Smart Meetings

Its mythic power can suck visitors into a vortex of shamelessly self-indulgent partying, the very knowledge of which is touted never to be able to escape the city’s limits. (“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” right?)

While the Las Vegas Strip represents the center of this galaxy of outrageous fun, the surrounding city has plenty of magnetism of its own. Of course, Las Vegas Boulevard receives the lion’s share of the city’s tourism and convention business; in 2005, precisely 74 percent of overnight visitors stayed along The Strip Corridor, according to the research of the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA.com).
But in recent years, Greater Las Vegas—including the suburbs of Henderson and Summerlin—have seen the rise of several new resorts with plenty to offer groups of all sizes.

OFF-STRIP ADVANTAGES
At the top of the list of “Reasons to Go off-Strip”: value. Prices tend to be lower, not only for hotel rooms, but also for food, alcohol and everyday goods like bottled water and candy bars. It’s a throwback to the days when you could get a hotel in Vegas for under $40, and maybe even get a free drink or shrimp cocktail thrown in for free. Those types of deals are still available around town, but rarely on The Strip, where that same meager $40 won’t buy the hand-harvested seaweed for your facial.

Attendees participating in off-Strip meetings are also less likely to be distracted from their business obligations by such temptations such as the Fountains at Bellagio, the dolphins at the Mirage, The Venetian’s canals and the writhing bodies at all-night clubs like Pure and Tao.
And because off-Strip properties tend to be smaller, meetings tend to be more intimate and familiar, as attendees have a better chance of running into each other in the hotel restaurant or by the pool.
Naturally, the main fear for most meeting planners is that attendees will be disappointed not to stay on The Strip, and this is a valid concern. So ask yourself, what kind of group is this? If they are highly experienced with Vegas and relish the fast-paced action, then stick to The Strip. Ditto for groups that are avid watchers of Las Vegas on television, for those folks who have been gushing about how they hope to bump into Paris Hilton at the spa.

On the other hand, off-Strip should be considered if you’ve got a group that really just wants to get down to serious business, with some sunny weather and poolside relaxation as added-value, or one that’s gung ho about outdoor activities such as golf, hiking or biking. Or maybe you’ve got folks who are curious, but also wary of the Vegas glitz (remember, for many people, Las Vegas can be a bit overwhelming, and for those types of folks, a few hours on The Strip is usually puh-lenty). Or it’s a group that simply wants to spend a bit less dough this time around. In any of these cases, an off-Strip meeting could be in the cards.

To be very clear: going off-Strip does not mean going low-quality or low-budget; many of the greater city’s resort properties stack up against The Strip’s finest. Many new developments are planned for Downtown. Plus, the North Strip’s own development may bring the action back toward the original city center.
Meanwhile, Summerlin, along the foothills west of town, is home to the seven-month-old Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, as well as a lovely JW Marriott property. And southeast of The Strip, the city of Henderson is home to Station Casino’s sleek Green Valley Ranch Resort, as well as the Lake Las Vegas resort area, where you can meet at a Ritz-Carlton, the Montelago Village Resort or a Hyatt Regency that was recently acquired by Loews, with a whole bunch of upgrades planned.
Come find your group’s place in the sun.

THE LAYOUT
Unincorporated Clark County includes the city of Las Vegas (which has Downtown at its geographic center). There’s the primarily residential area of North Las Vegas. Then, to the west of Downtown, along the western rim of Las Vegas Valley, is the recently developed master-planned community known as Summerlin.
Directly south of Vegas is the city of Paradise (which mostly doesn’t appear on maps). Para-dise includes McCarran International Airport and a number of top South Las Vegas Boulevard-and-adjacent properties like the Mandalay Bay and the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, (all of which were covered in “Las Vegas: Part 1, The Strip” in Smart Meetings’ November 2006 issue). To the southeast is Henderson and Lake Las Vegas.

