Combining science and meetings has never been as important than it is now, so I’m excited to share my company’s learnings through a series delivered via Meetings Today’s various content channels.
MGM Resorts International began its journey through a partnership with Delos, a global wellness pioneer focusing on enhancing health and well-being in environments where people sleep, work and play. We quickly realized that Delos was a perfect partner for our company, as we have a commitment to health and wellness as part of our culture.
Stay Well Rooms: An Inside Game
Through this relationship, we introduced Stay Well Rooms to the hospitality world with a launch at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
We discovered just how important it is to view our indoor spaces differently and understand how they impact us, since 90 percent of our lives is spent inside.
Delos’ programming and features for the Stay Well Rooms were a culmination of seven years of research and science; it’s truly in their DNA.
The science behind this programming centers on three areas: building science, health science and behavioral science. All three are significant for hotel and meetings environments but haven’t been fully explored until now.
After successfully launching Stay Well Rooms, we collaborated with Delos on how we could take this science beyond our guest rooms. The result is the first and only Stay Well Meetings.
Both are available at MGM Grand, Park MGM and The Mirage.
Creating Healthier Meetings and Events
With Stay Well Meetings, many of the science-backed features of our guest rooms, along with meeting-specific elements, were incorporated to create improved meeting spaces for attendees.
The physical enhancements include circadian lighting, chromotherapy, air purification, biophilia and germ-free environments. Coupled with nutrition and other programming, MGM Resorts has created a unique environment that boosts mental acuity, engagement and collaboration—the cornerstone of meetings.
[Related Content: MGM Resorts Moves Toward Sensory Inclusive Events]
Stay Well Meetings inspired us to look at other opportunities to enhance the overall experience. As we built new spaces, we looked to add spaces designed in thoughtful, intentional ways, incorporating research and science to evolve meetings.
As part of Park MGM’s transformation, we were challenged by our leadership to create environments that would not only be unique but also innovative in nature and execution. This began a year of research and working with trusted partners to develop offerings that were unique in scale and scope.
As we evaluated extensive studies from furniture company Steelcase about physical spaces and the effects on human engagement and collaboration, we knew the findings would be very useful as we designed the Ideation Studio at Park MGM.
The physical environment was only one component with a dedicated focus. Technology needed to be unique, user-friendly and truly useful for high-impact meetings.
We solved this with our partners at Cisco, allowing Park MGM to be the world’s first hotel to use Cisco Webex Teams and Cisco Webex Boards in a consumer-facing meeting environment.
Stay Tuned for More From Michael Dominguez
This is the first of a yearlong Science of Meetings series that will take a deeper dive into areas intended to help us evolve the meetings experience. View the second installment.
I look forward to sharing all that we’ve learned at MGM Resorts International.
Learn more about MGM Resorts’ meetings offerings.
