When one hears the phrase "Las Vegas event," it's likely to generate images of vast trade-show floors or eye-popping spectacles. But while the gaming mecca can exceed expectations for groups of tens or even hundreds of thousands, it has been proving itself adept at hosting events for smaller groups as well. A number of new properties and meeting spaces, as well as perennial favorites from the city's top hotspots, has shown planners that while Las Vegas can go big, it can go small and intimate as well.
Part of the reason the destination makes for a great place for small meetings is that it is already equipped to handle massive meetings. The fact that Las Vegas offers the large-scale infrastructure and cutting-edge technology that keeps huge corporate groups happy, also benefits small groups.
"Once the technology is incorporated into a meeting on a large scale, it's not like it goes away," says Chris Meyer, vice president of global business sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He adds that, "we've already worked through the rough edges," so planners know that the logistics for their group will be handled.
The sheer variety available ensures that small groups will find a property and space that can be tailored to their needs. The greater Las Vegas area offers 298 properties of all categories, whether large or small, high luxury or more affordable. "We have all that choice for our planners and small meetings," says Meyer.
Robert Richardson, owner of Richardson Graphics & Marketing, a local marketing company that has held a number of small events in the city, agrees that selecting the right venue and meeting elements can make Vegas feel like a much smaller city.
"Even though the city is large, and known for its larger conventions, there are a number of places that cater to these smaller events," he says. "By scheduling after-hours networking events at some of the town's more intimate nightclubs and lounge venues, or high-classluxurious dinner events or private shows, these smaller events are often more memorable for attendees than the city's larger conventions, where an attendee can feel like just another number."
Most of the destination's meeting managers both sell to and service groups of 100 rooms or less, providing their service acumen to groups of any size. Meyer reports that while Las Vegas hosted more than 22,000 meetings in 2013, and exceeded that in 2014 (final numbers are still out), more than half of those were smaller than 500 people.
"Vegas Boutique"
This desire for more manageable, intimate venues has led to the rise of a number of new properties that may be a bit too large to be called "boutique" in any other city but could classify as "Vegas boutique."
The Cromwell Las Vegas, the 188-room luxury property owned by Caesars Entertainment, offers what Meyer calls a "very boutique feel," as well as the chic-yet-welcoming new and extremely popular Italian restaurant Giada, from Food Network star Giada de Laurentiis.
Meyer also gives the example of the Mandarin Oriental at the Aria. With 335 sleek guest rooms and 57 expansive suites measuring as large as 3,100 square feet, it's certainly a Vegas-sized boutique hotel. But the property's relaxing, non-gaming environment, along with numerous spaces that can be booked exclusively for groups, helps create a sense of intimacy for visitors.
Also helping to give visiting groups a "Vegas boutique" experience is Delano Las Vegas. Formerly THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, the transformed property opened last September. With 1,117 rooms, it's hardly a traditional boutique hotel, but its four separate floors of meeting space, and 31 customizable meeting rooms provide a tailored experience for visiting groups.
"We fuse personalized service with a high-end design concept for groups," says Sarah Lantzer, sales manager for Delano. She adds that this extends in particular to the property's customizable food-and-beverage service.
She points specifically to the hotel's 1,257-square-foot Sage Living Room. As the name implies, the space was designed to create a casual, comfortable atmosphere that invites lively discussions and brainstorming. "Sage Living Room's ideal group size is 15 to 20 and is a popular space for tech-savvy, forward-minded companies," says Lantzer, highlighting the room's furnishings, including "plush love seats, overstuffed chairs, end tables, coffee tables, and specialized chairs."
Operating independently within five floors of the Mandalay Bay tower, is Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, a hotel within a hotel. While the property provides the Four Seasons brand's high-end offerings, it includes a number of spaces ideal for more intimate meetings. Among these is the restyled Mesquite Room on the second floor, offering a residential feel, with an expansive balcony with views of the private pool, that makes it a great space for up to 50 visitors. There is also a pair of 1,900-square-foot hospitality suites -- the Mojave and Sierra -- with stylish design and boardroom seating. The natural lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows provide impressive views of the Las Vegas Valley.
"The hotel recently hosted a 'Roaring 20s' event in the Mojave Suite for 50 people," says Gus Tejeda, director of marketing for Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. "The room's sleek, sophisticated setting provided the perfect backdrop for a champagne fountain and snacks such as salted pretzels and a popcorn machine. Black-and-white films and jazz music played in the background."
He adds that the hotel has also hosted a number of craft beer- and tequila-tastings for groups of 40 to 60 people in the association and financial-services sectors.
For more high-end groups, the property just launched its new Elite Suite group offer. Groups booking 200 rooms or more for a stay of three or more nights can enjoy a complimentary Presidential Strip-View Suite (each is 2,225 square feet of space, an ideal fit for intimate meetings).
Staying Small in Big Venues
Groups holding events at Vegas' more massive properties -- such as the Mirage, Bellagio, or Caesars Palace -- can find ways to develop more intimate experiences there as well.
Customer engagement data firm Verint Systems reached out to destination management company AlliedPRA Las Vegas to help them foster better networking in the midst of a large corporate meeting. Elizabeth Hansen, national sales manager for AlliedPRA, knew that some of the most effective communication can take place in the friendly atmosphere of the dinner table. She booked the group an evening at Carmine's in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
"I knew that Carmine's offers private and semi-private experiences for groups of all sizes with a special style of service and family-style dishes," says Hansen. "The classic Italian dishes appeal to all audiences and create a comfortable environment for the guests, not to mention the comfort level we have, as planners, with the Carmine's team."