MAJOR MEETING SPACE
When it comes to meeting space outside the off-Strip hotels, one option is the 483,000-square-foot Cashman Convention Center (LVCVA.com) in North Las Vegas, located on a 55-acre site near Downtown. The facility offers 98,100 sq. ft. of exhibit space, and has 12 meeting rooms, a 1,922-seat theater, more than 2,500 spaces for parking, plus a 10,000-seat baseball stadium.
Another meeting option within easy reach of Downtown, The Strip and the airport is the Thomas and Mack Center (thomasandmack-.com), operated by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Of course, Downtown Vegas is also within easy striking distance of the Las Vegas Con-vention Center (lvcva.com), all 3.2 million sq. ft. of it, which includes 2 million sq. ft. of exhibit space and 144 meeting rooms. The LVCVA, which operates the center, can provide a ton of services to ensure your meeting there is seamless.

DOWNTOWN
During the past decade, the downtown core of Las Vegas has valiantly tried to keep up with the megaresorts that have sprung up to the south. The area underwent a massive renewal program that included several new attractions, including the Fremont Street Experience (vegasexperience.com), a video-display canopy covering a four-block stretch of street, transforming the erstwhile casino strip into an under-one-roof pedestrian area.

While Fremont Street has proved popular, Downtown itself has not boomed as had been hoped. Blame it on the black hole: according to the LVCVA, fewer than one-half (46 percent) of all visitors in 2005 said they had visited Downtown Las Vegas during their trip, down significantly from 51 percent in 2003 and 57 percent in 2004. And of those who did make the trip, 54 percent said it was to see the Fremont Street Experience, while only 18 percent were planning to lodge in the area (down from 26 percent).
Another sign of the area’s decline has been the closure of Neonopolis, a $100-million retail-restaurant attraction built to anchor the Fremont Street Experience. This center was supposed to be the Vegas version of L.A.’s UniversalWalk or Faneuil Hall in Boston, but Neonopolis never drew the crowds.
That business has slowed is really a shame, because Downtown has several things going for it as a great site for meeting groups. To begin with, the area has a retro-cool cachet; it still embodies more of that feeling of Old Vegas. And yes, you can still find cheap shrimp cocktails, free drinks and cheap hotel rooms. And, of course, it does have quick access to The Strip, which is important, because every group will want at some point to pay a visit to the wonders of the lodging world that stand just a couple miles to the south.

Further, Downtown is more self-contained than The Strip. It doesn’t take half an hour to walk from one property to the next, as it  sometimes seems to down south. The area  also has convenient access to the highways,  and is easily accessible to The Strip via taxi, bus or monorail.

Accommodations on Fremont Street include the 106-room Golden Gate (Vegas’ oldest casino) and the AAA Four Diamond-rated Golden Nugget, which has earned this rating consistently for the past 29 years. As part of a $100-million renovation just completed in Novem-ber, the Golden Nugget added a new water slide in its new $20-million swimming pool that takes you through a shark tank; you don’t find that everywhere.

A boom may yet be in the dice for Down-town Las Vegas, thanks to the Third Street area. This cool mix of nightclubs, bars and restaurants has recently sprouted up, along the lines of Denver’s LoDo or San Diego’s Gas-lamp District. Regardless of where you’re staying, a trip to Third Street can be a fun activity or locale for an event or meal. Groups can unwind at spots like Hogs & Heifers Saloon (702-672-1457) where bartenders in leather pants bark through megaphones.

SUMMERLIN
When the Los Angeles Times recently published a list entitled “13 Things to Know About Vegas,” they topped it with “The Suburb of Summerlin Rocks Hard.” In particular, they singled out the Station Casinos-owned Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, which opened early in summer 2006, about which they wrote “gets points from the under-30 crowd for its low-concept, curvilinear architecture, minimalist pools and decks....”

The Red Rock is indeed a cool new property, but Summerlin (summerlin.com) is cool as well. Located 12 miles (or 20 minutes) from The Strip, along the Spring Mountain Range foothills, this master-planned community was first developed by Howard Hughes’ Summa Corporation in 1990. It offers bountiful outdoor space, all of which can be used to entertain your group through team-building or general fun. More than 30 percent of the community’s land is allocated to parks, recreational facilities, golf courses and the Summerlin Trail System, which will eventually extend over 150 miles. And, right nearby, the 197,000-acre Red Rock National Conservation Area (nv.blm.-gov/redrockcanyon/) is a favorite local spot for hiking and other outdoor activities.
Summerlin also is home to the grand Mediterranean-style JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and the nearby Fashion Show Las Vegas includes not only the ubiquitous Macy’s, but also, Neiman-Marcus, Blooming-dales and Saks Fifth Avenue.

