MGM Resorts has developed a plan that it hopes will return conventions to Las Vegas and its US properties once states allow large indoor gatherings.
“Convene with Confidence” is the casino giant’s health and safety approach to hosting meetings and exhibitions in the wake COVID-19. Along with appropriate cleaning and social distancing measures, MGM is offering convention organizers additional safeguards to protect attendees from spreading or contracting the coronavirus.
MGM has partnered with Impact Health to provide rapid on-site COVID-19 molecular testing. Results are produced within 20 minutes.
Nevada’s largest employer has additionally contracted CLEAR to leverage its Health Pass technology product. Health Pass requires attendees to complete real-time health questionnaires on their smartphones, and CLEAR kiosks conduct temperature screenings.
Conventions Critical
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reports that 6.65 million people arrived in town last year primarily to attend a meeting. That was a 2.3 percent increase from 2018.
The Authority says convention attendees typically spend 18 percent more than leisure travelers. Conventions directly support 43,500 jobs and generate an annual economic output of around $6.6 billion.
COVID-19 suspended conventions throughout Nevada. Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) continues to prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 50 people, but his office says he’ll be providing an update on that regulation this evening.
Las Vegas has nearly 12 million square feet of exhibit and convention space. And MGM Resorts, the largest casino operator on the Strip, has vast amounts of indoor square footage reserved for such events.
MGM Property Meeting Square Feet
Mandalay Bay 1.8 million
MGM Grand 854,000
Aria 500,000
Bellagio 200,000
Delano 196,000
Mirage 172,000
Park MGM 77,000
Luxor 41,000
New York-New York 21,500
Excalibur 12,200
Vdara 10,000
MGM is hopeful to resume convention business as soon as safely possible, but Atif Rafiq, MGM’s president of commercial and growth, says the company is being realistic and patient.
“We’re not under any illusion that we’ll be back to normal business volumes as it relates to convention and meeting spaces any time soon. But we’re eager to get going. It’s a very meaningful part of Las Vegas visitation,” he explained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
2020 Nightmare
Las Vegas hasn’t welcomed a convention attendee in months, as COVID-19 forced event organizers to postpone or cancel their gatherings. Through July 2020, convention attendance totaled a little more than 1.7 million people — a 57.3 percent decline.
Las Vegas Sands President Rob Goldstein said during the company’s earnings call last month that the casino company’s model doesn’t work in a global pandemic.
I don’t want to predict [2021], because I don’t feel I have enough insight into what might happen to the vaccine or the virus … but I would be less than honest if I didn’t tell you that Las Vegas is in a very difficult place,” the executive stated.
“Without the hotel being full, without conventions driving the rates midweek, without the banquet piece, it’s just very hard for our model to work,” Goldstein added. “That’s true in the entire marketplace.”
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