Gaming Properties: Larger Than Life

Leveraging gaming properties’ abundance in resources for meetings to remember

When was the last time you had fun? Like fully-in-the-moment, forgot-to-check-your-phone, laughed-out-loud fun?

If your answer is, “Actually, pretty recently!” That is awesome. And high-five. But the reality is, for most of us (and most of your attendees), we’re going to have a hard time remembering when that last time was.

The amazing news about meetings is that, in an industry so dynamic and flexible, there is an abundance of opportunity to shake up the game and do things differently. One of the industry’s very close friends—hospitality—has a special persona that nails fun, time and again: Gaming properties.

When we think about meeting locations, gaming properties are one of the very special places where the opportunities are almost limitless, so of course, gaming properties and meetings go quite well together. From getting together a group on the casino floor to best-in-class showmanship and an abundance of dining experiences, these are the places where you take your meeting from good to great—from, “It was a successful experience” to “It was larger than life!”

Fun Makes Meetings Successful

Fun might seem like a strange way to think about business. But it’s more important than ever if you want results. Jeff Harry of Rediscover Your Play, a speaker and workplace consultant on the positive psychology of play, defines play as “when you are fully present in the moment. It is also the opposite of perfection—perfection is rooted in ego and shame and constantly trying to be right. Play is rooted in creativity, a sense of wonder, a sense of awe—and that’s where innovative ideas come from.”

Play is fuel for connection. Harry explains that to have authentic play, we must have psychological safety. That means feeling comfortable and at ease in an environment. When we feel psychologically safe, we are able to let the walls down a little bit and let go of the ego. “The ego is what prevents connection,” says Harry. “When you are in a state of play, you’re much more empathetic. You’re much more compassionate. It’s a much more community-driven environment.” That’s what meetings are all about.

Read More: This Las Vegas Bar Wants You to Horse Around

Creating a State of Play at Meetings—and Why Gaming Properties Are the Place to Do It

Play doesn’t mean starting up a game of tag at a conference (although, who’s to say you shouldn’t?). It can be, literally, anything that a person enjoys, and it’s different for everyone.

When it comes to meetings at gaming properties, the abundance of offerings makes it an easier space than most to incorporate elements that create that sense of fun for a wide range of people with different interests and styles of play. That means when you step into a gaming property, almost everyone is having fun because they are able to choose their own way of doing so.

Mary Andrews, director of sales at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, says, “There’s just an energy at a casino resort that you can’t replicate elsewhere. It creates this built-in buzz that keeps people en­gaged long after the last session of the day.”

Variety of Choice

Sarah Just, director of sales and conference services at Turning Stone Resort Casino, expresses that the variety of activities available at casinos and gaming properties is what truly sets them apart. “Gam­ing properties and resorts offer different kinds of ancillary areas that are exciting and engaging. A lot of conference attendees want to get out of the boardroom and the four walls,” she says. With a wide range of activities, from onsite entertainment to  diverse restaurants, there’s something for every­one. Just says, with so many opportunities available right onsite, “It takes all the thinking out of it, and there’s no shuttling or public transportation needed. They can enjoy what’s here without any effort.”

Attendees can choose to play in the way that works for them.

Andrews explains, “Attendees love exploring everything we have to offer. Some head straight for the casino floor, but we also see guests gravitate toward our bowling center, restaurants or the movie theater for a more relaxed way to unwind, and sometimes small groups even enjoy a spa night.”

Though many casinos and gaming properties offer many of the same elements—a casino floor, onsite entertainment and dining—each also has its own unique elements that make every gaming property its own experience, which enables planners to find the perfect setting for their unique groups. South Point, for example, has an equestrian center. Andrews says that, most of the time, there’s a free horse show going on. Every December, during the National Finals Rodeo, the property is packed with cowboys and cowgirls, creating an energy you won’t find at other casinos.

At the end of the day, at any gaming property, people can find everything they need for an exciting, engaging night all under one roof.

This makes it easy for planners to ensure at­tendees have ample opportunity to have fun and remember the meeting as special. Harry says that there’s just one aspect planners must keep in mind: Make sure that attendees know what’s available, and make sure that you are organizing groups that can go to these different activities together, so you can keep that networking going. “You can’t just go to a casino and expect everyone to be fine—if attendees don’t know about all these cool things that are happening, they have to figure it out for themselves,” he advises.

Bringing the Fun into the Meeting

Fun doesn’t have to stop at the door to the meeting space.

“Imagine being in a networking event, and all of a sudden, these performances are happening,” Harry remembers of one event. During lunch, drag queens came out and served the food. “It creates a differ­ent energy.”

Community-oriented energy is integral to creat­ing a state of play anywhere. At Turning Stone, Just explains, they have extensive relationships with emcees and entertainers who can be brought into the meeting space—or the meeting can be held in the entertainment space. “Our group guests will sometimes host private events in our nightlife venues.” The result is access to engaging icebreakers and unique team building.

