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Meeting in Las Vegas?

By John Maltby

Where else on earth can you hold meetings amid the grandeur of a place like Caesars Palace, enjoy the culinary delights of world-famous chefs, treat your guests to private shows by the likes of Toni Braxton, Rita Rudner and Celine Dion and then wrap up the evening with a party atop a replica Eiffel Tower? It happens only in Vegas, and, more specifically, only at the six hotel-casinos owned by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., at the famous intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

As the result of a corporate merger a couple years ago, Harrah's Entertainment became owner of six of the best hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, five of which—Caesars Palace, Harrah's, Flamingo, Bally's and Paris Las Vegas—just happen to be on the same corner within easy walking distance of one another. The sixth hotel, the Rio, is located about a quarter-mile from Caesars on West Flamingo Road. The proximity of these six fabulous hotels, all of which have rich histories and offer a full complement of amenities for groups large and small, allows Harrah's Entertainment in Las Vegas to literally make dreams come true for meeting planners.

Harrah's Turns Planners Into Heroes

Experienced planners know a successful out-of-town gathering involves much more than sharing ideas and information at structured sessions. At its essence, a successful convention or gathering of any kind could be defined as one in which participants go home feeling good about their experience from top to bottom—knowing they learned what they needed to learn, had some fun, built new friendships, strengthened existing relationships and, ultimately, came away with that satisfying feeling that they're in business with the right people.

There's a reason more than 38 million people come to Las Vegas annually and it's that Vegas hotels offer all the good stuff people want: great food, elegant surroundings, unique entertainment, high-end shopping, world-class spas and salons, gambling opportunities galore and, best of all, service with a smile. Nowhere is this more evident than at Harrah's-owned properties on the Strip.

Michael Massari, vice president of meeting and sales operations for Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah's Entertainment, said about 1,500 Harrah's people in Las Vegas work full-time coordinating, preparing and executing conventions and other group gatherings at the company's six hotels, but in a broader sense every single Harrah's employee and every facility at every hotel is at the disposal of meeting planners.

"We have the talent resources as well as the physical resources to do almost anything. Meeting planners tell us a broad concept and we can make it happen for them," Massari said.

Harrah's Presents a Host of Options

The full range of facilities offered by Harrah's Vegas hotels is simply incomparable. As an example, a group could make the Flamingo its headquarters hotel and use the spacious Sunset Ballroom for meetings, convene a luncheon at the Mon Ami Gabi sidewalk café at Paris Las Vegas, hold an afternoon meeting for 1,040 people in the ornate Jubilee Theater at Bally's, stage a twilight cocktail party in the Flamingo's lush outdoor Paradise Garden with waterfalls, swaying palm trees and signature pink flamingos, then cross the street to Caesars Palace for dinner at Bradley Ogden's, followed by a private performance of Celine Dion's "A New Day…" and a late-night party at PURE nightclub.

You could do it all again the next day but substituting lunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesars, a midday session in the Brasilia Ballroom of the Rio, cocktails on the observation deck of the 460-foot Eiffel Tower at Paris, dinner in The Range steakhouse at Harrah's overlooking the Strip's flickering parade of neon, a private performance by Toni Braxton at the Flamingo Showroom and a midnight party on the outdoor terrace of Risqué nightclub at Paris. The possibilities are endless.

A Sense of History Adds to the Appeal

An event at any of the Harrah's-owned Strip properties becomes a memorable affair also because of the history and tradition of the property. Hosts can remind guests of the Flamingo that it was the first of the luxury hotels of the Las Vegas Strip, opened the day after Christmas in 1946 when Downtown Las Vegas was still the hub of activity and what would become the "Strip" was still mostly a desolate stretch of road known as the Los Angeles Highway. The showroom at Harrah's that's home to Rita Rudner, guests might find it interesting to know, was opened nearly three decades ago by none other than Sammy Davis Jr., while Caesars Palace has been the scene of any number of unforgettable spectacles, including Evel Knievel's ill-fated attempt to jump the fountains on his motorcycle in 1967. (The jump was spectacular, but Evel landed badly and got tossed off his bike, leaving him in a coma for a month.) As the Home of Champions, Caesars has also played host to some of the most thrilling boxing matches of all time, including the wild 1985 slugfest in which Marvin Hagler outdueled Thomas Hearns in the outdoor stadium.

"Caesars Palace is the most recognizable hospitality brand in the world," Massari boasted. "When you bring a group to a place like Caesars, it tells them you think very highly of them and you want to give them an experience they will remember."

The City that Never Sleeps Boosts Attendance Rates

Las Vegas has a reputation for being the ultimate 24-hour town, and it offers more distractions than there are stars in the sky. But interestingly, Massari noted, convention groups tend to find that attendance rates at scheduled general gatherings, working meals and breakout sessions are higher in Las Vegas than in other cities. The reason, he surmised, is that attendees know they can be at all their scheduled meetings and still have plenty of time left over in the evenings and after midnight to enjoy the other good stuff Vegas offers. That's not the case in other cities that roll up the sidewalks early.

Sleep, alas, tends to rank low on the priority list for most Vegas visitors, convention groups included.

"I definitely see a lot of people at the airport who are going home tired," Massari said, noting that weariness at airport departure lounges can be a positive sign for hoteliers, an indication that much was accomplished by visitors during their stay.

The attendees who visit Harrah's-owned hotels in Las Vegas for conventions and meetings are among those who tend to go home a little tired—in need of a good night's sleep, but very much satisfied with their event.