LAS VEGAS, To a meeting or convention planner, there are few places in the United States, or the world for that matter, where you can house your entire business function, including your attendees, under one roof.
The success of the "one campus philosophy" hinges on the unique selling point of having large-scale, flexible convention and meeting space combined with catering and banquet services connected to thousands of upscale suites and attractions, all conveniently housed under one roof at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. And, many businesses seem to have embraced this philosophy.
"Our recent signings of several large scale conventions and high caliber corporate meetings reaffirms Las Vegas' prominence as one of the world's preferred tradeshow and convention destinations," said Eric Bello, Vice President of Sales for The Venetian. The group bookings will bring close to 350,000 attendees to Las Vegas annually contributing to hotel occupancy throughout the city. "This type of contracted business benefits all of Las Vegas," he added.
"The added convenience of conducting all aspects of your tradeshow or meeting on one campus has proved to be an appealing feature to many businesses," said Bello. "When considering The Venetian, show managers are able to conduct a number of events such as a trade show, banquet, conference, or breakout session in a number of rooms that are not only close in proximity, but under the same roof as the headquarters hotel."
With The Venetian's new Venezia tower of 1,000 more luxurious suites, the hotel now provides over 4,000 suites for show managers and conference planners to consider. This large quantity of upscale rooms has allowed many companies to hold their entire national conference at one venue by housing all regional market representatives in one hotel. In some cases, show management even books their exhibition's board of directors or VIP conference attendees at The Venetian, thereby taking advantage of the property's reputation for luxury and service. To fill this high demand for well-appointed, luxury rooms, the opening of Venezia will provide 122 exclusive concierge-level suites featuring a private lounge, a designated concierge staff, and upgraded amenities.
"Our one campus philosophy allows us to attract many major programs to The Venetian and Sands Expo, and for that matter to Las Vegas as a whole," said Bello. "Just like a good real estate agent, tradeshow planners adopt the 'location, location, location' approach to book their business. And, being located on the famed Las Vegas Strip, at the epicenter of new development with the Fashion Show Mall expansion, Steve Wynn's Le Reve, close proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center and combining that with the sheer quantity of upscale hotel rooms makes us an attractive meeting and convention venue." By 2006, the new epicenter of the Strip at Sands Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard will feature more than $8 billion in total real estate development.
"We sell luxury, location, service, and convenience to our meeting planners," said Bello who's been successful in pre-selling the hotel with groups room business to help fortify the FIT market. "We could not have booked this new business if we did not offer the expanded meeting space and additional Venezia suites," he added. With an expansion of 150,000 square feet of meeting space, The Venetian Congress Center and the adjacent The Sands Expo now total nearly 1.9 million square feet for corporate meetings, trade shows and conventions.
"These corporate meetings require the full campus and occupy every bit of meeting space we have to offer for tutorials, workshops, seminars, and banquets," said Bello. "I don't think there is any other single hotel that can accommodate this type of business and this type of service level," Bello added. In addition to its 150,000 sq. ft. expansion, The Venetian Congress Center and Sands Expo offer rooms that range from 361 sq. ft. to a vast 380,000 sq. ft. and can be configured into 174 flexible, individual meeting rooms, including the 85,000 sq. ft. Venetian Ballroom, five expansive exhibit halls, eleven elegant Junior Ballrooms, 27 hospitality suites, and three executive boardrooms.
The line-up of contracted business reads like a "who's who" of Fortune 500 companies and Tradeshow Week 200 exhibitions.
Some recent corporate signings at The Venetian include:
General Motors -- total of 18,553 room nights with a peak of approximately 4,000 guests;
ACDelco National Convention -- total of 11,674 room nights with a peak of approximately 5,900 guests;
Daimler Chrysler -- total of 14,248 room nights with a peak of approximately 5,000 guests;
"Because of our one campus approach, we've signed long-term deals with VNU Expositions and Reed Exhibitions, two of the world's leading show management organizations that represent some of the largest tradeshows in the industry," said Bello.
The new tradeshows signings with the Sands Expo/Venetian Congress Center include:
The National Hardware Show (ranked 15th with 50,000 attendees by Tradeshow Week 200); moving from Chicago to Las Vegas for 2004-2005;
The GlobalShop Conference and Expo (ranked 67th with more than 20,000 attendees); for 2004 and 2006;
The National Association of Television Program Executives (ranked 195th with 7,000 attendees) to a three-year deal beginning in 2004.
The tradeshows that have re-signed with Sands Expo/Venetian Congress Center include:
The ASD/AMD Tradeshow (with two shows ranked 22nd with 55,000 attendees and 27th with 45,000 attendees) extended its contract through 2008;
The JCK Jewelry Show (the 32nd ranked show with 20,000 attendees) through 2006;
The Automotive Aftermarkets Products Expo (the 39th ranked show with 58,000 attendees) for 2006-2008
Hospitality Design Expo & Conference (ranked 117th with 13,500 attendees) through 2006.
Interbike International Bicycle Expo, (ranked 69th with 19,000 attendees) through 2006.
The International Vision Expo (ranked 151st with over 13,000 attendees) through 2006
The International Security Conference (ranked 138th with over 11,000 attendees) through 2006.
About The Venetian - The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, a recipient of the Exxon/Mobile Four Star Award, AAA's Four Diamond Award, and the Five Star-Diamond Award by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, is one of the world's most luxurious resort and convention destinations. Additionally, the property has been honored as "The Top 5 Catering Departments in the World" by Meetings and Conventions Magazine.