A rendering of the Las Vegas Global Business District. Credit: Las Vegas CVA

Don’t ever think that a corporate meeting group has seen or experienced everything that Las Vegas offers 24/7. Every visit to the Entertainment Capital of the World is guaranteed to elicit “wows” from not only first-time attendees but veterans as well. That’s because Las Vegas is constantly reinventing itself, adding and enhancing hotels and resorts, meeting and event venues, dining and entertainment experiences and much more.

More than $5 billion in new investment projects will pour into the destination over the next several years, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “This is an exciting time as the confidence in the Las Vegas brand continues to build with new projects and ongoing reinvestment,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the LVCVA in a news release. “The billions of dollars being invested in Las Vegas for unique experiences and world-class facilities and amenities show why Las Vegas continues to be the premier leisure and business destination.”

Several projects, such as the visionary Las Vegas Global Business District project, are underway. Announced in February, with a $2.5 billion price tag, the international business destination will be completed in phases and include major renovations of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). Plans for the center include more exhibit and general session space; additional meeting rooms; upgraded technology; more food and beverage outlets; a grand concourse connector with additional lobby space; and outdoor public gathering spaces.

Designated in 2011 as an official World Trade Center site through an agreement with the Consumer Electronics Association, the global business district will attract national and international conventions and meetings and enhance Las Vegas’ global popularity. “It will launch Las Vegas ahead of all of our competition and solidify our standing as an international business center,” says Amy Riley, senior director, convention sales for the LVCVA. “We will be able to leverage our brand as a World Trade Center, and we are the only convention center in North America with that designation.”

Meanwhile, Las Vegas continues to set new records. In 2012, Las Vegas hosted a record 39.7 million visitors, up 2.1 percent over 2011. The total number of conventions and meetings increased 13.6 percent.

The improved results stem partly from continuing efforts to market Las Vegas. Between September and December 2012, the LVCVA conducted a “100 Day Challenge,” says Riley. “The point was to challenge our new and existing partners to meet us at over 60 events throughout the U.S. and help them fill in what they needed for 2013 and moving into 2014. We met at everything from a baseball game to an event at a zoo to receptions in different cities. It was very successful.”

No U.S. destination beats Las Vegas when it comes to meeting space. A combined total of more than 5 million sf of meeting, exhibit and convention space is available at the three largest exhibition facilities in Southern Nevada — the Las Vegas Convention Center, Sands Expo & Convention Center and Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Magnetism Draws Groups Back

Las Vegas is like a magnet. Groups keep coming back year after year. Las Vegas lures groups of all sizes, too. The city has shed its reputation among some planners for making small groups a low priority. “It’s like any other tier-one city; there is always room for the small group,” says Hugh Hunt, president of Hunt Conference Group Inc., a Grapevine, TX-based meetings, conferences and special events company. “I do board meetings for corporations that love Las Vegas for that purpose. Many properties have divisions catering to groups of fewer than 100 people.”

Las Vegas was the ideal destination for one of Hunt’s larger clients, an oil and gas company, which last January hosted a five-day meeting of approximately 300 salespeople at the 390-room M Resort Spa Casino. Located just south of The Strip, the M Resort features more than 92,000 sf of meeting spaces including the new M Pavilion with a capacity of 2,300 people, a 7,200-sf special event space called LUX, and the 100,000-sf Villaggio Del Sole outdoor events plaza.

The M Resort’s customer service was exceptional. “The group has been a client for more than 15 years so we pretty much knew the M Resort was the place to take them to get the service and attention they wanted,” says Hunt. “We were the only group in the hotel so we had all the attention. Even though we were just 300 people, we were a full house to the hotel. That’s rare for Vegas properties.”

Hunt chose the M Resort for several other reasons: The group wanted to stay off The Strip but remain close to it. Also, Hunt enjoys a good working relationship with the M Resort’s sales staff, some of whom previously worked at other area properties. Furthermore, he was able to negotiate reasonable room rates for his group.

Hunt also was impressed with the layout of the hotel. “A lot of times when you come into a hotel in Vegas, you come into a lobby that is a casino,” says Hunt. “With the M Resort, the casino is off to the right a good distance, and you don’t see what’s going on in there. You come into a beautiful lobby and check-in area that makes it look like the hotel only does meetings. And the meeting space, ballrooms and breakouts are all in one area.”

