Back in January 2020, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce held a preview of events. And then, like the Death Star in “Star Wars,” the world “blew up.”
A bit dramatic, sure, but that’s what it felt like for many meeting and event planners.
Hyperdrive to January 2023, and the world looks a lot different. More people work from home, the U.S. has a new president and a “Top Gun” movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. And perhaps most importantly: Events are back.
And nowhere are events back more than in Las Vegas. That was the main theme throughout PREVIEW Las Vegas, a late-January event hosted by the city’s chamber in the new West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. There, presenters spoke about the city’s economic forecast, water conservation and completed a circuit of racing puns.
The reason for the puns? The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. In November 2023, racecars going hundreds of miles per hour will hit the Vegas streets. It’s such a huge event that the famed Las Vegas Strip will be shut down, something that only happens once a year for New Year’s Eve.
“Caesars Entertainment properties are uniquely situated in the center of the F1 track and in a central-Strip location for the Super Bowl. Planners have already begun reaching out about the possibilities of hosting sponsored and VIP events.” - Kelly Gleeson Smith, vice president of sales, Caesars Entertainment
But this may start to become a regular occurrence, because Vegas is turning into a sports city, in addition to all the available gambling, clubbing and dining. City and hospitality officials are embracing this new tentpole attraction.
“Perceptions of Las Vegas began to shift several years ago when the city welcomed the Golden Knights hockey team and opened Allegiant Stadium,” said Kelly Gleeson Smith, vice president of sales for Caesars Entertainment. “We are best in class for meetings and conventions and now for major sporting events, as well. F1 and the Super Bowl will further cement Vegas’ reputation as a sports mecca and a destination that provides one-of-a-kind experiences for all interests, making it an attractive bleisure spot for planners.”
Caesars is working closely with the city in addressing crowd control, security and other issues as it does during other peak visitor times like New Year’s Eve.
“F1, no doubt, will be an entirely new experience where detailed planning for all aspects of the event has been under way for some time and will continue in the months ahead,” Smith said.
A CATEGORY ONE
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), offered a direct opinion about the city during the PREVIEW show.
“Las Vegas is a ‘category one,’ and when I say that, I mean there is not only no other place like Las Vegas, there is no other place that’s close,” Hill said. “We’re just super excited about the rest of this year in Las Vegas’ future.”
The ever-evolving offerings of Caesars Entertainment and across Las Vegas mean groups always get new and exciting experiences. Learn more in the January issue of The Meeting Professional, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment.
Hill went on to describe how the opening of the MSG Sphere at The Venetian will offer something in Vegas that no other city in the world has. On top of that, the F1 race will be the biggest event in the world followed closely by the 2024 Super Bowl.
“We are going to show the world what we mean by being a category one,” he said. “There is no other city in the world that has the opportunity to even try and treat 65,000 attendees at a Super Bowl or 100,000 attendees at a Formula 1 race like VIPs. No place else can do that. We can do that here. We’re going to do that here, and we’re going to make a statement while we do it.”
QUESTION YOUR REALITY
The partnership between Madison Square Garden and the Las Vegas Sands Corp. will unveil the MSG Sphere in November 2023.
It’s already teed up to be a spectacular event space that will be a game-changer for concerts, corporate events and sports.
Set in a globe, it’s a 366-foot-high, 516-foot-wide stadium that will seat up to 20,000 people. The venue will feature LED screens on the exterior and interior of the building. The wrap-around, 16K screen on the inside will measure 160,000 square feet, truly immersing attendees.
“In addition to the screen, the audience is going to be greeted with sphere-immersive sound —164,300 channels. That’s like eight channels for every person in the building of beam-forming technology and audio,” Lucas Watson, president of MSG Sphere, said during the PREVIEW show. “It will be headset sound without the headset for every seat in the house.”
Additionally, Watson said there will be 10,000 haptic seats that will make guests feel experiences in their bones.
“Whether it’s the launch of the rocket ship or the punch of a boxer’s glove, you’ll literally feel like you’re in the spacecraft or in the ring,” Watson said.
The MSG Sphere will touch all the senses, like delivering wind to the audience, blowing their hair back or taking them to a forest where they can feel the temperature and smell a damp glen.
“Creators will be able to take audiences on journeys that are so realistic that fans will start to question their reality,” Watson said.
The MSG Sphere will also be the hairpin turn of the F1 race, with more than 20,000 fans watching from the outside between the arena and the racetrack.
Watson said the MSG Sphere should attract more conferences and event attendees to Vegas. For smaller group events, planners will have the opportunity to use the venue’s atrium in the front, along with some additional smaller event spaces throughout the facility.
“The Sphere will strengthen Las Vegas’ offering for conferences and events,” he said. “We aim to help rebuild the thriving conference and event business that still hasn’t come all the way back since the start of COVID.”
THE WINNING FORMULA
The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix was another big highlight at PREVIEW Las Vegas. The city is expecting 100,000 fans for the event in November, when they’ll watch cars going up to 212 miles per hour race around a 3.8-mile track that includes the Las Vegas Strip.
However, this isn’t a one-time event. F1 is committed to a three-year deal in Vegas, and by the looks of it, that run may be extended.
“We are here to stay,” said Renee Wilm, CEO of Las Vegas Grand Prix Inc., during the PREVIEW show. “We are not spending this much money on a three-year deal.”
In fact, after the PREVIEW show, the Clark County Board of Commissioners planned to recognize the race as an annual event for 10 years, occurring the weekend prior to Thanksgiving every year from 2023 to 2032.
“The entire world will be watching us. There’s no better spotlight to have than those types of events here in the city. It broadens the viewpoint of Las Vegas.” - Steve Hill, president and CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Work has already begun on F1’s $500 million paddock building, a 300,000-square-foot facility on 39 acres that will be the center of the day’s activities. That’s where fans can see the start and finish line, view the driver pits, indulge in the VIP spaces and watch the race.
Starting in 2024, the LEED-certified building will be available for group events when there’s no race.
“Caesars Entertainment properties are uniquely situated in the center of the F1 track and in a central-Strip location for the Super Bowl,” Gleeson Smith said. “Planners have already begun reaching out about the possibilities of hosting sponsored and VIP events and are excited by the opportunities each of these events provides. Programming is customizable, and planners should work closely with sales to create an activation suitable to their needs.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
From high-end dining at places like Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace to multi-sensory experiences at AREA15 to now becoming a true sports city, Vegas is showing the world that it can offer it all for groups of any size.
The NFL, National Hockey League and FI coming to Vegas is a meaningful statement for the city, LVCVA’s Hill said.
“It helps mature Las Vegas itself,” Hill said. “Internationally, the entire world will be watching us. There’s no better spotlight to have than those types of events here in the city. It broadens the viewpoint of Las Vegas.”
People, too, are not only choosing to have their meetings and conventions in Las Vegas, but they’re launching what’s new for the business world, in general, according to Lisa Messina (MPI Southern California Chapter), chief sales officer for the LVCVA.
“Hopefully, that turns back into organizations not just investing in us in that one stop per year for their meeting or convention,” she said. “Maybe it brings back that business to work from here and have more of a long-term home.”
PHOTOS (COURTESY SAM MORRIS, LAS VEGAS CVA):
Mary Beth Sewald, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, speaks during the chamber’s PREVIEW Las Vegas on Jan. 23, 2023, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Jeremy Aguero gives a presentation during the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s PREVIEW Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm and Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali take part in a conversation during the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s PREVIEW Las Vegas.
