Attendees love casino resorts with plenty of dining options.

Ask most association meeting planners what they think of when someone mentions a casino resort and gaming is probably the last thing on their minds. It is certainly something attendees look forward to, but what draws planners to book again and again, conference after conference, is everything else: the scale, the self-contained ecosystem, the exceptional dining opportunities and the sheer range of things attendees can do without ever stepping off the property.

Morgan Maravich, CTIS, CTP, CSTP, vice president of foundation relations for the ASAE Research Foundation in Washington D.C., saw this when she led the ASAE CEO Conclave at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The exclusive gathering brought together association CEOs and industry partners for executive education and relationship-building — and what she noticed most wasn’t what happened in the meeting rooms.

“We believe much of that success stemmed from the intentional balance between leadership education and opportunities for wellness, networking and memorable shared experiences,” Maravich says.

That balance — between structured programming and the organic moments that happen around it — is increasingly what separates a good association event from a great one. And gaming resorts, with their sprawling dining, entertainment, wellness and social spaces, are particularly well-engineered to make it happen.

Guylaine Saint Juste, president & CEO of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) in Greenbelt, MD, watched this play out at ARIA Resort & Casino, where NABA hosted its annual national convention. Thousands of students, professionals and industry leaders came together for days of education, networking and professional development — and the resort itself became part of the draw.

“Several attendees mentioned that it was tempting to never step out onto the Strip because ARIA had everything they needed,” Juste says. That kind of feedback is what keeps planners — and attendees — coming back.

MGM Resorts

If you’re booking in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts is almost impossible to ignore. The portfolio includes not only MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, but also Bellagio Hotel & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and others, with over 40,000 hotel rooms and more than 4 million sf of flexible meeting and convention space across the Strip. The sheer variety means planners can match the right property to the right group. Mandalay Bay’s convention center is the largest piece of that puzzle, with 2.1 million sf of convention, ballroom and meeting space — recently renovated — making it one of largest convention venues in the country.

For attendees, the experience outside the meeting room is where MGM’s depth really shines. MGM Grand houses KÀ by Cirque du Soleil, David Copperfield, Jabbawockeez, Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, Hakkasan nightclub and Topgolf Las Vegas. Bellagio has Cirque du Soleil’s O in a dedicated 1,800-seat theater. Mandalay Bay operates a 12,000-seat arena and the House of Blues music hall, which fits up to 3,000 attendees.

The dining lineups are equally serious. MGM Grand has Joël Robuchon, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill and Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak. At Mandalay Bay, Michael Mina’s StripSteak just reopened with a refreshed look and now holds one of the largest private dining rooms on the Strip — useful for hosted dinners that need a wow factor. ARIA recently added Gymkhana — the acclaimed London-based Indian restaurant.

Amy Kulp, account executive with Management Solutions Plus in Rockville, MD, selected Bellagio for The Shock Society’s annual scientific meeting, which drew a significant international attendee base. She says the breadth of options mattered.

“Our attendees made use of the restaurants, pool, gym and casinos.” When you’re dealing with a diverse international audience, that range is invaluable.

As for wellness, ARIA leads with an 80,000-sf spa and salon — one of the largest on the Strip. Bellagio’s spa is undergoing a major redesign. It anchors the Spa Tower, which has also been undergoing a $110 million redesign of its guestrooms and suites. MGM Grand recently completed a $300 million property-wide room and suite remodel, inclusive of spa and salon upgrades.

Wynn & Encore Las Vegas

Wynn and Encore Las Vegas operate at a different register – more intimate, more refined with a consistent emphasis on quality over volume. The complex spans more than 560,000 sf of flexible indoor and outdoor event space.

The dining program runs deep, with more than 20 restaurants. Signature spots include SW Steakhouse for prime cuts with lakeside views, Wing Lei for Chinese cuisine, Delilah for a modern supper club experience, Sinatra for upscale Italian and Casa Playa for coastal Mexican. The range — and the quality — supports both formal hosted dinners and casual attendee dining.

When it comes to wellness, The Spa at Wynn and The Spa at Encore together offer treatment rooms, massage, facials, body treatments, salon services and more.

The resort’s 18-hole championship course is another option for groups building pre- or post-conference programming.

As for entertainment here, it centers on Awakening, a large-scale theatrical production with advanced visual effects and immersive staging — the kind of group evening event that attendees actually talk about afterward.

In addition, Encore Theater, which has 1,480 seats, also regularly brings in headline performers, while XS Nightclub and Encore Beach Club round out the nightlife options.

Caesars Entertainment

The Caesars portfolio in Las Vegas gives planners a distinct logistical advantage: multiple properties within walking distance of one another, allowing groups to spread sessions, lodging and networking across venues while keeping everyone in the same general footprint. The portfolio includes such properties as Caesars Palace, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Horseshoe Las Vegas, The LINQ Hotel + Experience and Flamingo Las Vegas. Each property has distinct offerings to entice attendees.

