Led by Las Vegas, recording its 22nd consecutive year as North America’s top tradeshow destination, Nevada’s meetings market is on a silver streak. From Lake Tahoe, flush with millions in enhancements, and Reno, continually evolving its hotel and meeting space offering, to Elko, gaining group share from its new conference center, it’s a hot hand across the table in the Silver State.
As “innovation and energy” drove record-breaking results at the sixth annual IMEX America, held in Vegas this October, these and other qualities are fueling destination-wide ambitions and investments that—to borrow from Nevada’s past—stand to be positively atomic.
Kickoff Meetings
This summer saw a goodbye to another old friend, as the Riviera was imploded, demolished and sent onto the Vegas afterlife. Reincarnation for the 26-acre site begins as expanded outdoor space in March 2017 for CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the triennial construction-related industries mega-show, followed by Phase 2 of the four-phase, $1.4 billion Las Vegas Convention Center District master plan.
Approved by Nevada lawmakers just before IMEX, the site is confirmed for a new 600,000-square-foot exhibit hall facility, part of an overall 1.4 million-square-foot expansion that will include meeting rooms, prefunction space, parking and permanent outdoor space. Construction is expected to commence in 2017, with Phase 3 involving upgrading the existing 3.2 million-square-foot Center, new meeting rooms included.
Timing for the final phase, covering “future improvements,” will be based on completion of Phases 2 and 3, which encompass an estimated seven-year timeline.
Lawmakers also approved development of a $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium, targeting the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, plus UNLV football and special events. Voting on the Raiders’ potential move is scheduled for the NFL owners meeting next month.
With other major developments surrounding the Convention Center District and beyond, Las Vegas’ current drive to secure its global supremacy in meetings, commerce and entertainment is destiny defined.
Game Changers
From a resurgent downtown Las Vegas to off-Strip options such as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Rio Las Vegas and Palms Casino Resort, the group heartbeat pulses all over town, including Las Vegas Valley draws like South Point Hotel Casino and Spa. Offering more than 2,100 rooms and 165,000 square feet of versatile space just south of the Strip, this perennial favorite for association and other groups also features a 64-lane bowling center and 4,400-seat Equestrian Arena.
Still waiting in the wings, however, is the North Strip. While hardly in the shadows—anchor legacy properties include the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino, 20 this year; Circus Circus, a reliable performer at the economy end of the market; MGM’s Las Vegas Festival Grounds; and Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, with $100 million in new upgrades—this expansive, monorail-connected district has lagged in cohesion and appeal.
Spearheaded by the Convention Center District, however, the transformation is on. Rebranding one of the three towers at SLS Las Vegas, the 289-room W Hotel marks Starwood’s Vegas debut this month, along with nearby Lucky Dragon. As the area’s first new-build project in six years, this Asian-themed 203-room boutique is at the vanguard of investments targeting the lucrative Asian market.
Airlift supports the strategy, with China’s Hainan Airlines, long wooed by Nevada tourism officials, commencing three weekly nonstops between Beijing and Vegas this month.
Slated for 2019, the North Strip’s other Asian-targeted project is Resorts World Las Vegas. Reviving the failed Echelon project on the 86-acre Stardust site, the 3,500-room resort promises many tantalizing elements in its estimated $4 billion price tag.
Formerly the New Frontier, the adjacent 35-acre site, facing Wynn-Encore Las Vegas, may yet become the $2 billion Alon Las Vegas. Steve Wynn, meanwhile, appears committed to his estimated $1.5 billion transformation of the 130-acre Wynn-Encore golf course into Paradise Park, a revolutionary development including a 38-acre lagoon, hotel towers and meeting space.
The Center Strip is also evolving. In January, Caesars Palace, which celebrated 50 years with a gala event in August, debuted the 587-room Julius Tower, the $75 million reinvention of the original Roman Tower. In 2016, Caesars Entertainment announced it would fully refresh some 4,800 rooms and suites at four Las Vegas resorts, including the 948-room Augustus Tower at Caesars Palace; some 1,294 Planet Hollywood rooms; approximately 1,320 Paris Las Vegas rooms; and unveiled in September, 672 Valley Tower rooms at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
MGM Resorts International is elevating “entertainment,” the company’s heart and soul, to the forefront of its messaging and product set, both externally, via new and reimagined venues, and internally, by retraining customer-facing team members to deliver “experiences” instead of mere service.
Opening this month, MGM’s versatile new 5,000-seat Park Theater advances the vision of the Park, the outdoor dining and entertainment district that includes the new 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena. Completing the vision is MGM’s $450 million makeover of the 2,700-room Monte Carlo into the upscale Park MGM, incorporating the 292-room NoMad lifestyle hotel.
Targeting completion by late 2018, the redevelopment follows the anticipated February 2018 unveiling of MGM’s $160 million transformation of ARIA’s former Zarkana Theatre into four levels of dynamic convention space, multiuse outdoor deck included.
With the arena helping secure an as-yet unnamed NHL expansion team for Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren has also announced his interest in bringing an NBA team to the venue.
It’s game-on for the future—look for more Las Vegas coverage in our February 2017 issue.
