Why Vegas?

Think Vegas isn’t the right destination for your meeting?

Think again.

“Vegas has turned into the best of the best in everything—dining, hotel rooms, shopping, entertainment, meeting space—all at a terrific price,” says Stephanie Glanzer, vice president of sales at Mandalay Bay. “It’s a city catered toward meetings and conventions, and because we do so many, Vegas has shown that we do meetings very well.”

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the city has been the country’s top convention destination for 21 consecutive years. The numbers are impressive:

• Las Vegas boasts nearly 11 million square feet of exhibit space. It’s also home to three of the country’s 10 largest convention venues: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Sands Expo and Convention Center, and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
• When annual shows rotate into Las Vegas, attendance increases an average of 8 percent; when they rotate out of Las Vegas, attendance decreases an average of 2 percent.
• Vegas tradeshow delegates spend an average of 11 hours on the show floor, compared with 8.4 hours in other cities.
• The city hosts more than 22,000 meetings, conventions, and incentive programs annually, with attendance ranging from 10 to more than 150,000.
• Las Vegas has nearly 1,000 direct flights per day, so air travel to the city is easy and affordable.
• The city has more than 150,000 hotel rooms, most within a 15-minute drive of the airport. Once you get there, you can often access meeting, dining, and entertainment options without leaving the property. If you do need to, however, there are plenty of transportation options to get around the city: bus, taxi, shuttle, and the country’s first automated monorail.

The appeal of Las Vegas—which has 320 days of sun a year—is legendary. But not for the reasons you may think. “People say, ‘I don’t go to Vegas because I don’t gamble,’” Glanzer says. “But gaming has become secondary here. Being in Vegas, there are so many options, from golfing and hiking to spas and dining.”