Caesars Palace anchors the meetings offering with more than 300,000 sf of event space, and the dining alone is a strong selling point for attendees. The roster includes Restaurant Guy Savoy, Nobu Restaurant, Amalfi by Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen.

Entertainment also is a consistent strength. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace regularly hosts major headline performers, PH Live at Planet Hollywood also welcomes concerts and comedy, and The LINQ Promenade – with the High Roller observation wheel – offers a walkable evening activation that can anchor receptions without any busing required. These are just a few options.

Of course, the Caesars Forum, which has 550,000 sf of meeting and event space, includes The Forum Plaza with its 100,000 sf of outdoor space perfect for large events.

For those seeking to relax after meetings, the Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace, a 50,000-sf facility built around ancient Roman bathing traditions, gives the royal treatment. The thermal circuit includes three Roman baths of varying temperatures, an Arctic Ice Room (where actual snowflakes fall from the ceiling), herbal steam room and cedarwood sauna.

Resorts World Las Vegas

For associations seeking a destination that combines functionality with attendee appeal, Resorts World Las Vegas offers a compelling all-in-one option. The property features more than 250,000 sf of flexible meeting and event space. Dining is a major draw, with more than 50 food and beverage venues, including the upscale steakhouse Carversteak, contemporary Japanese cuisine at Kusa Nori, Mediterranean fare at Brezza, authentic street-food-inspired options at Famous Foods Street Eats and premium cocktails and social spaces throughout the resort. Wellness is also a priority. The resort’s expansive world-class Awana Spa offers a full menu of massages, facials, body treatments, hydrotherapy experiences and more. The resort also has a state-of-the-art fitness center. After hours, nightlife becomes part of the attraction, with venues like Zouk Nightclub along with Ayu Dayclub, luxury pool experiences and headline entertainment options that naturally extend networking beyond scheduled programming. The resort also is connected to the Vegas Loop, allowing for fast underground transit to the convention center.

While meeting in Las Vegas, check out Sphere, with its 4D films and AI-powered robots.

The Venetian Resort

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas was designed from the ground up for group business. Every attendee stays in a suite — all 7,100 of them across The Venetian and The Palazzo towers — which eliminates the tiered room negotiations that come with most other large properties.

The convention footprint spans 2.25 million sf and is actively being improved. A $188 million renovation, part of a broader $1.5 billion capital investment in the property overall, is rolling out in phases throughout this year. The overhaul brings upgraded AV and digital display systems, refreshed lighting and elevated lounge-style breakout spaces. The 85,000-sf Venetian Ballroom continues to anchor general sessions and galas.

The most notable addition coming late this year is Lusso Lounge — a 10,000-sf executive retreat on the convention center’s third floor, finished in Italian marble and curated European art, designed with a speakeasy-style flow. It’s built specifically for C-suite gatherings, VIP receptions and invitation-only events that need to feel distinctly apart from the main convention floor, without leaving the building.

Canyon Ranch Spa + Fitness covers 134,000 sf across both towers – large enough to realistically build into attendee programming rather than just list it as an amenity. The facility includes massage, skin care and body treatment rooms, two fitness centers, a 40-ft. indoor rock-climbing wall, a Pilates and movement therapy studio, cycling classes, an extensive aquathermal circuit and a salon. For groups running half-day wellness experiences between sessions, it functions as a self-contained destination.

Evening entertainment is similarly handled on-property. Master illusionist Shin Lim performs at the resort. TAO Nightclub accommodates large group buyouts. And Voltaire – an intimate venue headlined by Dita Von Teese, the queen of Burlesque – offers something genuinely unusual for groups that want an evening experience nobody will forget.

Atlantis Paradise Island

Katie Nolan McCormick, vice president of meetings, events and convention at National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) in Washington D.C., has taken multiple conferences to Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas — the Eastern Region Conference, Midwest Region Conference and District 10 Conference — and the results have been consistent.

“All three conferences achieved record-breaking attendance, and the resort’s size, amenities and operational capabilities allowed it to accommodate that growth seamlessly,” McCormick says.

“One of the biggest draws is that there truly is something for everyone,” she adds. “Attendees can enjoy the beaches, pools, water slides, golf, wellness activities such as paddleboard yoga, dolphin encounters and numerous excursions that showcase the beauty and culture of The Bahamas.”

After a $150 million transformation, Atlantis now offers 500,000 sf of indoor and outdoor flexible meeting space. The 50,000-sf Imperial Ballroom holds up to 4,000 attendees, supported by more than 40,000 sf of pre-function space and 30 breakout rooms. The resort’s collection of more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges includes more Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chefs than any other destination in the Caribbean — a detail that resonates when attendee experience is driving your destination decision.