The oil and gas group is one among the thousands of Las Vegas’ loyal repeat customers. According to Hunt, this group has met in the city at least eight times, including twice at the M Resort since it opened in 2009. “Any group I have, if they are a fit for the M Resort, it would be on the top of my list,” adds Hunt.

Huge Attendance Booster

First-timers find out very quickly that meeting in Las Vegas is a huge attendance-builder. According to Dennise Cowart, director of events for Irvine, CA-headquartered Sage Software Inc., her company eagerly anticipates meeting in Las Vegas for the first time next year. The annual Sage Summit, a six-day conference for Sage’s customers, resellers, salespeople and executives, will be held at the 3,309-room Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, which boasts 1.6 million sf of meeting space. More than 3,000 attendees are expected.

Sage has been interested in holding its summit in Las Vegas for years. In 2011, the company surveyed attendees about meeting in Las Vegas, and the response was positive, says Cowart, who is based in Austin, TX. Still, the company was concerned that gaming might detract from the summit’s focus on new product training and networking.

The Mandalay Bay staff allayed the company’s concerns during Cowart’s visit. “The hotel provided data, case studies and referrals showing that groups meeting in Las Vegas increase attendance. It was also appealing that upon entering the convention side, the fact that you are in Vegas is almost non-existent. There is no gaming over there,” says Cowart.

The large amount of space, attractive facilities and connected access to the Mandalay Bay Conven­tion Center also factored in their decision. “To get maximum value from the networking experience, it’s better if everyone is under one roof in terms of the meeting space and hotel,” says Cowart. “We are also very breakout-intensive with about 600 learning sessions. Every room has a standard AV setup and a dozen rooms are dedicated to hands-on learning labs. We bring in computers and set them up so customers can train on our software.”

Negotiating a good deal also was an incentive. “One attraction was having good, competitive room and food and beverage rates,” Cowart observes. “We are very heavy on food and beverage. We provide breakfast, lunch and snacks every day, and a reception almost every evening. The hotel was very willing to negotiate, based on our spending history.”

The Mandalay Bay also helped with a small but important food and beverage detail for the summit’s trade show component of about 200 software developers and vendors. “One of the challenges we always face is that we like to host a reception with the trade show. Trying to come up with really good food that people can walk around with is always a challenge. The chef was very creative in providing great food for that,” says Cowart.
The summit’s attendees also will enjoy entertainment and attractions. Cowart is considering including an offsite activity at The Linq, Caesars Entertainment’s 200,000-sf retail, dining, entertainment and hospitality district that is scheduled to open later this year. She also is considering a welcome reception and concert at Mandalay Bay Beach, an expansive aquatic area with a 1.6-million-gallon wave pool, 2,700 tons of genuine beach sand and about 100 cabanas, bungalows, day beds and villas.

Entertainment Is the Icing on the Cake

While groups meeting in Las Vegas vary in size and have different meeting needs, they all appreciate the boundless supply of recreational activities and exciting, unique entertainment available on The Strip and beyond. USMotivation, a full-service incentive company based in Atlanta, plans several meetings a year in Las Vegas, such as the product introduction meeting held in January for a technology company’s 1,000 dealers, executives and service managers from the U.S., Mexico and South America.
The three-day meeting was held at The Venetian/The Palazzo. The long list of things to do in Las Vegas was a big draw for the group, according to Monica Thein, senior account manager, travel operations, USMotivation. “In locations that don’t have so many things to do and ways to get around, you have to plan a lot more activities,” she says. “There is so much to do on your own that you don’t have to plan as much as in destinations that are larger or smaller and more spread out, making transportation a big component. In Las Vegas, you really don’t need transportation so you save in that way.”

The plentiful meeting space and entertainment options at the The Venetian/The Palazzo also were a plus. Attendees were wowed by a 10-minute performance of The Blue Man Group during the opening session, and many chose to attend the complete electrifying performance during their own time. The group held a welcome reception at the property’s Lagasse Stadium, a 24,000-sf restaurant and sports bar featuring Chef Emeril Lagasse’s cuisine, more than 100 HD TVs, plush stadium-style seats and luxury boxes. Also, attendees saw comedian Larry the Cable Guy at Haze Nightclub, Aria Resort & Casino’s flagship nightlife venue.