The community has cultural offerings and off-site meetings options outside its properties. Options include the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center (summerlin.com), encompassing both The Hills Park Amphith-eater and the 294-seat Performing Arts Center theater, and the Donald W. Reynolds Cultural Center (702-243-2623), home of Nevada Ballet Theatre.

HENDERSON
Henderson starts just a few miles east of McCarran International Airport; where it ends seems to change by the second. The city has been one of the fastest-growing in the nation during the past few years, and is slowly filling in the gap between Vegas and Lake Mead National Recreation Area (nps.gov/lame/). Officially, at 94.5 square miles, it is Nevada’s second-largest city, behind Las Vegas (but ahead of Reno).

“Planners may not realize how close we are to the airport or to the Las Vegas Strip,” says Ed Kirby, national sales manager for the Henderson Convention Center and Visitors Bureau. “We have hotels that are only three miles from the airport and our farthest hotels are located in Lake Las Vegas, a mere 15 miles from the McCarran International Airport.”

Henderson has numerous attractions including the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and its Botanical Cactus Gardens (ethelm.com), the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (cityofhenderson.com/parks/facilities/BVP/php/Bird-Preserve), the only one in Nevada; and the million-square-foot Galleria at Sunset mall (galleriaatsunset.com).
Henderson is also a haven for golf, with multiple world-class courses nestled in the area’s desert and mountain landscape. Courses include the short Desert Willow Golf Club (desertwillowlasvegas.com) and the Rees Jones-designed Rio Secco Golf Club (riosecco.net), one of the top public-access courses in the country. It’s home to the Butch Harmon School of Golf (butchharmongolfschools-.com). Looking for a great incentive prize? How about four days’ accommodation and three days of instruction with a guy who taught Tiger Woods and Davis Love III?
Henderson puts on the annual Nevada Shakespeare in the Park festival, now in its 20th year. The city is also home to an 84,120-square-foot community center, the Henderson Multigenerational Center/Aquatic Complex at Liberty Pointe (visithenderson.com). The city’s outdoor amphitheater is also the largest of its kind in the state.
The best place to start planning a meeting here is the Henderson Convention Center and Visitors Bureau (visithenderson.com), which offers concierge-style planning services from first point of contact, throughout the event and post-trip. The HCCVB staff is available to assist with space and contract negotiations, reservations, meeting and event management, ancillary activities and transportation.

“We get excited about the 50–100 room groups, where Las Vegas may get excited about a 1,000-room group,” the HCCVB’s Kirby comments. “Our largest hotel is just under 500 rooms, so the smaller groups are very important to us.”
Supported by the availability of 2,153 hotel rooms, Henderson has more than 253,000 sq. ft. total of function space. The 14,000-square-foot convention center has a 10,080-square-foot, column-free exhibit area.

“At this point, meeting planners may have some difficulty planning a citywide convention, because we do not have adequate square-footage in our current convention center,” says Kirby, noting that the facility will be renovated this year to accommodate larger groups. The inventory of hotel rooms is growing, as well, but currently includes the opulent Green Valley Ranch Resort.
Eventually, Henderson may essentially merge with the Las Vegas Strip (there’s that black hole again!). A high-end resort is planned for Henderson’s own piece of Las Vegas Boulevard, about five miles south of Mandalay Bay, the southern-most Strip property. (See upcoming “View from Vegas” columns for updates.)

