What do you think has been the biggest impact of the Millennial generation?
When it comes to technology and digital, they taught us to look at the world a little bit differently. That’s their biggest influence. It was the first time a massive generation entered the market since the Boomers so they forced us to pay attention. And I think they grew us to an on-demand society—I can get what I want, where I want and how I want it.
What is MGM doing to target the younger generation?
It’s less with amenities than it is with features. Our birth and emergence with dayclubs and nightclubs is all around the younger generation. When it comes to assumptions, you’ve heard the younger generation is so connected to technology that they’re not going to want to be social. They’re not going to want to meet face to face. What we’ve seen is quite the opposite. You can’t tell me that the emergence of music festivals that are being streamed around the world is because they don’t want to get together face to face.
What are some of the specific ways you are catering to those trends?
We’ve created two festival areas. One is the MGM Resorts Village that is across the street from the Luxor, and then we have City of Rock by Circus Circus, which is going to host Rock in Rio and other festivals. These are being built out to create events year-round. Being the entertainment company of the world, we realized it was our responsibility to start creating events. We have the brand, the power, the recognition and the partnerships to create events and bring people together. It’s having events like the Rock ’n’ Roll Wine Amplified Festival, the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival, etc., going for three nights or four weeks in a row.
What can meeting planners learn from the current generational trends?
It’s understanding how to engage a community long before they’ve ever been with us and long after they’ve ever left us. And keep them engaged socially. That is one of the changes that we’re living in. How do we make the meeting live beyond the four walls where we had the meeting? How do you keep the engagement growing?