The resort’s Mandara Spa has been undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation drawing on ancient Asian techniques, traditional European therapies and Bahamian ingredients — including local spices, fruits and minerals.

McCormick also points to something less tangible but equally important: the sense of cultural immersion that Atlantis enables. “From local entertainment and cuisine to destination-inspired experiences, attendees felt immersed in the culture rather than simply attending a meeting at a resort,” she says. Beyond the beach and casino, on-property amenities include Aquaventure (the largest waterpark in The Bahamas), a 500-seat movie theater, Jokers Wild comedy club, an 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf, and a tennis and pickleball center.

Turning Stone Resort Casino

Thirty miles east of Syracuse in Verona, NY, Turning Stone has quietly assembled one of the most decorated resort portfolios in the Northeast — and a $370 million expansion is about to change its meetings capacity entirely.

Planners will find more than 225,000 sf of event space here, including The Grand Expo, a conference and event center on track to open by Labor Day. The expansion also includes two new ballrooms, an outdoor courtyard and pre-function reception areas. The accompanying Crescent Hotel is adding 258 guestrooms and suites.

Turning Stone holds four Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Awards – a distinction that extends to its restaurants in a remarkable way. TS Steakhouse and Wildflowers are the only Forbes Four-Star restaurants in New York State outside of New York City. TS Steakhouse occupies the 21st floor of The Tower with panoramic countryside views; Wildflowers, the intimate 65-seat restaurant at The Lodge, handles fine dining at a more residential scale. The broader dining portfolio spans more than 20 options, including Italian at Pino Bianco, Asian fusion at Peach Blossom and barbecue at Tin Rooster, among others.

The spa also holds a Forbes Four-Star Award and was ranked last year as the No. 1 spa in New York and No. 5 in North America by Spas of America. What makes it genuinely distinctive is its grounding in Oneida healing traditions – the first Native American-inspired spa in the Northeast. For groups looking for programming with an authentic sense of place, that’s a real differentiator.

Entertainment includes the intimate concert venue The Showroom, a 5,000-seat arena and TS Sports, a state-of-the-art sports betting lounge. Five golf courses round out the recreational options, including three championship 18-hole courses.

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood

Situated on 87 acres of the Hollywood Seminole Reservation between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Seminole Hard Rock is the flagship of Hard Rock International – and for South Florida association events, the combination of location (close to two major airports), 1,271 guestrooms, and a fully self-contained campus removes most of the logistical friction that comes with large-group events in that market.

The resort’s 120,000 sf of meeting and convention space includes multiple ballrooms and handles everything from intimate board sessions to large trade shows, with catering, AV and event services managed in-house.

More than 20 food and beverage outlets give planners genuine variety across multiple days. Council Oak Steaks & Seafood anchors the fine dining lineup with an open kitchen, a dry-aging room with pink Himalayan salt walls and a glass-enclosed wine room with more than 400 labels – earning Wine Spectator’s 2025 Best of Award of Excellence. Kuro handles contemporary Japanese, Abiaka focuses on live-fire cooking and Rise serves as the 24-hour contemporary American options for early-morning or late-night group needs. These are just a few possibilities.

Rock Spa & Salon spans 42,000 sf inside the Guitar Hotel, with a service menu featuring 15 new treatments developed with brands such as Yon-Ka Paris and Comfort Zone.

Hard Rock Live opened as a $125 million, 7,000-seat capacity indoor venue and it still continues to perform at an optimum level. DAER Nightclub is a 44,000-sf indoor-outdoor complex with an equally popular dayclub, giving planners a buyout-worthy evening option that doesn’t require anyone to leave the property.

Talking Stick Resort & Casino Del Sol

Located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community reservation in Scottsdale, AZ, Talking Stick Resort offers more than 100,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event space, including a 25,000-sf grand ballroom divisible for general sessions or banquets. Outdoor terraces and event lawns work well for evening receptions, particularly in the cooler months when the Arizona desert is pleasant.

The signature dining experience is Orange Sky, a 15th-floor rotating restaurant with panoramic views of the McDowell Mountains — the kind of venue that makes a hosted dinner feel like an event in itself. Adjacent is the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, an MLB spring training facility, which expands off-site programming possibilities with outdoor infrastructure suited for large-scale group activations.

Also in Arizona in Tucson’s Sonoran Desert is the AAA Four Diamond Casino del Sol, which offers more than 110,000 sf of event space. As far as amenities, the Forbes Four-Star PY Steakhouse handles VIP dining, the AVA Amphitheater provides a headline entertainment venue and Hiapsi Spa offers desert-inspired treatments for attendees who need to decompress between sessions. | AC&F |