Circa Resort & Casino is coming to downtown Las Vegas, adding accommodations, meeting space and gaming to the Freemont Street Experiece area.

Ahead of IMEX America 2019, Meetings Today content developer Kate Cripe got a sneak peek of the $375 million Caesars Forum. During a hard hat tour, she got a first hand look at how the conference center project, which is expected to open in March 2020, is progressing.

When it comes to meetings and conventions, Las Vegas is in a class by itself. Here are 10 reasons why Las Vegas has your meeting or convention top of mind.

Caesars Entertainment has sold its Las Vegas off-Strip Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino property for $516.3 million to the New York-based Imperial Companies real estate company. Caesars will continue to operate Rio for two years and pay an annualized rent of $45 million.

Discover how Global Gaming Expo (G2E)—the largest annual gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America—uses smartphone app technology to keep its nearly 30,000 attendees on schedule and matched with suppliers.

Southern Michigan’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek celebrated its latest project with a groundbreaking ceremony in June 2019. Along with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, the property began construction of a second hotel tower and additional amenities. The target completion date is late 2020.

Reno-based Eldorado Resorts and Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment are about to make history. On June 24, 2019, the companies announced they had entered into a definitive merger agreement that will result in the creation of the largest U.S. casino operator. Under the transaction, Eldorado will acquire Caesars for approximately $17.3 billion, including the assumption of outstanding debt.

Concerns raised by Massachusetts legislators prompted MGM Resorts International to end conversations it had been having with Wynn Resorts over the possible sale of Wynn’s Encore Boston Harbor.

My Hard Rock journey began in 1970, when we moved from Los Angeles to London. The Great American Disaster, Peter Morton’s first burger joint, was our neighborhood go-to. His next venture switched me onto rock music for life: the high-decibel Hard Rock Cafe and its guitar-decked walls, co-launched with Isaac Tigrett in June 1971. Rock is also my Atlantic City touchstone, since first coming here in 1989 to see the Stones at Boardwalk Hall.

From Massachusetts to Maryland, runaway expansion in the East Coast gaming market continues. Billions have been invested in some 25 new properties over the last decade-plus. On the corporate front, ownership changes, merger talks, competitive maneuvers and more are reshuffling the deck. Amid this volatility, meeting and events remain key house advantages.