 30 rigging points throughout the ceiling,” says Sasha Lee, director of sales for the property.

In 2022, JW Marriott Resort & Spa celebrated the grand re-opening of the luxurious Spa Aquae. It renovated the salon, men’s and women’s locker rooms, indoor water features and sauna and steam rooms, as well as a new, elevated fitness center with free weights, state-of-the-art machines and cardio equipment. The property offers 548 guest rooms and more than 115,000 sf of meeting space, including a 14,000-sf grand ballroom.

Palms Casino Resort wrapped up a two-year, $620 million renovation in 2019 that included redesigned guest rooms, new restaurants, a new nightclub, a redesigned casino floor and a mini art museum. The following year, the resort shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in 2022 with new owners — the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The resort offers 703 guest rooms and 170,000 sf of meeting space.

Since the 1930s, when the City of Lights began to be known as America’s playground, Las Vegas has never ceased to attract event planners and attendees to their world-class venues and extravagant show floors. Las Vegas is in a class by itself — and its draw is simple: it is the ultimate stage for an event. | AC&F |