Las Vegas Motivates

Mark A. Prine, divisional vice president, major accounts, for USMotivation, planned a sales incentive program for 2,000 participants in April. Prine agrees that the good airlift and reasonable airfare, as well as the abundant space options make choosing Las Vegas an easy decision. Prine chose the 3,993-room Bellagio for an annual recognition event for top sellers and managers, which is known for the distinctive Fountains of Bellagio — a mesmerizing show of water, music and light.

An incentive program in Las Vegas is a top motivator, and Prine uses that carrot to help incentivize his client’s employees. Prine explains the process: “We have a year-long communications campaign and website dedicated to this program, with twice-monthly updates on the website that show who is in the running to earn the trip. We do mailers, emails, texts throughout the year to keep the program objectives front of mind,” Prine says. Prine also does “a full ROI analysis from both a cost analysis as well as in-depth survey analysis measuring participant experience and satisfaction.”

The attendees loved Las Vegas and found the overall experience “fantastic” and were “very excited about the venue,” adds Prine.

One key reason he says is the variety of available shows and activities, and the amount and type of space. These are two key factors that differentiate Las Vegas from other destinations.

Along those lines, Prine singled out Hyde Bellagio and the Conservatory as two unique venues at Bellagio. The very popular Hyde Bellagio, designed by Philippe Starck, is a new indoor-outdoor space with floor-to-ceiling windows — which showcase the Fountains of Bellagio — small plates and intimate places for networking. Later in the evening, the space morphs into one of Las Vegas’ hottest nightlife venues. Prine says Bank at Bellagio also provided great nightlife experiences for attendees. For a change of pace, the Victorian Gazebo in the South Garden of Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens features daily, live musical performances. Attendees participated in many activities including an event at Bellagio’s Tuscany Kitchen, the first exhibition kitchen of its kind in Las Vegas and designed specifically for meeting and convention groups. Also, performances by David Copperfield, Bon Jovi, Elton John and Blue Man Group were on the agenda, as were Zarkana Cirque du Soleil at Aria and Le Rêve – The Dream at Wynn Las Vegas. On the activity side, Prine says Adrenaline Rush, Red Rocks Biking, Hiking and Hummer Tours, Richard Petty Ride Along and River Float were the top winners.

But the fun and excitement did not stop there. Prine’s group also was treated to a dine-around, leadership dinners, a business session with winner recognition and awards; and a unique shopping experience where each winner and guest selects their prize in a boutique-like shopping experience.

Green meetings and connecting at meetings are easier to accomplish now thanks to Event+, his company’s new mobile app. “Being sustainable and going paperless are important to businesses today,” says Prine. “The Event+ mobile app can replace or supplement printed collateral, which many times is out of date the second it is printed. Everyone carries a smart phone with them these days. Maps, agenda, activity times, and most importantly, real time changes are all reflected in the app.
“Social networking and messaging within the app is also very popular to connect with other attendees, particularly when you are in such large venues,” Prine adds.

New and Noteworthy

Caesars Entertainment is collaborating with Gansevoort Hotel Group and nightlife promoter Victor Drai to build the Gansevoort Las Vegas on the former site of Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon. The boutique resort and casino will include the 65,000-sf Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub. The resort is scheduled to debut in early 2014.

The Linq, which Caesars Entertainment plans to open late this year on The Strip, will feature more than 30 retail, dining and entertainment options. The 550-foot Las Vegas High Roller observation wheel has 28 enclosed and transparent cabins, each of which accommodates 40 people.

MGM Resorts International unveiled details about its new entertainment district surrounding the world-class 20,000-seat arena under development in partnership with AEG. These new experiences will be located Stripside at New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts and include a public park leading to the new state-of-the-art arena.

The company expects to create an experience that encourages social interaction and people-watching. Construction will be completed in early 2014.

In a statement, Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said, “All great cities offer vibrant pedestrian experiences, and Las Vegas is certainly no exception, as The Strip is one of the world’s greatest boulevards. Our vision is to extend the excitement we traditionally create within our world-class resorts outside onto The Strip, and ultimately in an entertainment district leading to our new arena.”

More of Everything

Planners and groups will continue to rediscover Las Vegas during each visit due to the city’s determination to offer more of everything to meetings, conventions and trade shows. The constant reinvention of Las Vegas will ensure that it becomes an even more popular destination for groups around the globe for years to come. C&IT