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Home Field Advantages
With increasing airlift options into Reno-Tahoe International Airport, including new nonstop service to and from New York; Atlanta; Dallas; Oakland, Calif.; Orange County, Calif.; and Long Beach, Calif., more groups are discovering the ever-evolving appeal of Reno, Lake Tahoe and other northern Nevada destinations.
Opened in 1971 as the Peppermill Coffee Shop and Lounge, the AAA Four Diamond-rated Reno Peppermill Resort Spa Casino is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year with reinvestments that include the “1920s style meets 2020 technology” makeover of its EDGE nightclub, and expansion of its signature video wall project. Spanning 4,180 high-definition plasma screens, “Windows of the World” is a property-wide video art installation featuring more than 30 countries worldwide. Other 2016 improvements include remodels of the Oceano seafood restaurant and Capri Ballroom, plus continuing work on sustainability-related measures.
With 1,623 luxurious guest rooms such as the 600-all-suite Tuscany Tower, the family-owned Peppermill sports 106,000 square feet of space, including the Tuscany Ballroom, Northern Nevada’s largest clear-span meeting venue at 62,000 square feet. With attractions that include 10 restaurants, 15 bars, a 33,000-square-foot spa, two outdoor pools and more, the family’s other Nevada holdings include the iconic Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge (1972) in Las Vegas.
Ahead of its anticipated February 2017 relaunch as the Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel, downtown’s non-gaming, non-smoking Siena Hotel Casino is modernizing all 214 of its guest rooms and suites, and nearly 12,000 square feet of versatile meeting space. Other upgrades include a new event-capable entertainment venue featuring indoor and outdoor bocce courts, plus outside patio and banquet space.
The only resort directly connected to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, the AAA Four Diamond, 824-room Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, offers 50,000 square feet of versatile space, including 22 meeting rooms and a 14,000-plus-square-foot Grand Ballroom. Other draws include the Forbes Four Star-rated Spa Atlantis and culinary bounty, favorably compared to Vegas, such as local favorite Toucan Charlie’s Buffet & Grille.
Following a multimillion-dollar makeover, the 16,000-square-foot buffet was reintroduced in March 2016 with restaurant-style sophistication, featuring elegant new decor, an extensive wine selection and diverse food stations. Ranging from Far East and Southwest cuisine to the Popular Dessert Station, each features an overhead video screen displaying related images and facts.
Downtown Reno’s only luxury independent, non-gaming, non-smoking hotel, Whitney Peak Hotel offers 310 stylish guest rooms and 11 meeting rooms covering more than 20,000 square feet of space. Flexibly accommodating up to 550 guests, the third-floor conference center features the new 5,125-square-foot Whitney Peak Ballroom. For “high-level” meetings, BaseCamp comprises a 16-story climbing wall on the hotel’s exterior, the world’s largest, and an expansive indoor-climbing bouldering park.
Grand Sierra Resort and Casino is Reno’s lodging and convention space leader, offering 1,900-plus rooms and some 200,000 square feet of space for groups of up to 4,000 people.
North Lake Tahoe continues to grow in sophistication and capacity, boosted by multiple new and renovated hotels, upgraded venues and attractions, and ever-improving dining options.
“With plenty of outdoor activities and wholesome dining options, we are a great location for healthy meetings, including multiple options for hosting sustainable and eco-friendly gatherings,” said North Lake Tahoe’s director of conference sales, Jason Neary.
In the region, the lakeside Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe’s 11th-floor Regency Club recently received a full update, while 2017 sees construction of the boutique 120-room Tahoe City Lodge, the destination’s first new hotel since 1962.
Energized by some $500 million in property renovations and redevelopment (California side included) over the past two years, Tahoe South “has never looked or performed better than 2016,” said Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority Executive Director Carol Chaplin.
Highlights of a “multidimensional renaissance” include Harrah’s Lake Tahoe’s $12 million refurbishment of its convention center and 520 rooms; the new $60 million, 539-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe; and MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa’s $24 million-plus convention center and 437-room upgrade.
Scheduled to open June 2017, Edgewood Tahoe’s new $100 million, 169,000-square-foot LEED-designed Lodge will include 154 hotel rooms and a 3,000-square-foot ballroom. Enhanced outdoor recreation options include Heavenly Mountain Resort’s new canopy tour, a gravity-based mountain coaster and guided 4x4 tours.
In Carson City, the visitors bureau’s new Business Alliance Network supports area professionals and promotes tourism to the state capital, named the nation’s most “travel worthy” in 2015 by USA Today.
In northeastern Nevada, two major 2015 openings, the new 30,000-square-foot Elko Conference Center and commencement of construction of the Long Canyon gold mine, are elevating Elko’s group market.
“Center bookings were ahead of projections for 2016, with increased workforce numbers and room usage from the mine continuing to boost 2017,” reported Elko Convention and Visitors Authority Executive Director Don Newman. With an 84-room Home2 Suites by Hilton opening in 2017, other recent debuts, including an 85-room Hampton Inn and Suites, have added 240-plus rooms within a mile of the conference center.
