\n Posted on: June 5, 2024, 11:16h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: June 5, 2024, 11:16h.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-4-1-50x50.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMGM Resorts International has completed its $100 million makeover of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center along the southern tip of the Las Vegas Strip.<\/span><\/p>\n Announced in October 2022<\/a>, MGM poured $100 million into updating the approximately 2.1 million square feet of convention facilities that the integrated resort casino offers. The project included a comprehensive remodel with upgraded technology infrastructure, digital signage, and a revamped, fresh interior design to complement the resort\u2019s tropical-inspired motif.<\/span><\/p>\n Mandalay Bay opened in March 1999 at a cost of $950 million. Circus Circus Enterprises, which later became Mandalay Resort Group before MGM acquired the firm in April 2005, envisioned, built, and opened the 43-story luxury destination. The $100 million allocation to the resort\u2019s convention facility was the largest renovation of the meeting space since the resort opened more than 25 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n The Las Vegas economy relies heavily on conventions and large-scale meetings and events.<\/span><\/p>\n In pre-pandemic 2019, Las Vegas conventions brought a record 6.6 million people to Southern Nevada. Convention traffic continues to recover, with meetings accounting for about six million travelers<\/a> to Las Vegas last year.<\/span><\/p>\n Conventioneers tend to spend more money than leisure travelers, as their airfare and rooms are often covered by their employers and many are provided per diem that ends up being gambled or spent on food and beverage, entertainment, and shopping.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n An economic study completed by Applied Analysis for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said convention attendees in 2023 spent $9.1 billion and supported almost 44,000 jobs on $2.4 billion in wages. Conventions keep casino hotel rooms and their resort amenities bustling midweek when leisure traffic tends to dip.<\/span><\/p>\n Meetings and conventions play a pivotal role in the success of Las Vegas, and the revitalization of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center demonstrates our commitment to this critical piece of our city\u2019s foundation,\u201d said Ernest Stovall, Mandalay Bay\u2019s vice president of hotel sales.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cOur goal is to evolve alongside the meetings industry to meet the needs of the modern customer. Based on invaluable insights from our customer advisory board, we crafted a space at Mandalay Bay that sets a new standard in excellence and reflects the future of modern meetings, events, and trade shows,\u201d Stovall added.<\/span><\/p>\n Mandalay Bay\u2019s<\/a> convention facility is the third-largest in Las Vegas behind the Las Vegas Convention Center<\/a> at approximately 4.6 million square feet and The Venetian Convention & Expo Center at The Venetian and Palazzo that spans about 2.25 million square feet.<\/span><\/p>\n Mandalay Bay isn\u2019t the only major convention facility that\u2019s being updated.<\/span><\/p>\n The Las Vegas Convention Center is amid a $600 million renovation of its North, Central, and South halls to bring those facilities up to date with the $1 billion West Hall that opened in late 2021. The $600 million investment includes similar upgrades as Mandalay Bay, including digital signage, new interiors, upgraded technology, and a new parking lot.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Venetian, owned by Vici Properties, the real estate investment trust of Caesars Entertainment, and operated by private equity firm Apollo Global Management, announced last fall a $188 million update<\/a> to its Expo Center.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Mandalay](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Mandalay_Bay_Convention_Center_Bayside_Foyer-858x572.jpg\")
Conventions Critical to Las Vegas Strip<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Convention Center Updates<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n