LAKE LAS VEGAS
Immediately east of Henderson’s city center is Lake Las Vegas (lakelasvegas.com), an integrated complex of high-end resorts, golf courses, condos and retail shops surrounding a 320-acre manmade lake, about 17 miles from The Strip. This 2,245-acre resort area is another master-planned community, floating like a mirage in the desert near the western edge of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Lake Las Vegas is home to three main resorts: The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas; the Lowes Lake Las Vegas (formerly the Hyatt Regency); and the MonteLago Village Resort. The area also offers an array of meeting spaces, many overlooking the lake and encircling mountains.
Though the surrounding landscape is all parched Mojave, the architecture at Lake Las Vegas follows an Italian theme. The lake can be traversed atop a bridge fashioned after Florence’s Ponte Vecchio. Further, the lake has a marina that’s home port for gondolas with singing gondoliers (Gondola Adventures; gondola.com). A delightful option for a special event or a meeting is La Contessa, a for-hire yacht that cruises around Lake Las Vegas.

No one will get bored at Lake Las Vegas, with all the spas, wine bars and gourmet restaurants—not to mention the retail and restaurants at MonteLago Village. Other pastimes include biking, kayaking, bass fishing and Segway tours. And, of course, casino action is close at hand within the Loews.
Lake Las Vegas is home to three signature golf courses, including the first public resort golf course in Nevada personally designed by Jack Nicklaus, the Reflection Bay Golf Club (lakelasvegas.com/golf_reflection.asp), home of the Golf Institute at Lake Las Vegas.
“The [Henderson and Lake Las Vegas] resort properties provide many of the amenities of their Strip counterparts, with a greater sense of intimacy,” says Henderson’s Ed Kirby. “By day, meeting planners are able to keep their groups together, without losing them in megaresorts. There is definitely a sense of serenity here.”   

Chuck Kapelke has written for Smart Meetings since its inception. Along with regular features for our magazine, Kapelke’s delightfully irreverent View from Vegas column appears monthly. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, San Francisco magazine, Continental  and the Let’s Go  guidebook series.

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Getting There

• McCarran International Airport (mccarran.com) is served by more than 40 airlines, with over 1,000 flights leaving daily. Many of the area’s hotels provide shuttles to and from the airport, as well as The Strip. Charters and private aviation can use the North Las Vegas Air Terminal (also the site of scenic airplane and helicopter tours) or Henderson Executive Airport, which is slated for  renovation and development. The area is also accessible via a helipad. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

Hoover Dam/Lake Mead: Especially if you’re staying in Henderson or Lake Las Vegas, both Lake Mead and Hoover Dam are not to be missed. Lake Mead Cruises (lakemeadcruises.com) does narrated excursions, including dinner dances, eco-adventures and other options for groups. Hoover Dam offers a fascinating tour. (usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/)

Golf: Most of Las Vegas’ finest golf courses are outside of the city limits. Reflection Bay Golf Club, at Lake Las Vegas Resort (lakelasvegas.com), is the first public course in Nevada designed by Jack Nicklaus. And the Paiute Indian Reservation (lvpaiutegolf.com) has three excellent courses, just 30 minutes north of Downtown Las Vegas. Walters Golf (waltersgolf.com) operates the British Open-style Royal Links Golf Club and the Pete Dye-designed Desert Pines Golf Club. The 7,272-yard Stallion Mountain Country Club lies behind private guarded gates and can be accessed through Walters Golf. TravelGolf Vegas (travelgolfvegas.com) and Golf Vegas (golfvegas.com) offer a wide range of incentive and corporate services, and also sell golf packages that are ideal for multiday, multicourse incentive trips.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway: As an incentive prize or cool group activity, the Richard Petty Driving Experience (1800bepetty.com) and the Mario Andretti Racing School (andrettiracing.com) can serve up a racing good time for groups of 10–1,500, including “ride alongs” and real behind-the-wheel experiences. For a simpler option, track tours are offered daily; ask for group rates. (702-632-8260)

Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve: The natural antithesis to the artifice of Las Vegas, this 147-acre migratory bird stop and wetlands encompasses basins, lagoons and ponds. It is home to nearly 200 species of birds, including waterfowl, wading birds and birds of prey. Bird-watching classes and guided tours are available for groups. (cityofhenderson.com)

Gambling: Real Vegas aficionados know that the odds and rules for casino games, such as craps and blackjack, are often more favorable at off-Strip casinos. Ask around for tips on where to break the house. Back to Top

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