Gregg Herning, vice president of sales for MGM Grand, emphasizes that his large property can give small groups the focused attention they need.
"Even the largest resorts rely on and need smaller meetings, and people may be surprised to know that small groups are about 80 percent of our business," says Herning. "Our Executive Meetings team -- a dedicated, specially trained sales force that specializes in smaller meetings -- books groups as few as 10 guest rooms."
He points to the company's wellness meetings experience -- Stay Well Meetings -- encompassing the second level of the MGM Grand's conference center, as an ideal offering for smaller groups. With the program's health-focused environment and customized menus, groups of a few hundred -- or few dozen -- attendees will feel they "own the floor."
Herning also points to the MGM's private check-in lounge as a way the large property makes small groups feel welcomed. It "gets the smaller meeting delegates off to a great start as they feel separated from the masses and that the hotel team recognizes them," he says.
Beyond Vegas
Groups eager for a sense of relaxation can also consider venues away from the bustle of the Strip altogether. The Lake Las Vegas area, about a half hour east of downtown Vegas, provides three different resorts including the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa and Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa.
Visitors can consider going even further out. Dave Popple, president of employee-assessment firm Psynet Group, seeking a meeting experience that was more trees-and-nature than casinos-and-crowds, recently held a meeting in Pahrump, NV, about an hour west of downtown. He held a wine tasting and dinner at Pahrump Valley Winery for an executive planning session of about 20 attendees. After the tasting, they returned to their meeting site for a nightcap at a bar they had set up around the pool. "Friday [we] worked all day and then went into Vegas that evening," says Popple.
Wherever the event is held, Meyer maintains that small meetings are on the rise. In part, this has been fueled by a growing desire to make face-to-face gatherings as effective as possible, and participants in more bespoke events are likely to get more in-person attention from other attendees than in the middle of a massive show floor.
"There may be a large general session, but then it breaks up into lots of intimate gatherings so [attendees] can tell stories with each other about their specific experiences," says Meyer. "At the end of the day, small gatherings really help move the quality of information forward."
Questions or comments? Email [email protected]
This article appears in the April 2015 issue of Successful Meetings.
Staying Small in Big Venues
Groups holding events at Vegas' more massive properties -- such as the Mirage, Bellagio, or Caesars Palace -- can find ways to develop more intimate experiences there as well.
Customer engagement data firm Verint Systems reached out to destination management company AlliedPRA Las Vegas to help them foster better networking in the midst of a large corporate meeting. Elizabeth Hansen, national sales manager for AlliedPRA, knew that some of the most effective communication can take place in the friendly atmosphere of the dinner table. She booked the group an evening at Carmine's in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
"I knew that Carmine's offers private and semi-private experiences for groups of all sizes with a special style of service and family-style dishes," says Hansen. "The classic Italian dishes appeal to all audiences and create a comfortable environment for the guests, not to mention the comfort level we have, as planners, with the Carmine's team."
Gregg Herning, vice president of sales for MGM Grand, emphasizes that his large property can give small groups the focused attention they need.
"Even the largest resorts rely on and need smaller meetings, and people may be surprised to know that small groups are about 80 percent of our business," says Herning. "Our Executive Meetings team -- a dedicated, specially trained sales force that specializes in smaller meetings -- books groups as few as 10 guest rooms."
MGM Grand's Stay Well
Meeting Rooms are ideal
for smaller groupsHe points to the company's wellness meetings experience -- Stay Well Meetings -- encompassing the second level of the MGM Grand's conference center, as an ideal offering for smaller groups. With the program's health-focused environment and customized menus, groups of a few hundred -- or few dozen -- attendees will feel they "own the floor."
Herning also points to the MGM's private check-in lounge as a way the large property makes small groups feel welcomed. It "gets the smaller meeting delegates off to a great start as they feel separated from the masses and that the hotel team recognizes them," he says.
Beyond Vegas
Groups eager for a sense of relaxation can also consider venues away from the bustle of the Strip altogether. The Lake Las Vegas area, about a half hour east of downtown Vegas, provides three different resorts including the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa and Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa.
Visitors can consider going even further out. Dave Popple, president of employee-assessment firm Psynet Group, seeking a meeting experience that was more trees-and-nature than casinos-and-crowds, recently held a meeting in Pahrump, NV, about an hour west of downtown. He held a wine tasting and dinner at Pahrump Valley Winery for an executive planning session of about 20 attendees. After the tasting, they returned to their meeting site for a nightcap at a bar they had set up around the pool. "Friday [we] worked all day and then went into Vegas that evening," says Popple.
Wherever the event is held, Meyer maintains that small meetings are on the rise. In part, this has been fueled by a growing desire to make face-to-face gatherings as effective as possible, and participants in more bespoke events are likely to get more in-person attention from other attendees than in the middle of a massive show floor.
"There may be a large general session, but then it breaks up into lots of intimate gatherings so [attendees] can tell stories with each other about their specific experiences," says Meyer. "At the end of the day, small gatherings really help move the quality of information forward."
Questions or comments? Email [email protected]
This article appears in the April 2015 issue of Successful Meetings.