Read More: The List: Warm Up and Team Build

Plus, a casino or gaming property makes it easy to think outside of the boardroom and ballroom. Just says, “We bring the fun 24/7, 365. We just have so much energy and opportunity for you to engage in doing things that are not sitting in a four-wall room.

“The entertainment, the gaming, the restaurants and all the team building. We’ve even had groups engage with our Oneida Outfitters,” she says. “We have guided salmon fishing. We also have amazing cottages at the cove that have experiences like water bicycles and boat­ing, and we’ve taken groups there where they’ve just been able to be in that area and eat at our supply cove out on this beautiful deck that overlooks the water. There’s so much for us to be able to en­gage you with.”

Every One, Unique

As a property that’s owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, Turning Stone makes it easy to access interactive educational experiences that give attendees a sense of place and help them to gain a greater understanding of the local Native community’s history and culture. Joel Barkin, vice president for strategic communications and com­munity engagement with the Oneida Indian Nation, says resources include tribal dancers and beading with Nation members. A community cultural center is a popular off-site. “You can feel very much part of our community and part of the history of the Na­tion.”

At South Point, Andrews says, she also sees groups moving their meetings to immersive spaces and leaning on the variety of opportunities available to incorporate meeting experiences that differ from the norm. “Planners love adding in fun extras—bowl­ing tournaments, group dinners, even private movie screenings. Some host casino game tutorials or organize spa breaks,” she says. “We’ve had planners turn our showroom into a comedy night or bring in a band. It’s about giving attendees more than just content, creating an experience they’ll actually remember.”

Whether keeping the meeting in the classic boardroom and ballroom or bringing attendees to an alternative space, planners have so much at their fingertips when meeting at casinos and gaming properties that elevate meetings.

Harry says the most important thing planners can do to make their meetings stand out is to break the monotony. “Incorporate moments of surprise. Let’s say you have a break—if you’re at a casino, you can easily bring in entertainers. You could have magicians, you could have a band, you can incorporate music when people are coming into sessions and going out of sessions. How can you make mun­dane moments more interesting?”

Working with Gaming: Properties to Make it Happen

As with any meeting, it takes working closely with partners to make the dream come true. Planning meetings at casinos and gaming properties is no dif­ferent. Remember, the staff you’re working with to plan a gaming property meeting are the experts on their property, so lean on them for support.

At Turning Stone, Just says working with planners is their bread and butter. Making your meeting a success is just as important to them as it is to you. “We are absolutely doing our research before even meeting with clients, so we can see where they’ve been in the past and what they’ve engaged with in prior events, so that we can really leverage what their experiences were there and understand the things they showed interest in and participated in,” she says. “We can take it to the next level and make it larger than life.”

The most successful meetings, she explains, hap­pen when planners are transparent. “When planners ground us in what their mission is for the event they’re hosting, we can then be clear in what we’re offering and how we’re partnering with them so that it hits all their goals.”

Just says, “Because we have such a wide array of things to offer, we are customizing that for them. We are working hand in hand with the planner from sourcing to site inspection and throughout the whole planning process.”

Meeting Memories that Last

“In creating play, you have to be deliberate about what you want to do,” says Harry. Work with the casino to share your goals, and they can come through with their expertise on what they offer that will bring your meeting that larger-than-life feel and make it easy to incorporate into your meeting.

In the post-Covid world, when so many employees work remote or hybrid jobs, creating spaces for shared experiences fuels connection that people desperately need. “There’s nothing better than incorporating these fun experiences just to break the ice and get people engaged in a way that’s not just sitting at a board table trying to engage on a topic,” Just says. “It’s interactive. It’s collaborative. And I think it really resonates with conference attendees to have these kinds of options as part of their program.”

Andrews says that casinos and gaming properties, at their essence, cre­ate these spaces of fun that make connection happen naturally. “When people are relaxed, the real connections happen. A shared laugh over a blackjack game or a great meal and drinks breaks the ice in ways a panel discussion just can’t. A casino hotel naturally gives people places to gather, talk and just enjoy themselves. Those organic moments—playing a round of video poker, bumping into someone at the bar or sharing a meal—often spark the best business relationships.”

Meetings are special for so many reasons—one of those reasons being that they can show up in nearly any shape or form. Casinos and gaming properties, with their abundance of opportunities and activations, expand the ability of meetings to be more expressive, more interactive and more exciting. From there, meetings can only go higher.

When was the last time you had fun? Like fully-in-the-moment, forgot-to-check-your-phone, laughed-out-loud fun?

If your answer is, “Actually, pretty recently!” That is awesome. And high-five. But the reality is, for most of us (and most of your attendees), we’re going to have a hard time remembering when that last time was.

The amazing news about meetings is that, in an industry so dynamic and flexible, there is an abun­dance of opportunity to shake up the game and do things differently. One of the industry’s very close friends—hospitality—has a special persona that nails fun, time and again: gaming properties.

When we think about meeting locations, gam­ing properties are one of the very special places where the opportunities are almost limitless, so of course, gaming properties and meetings go quite well together. From getting together a group on the casino floor to best-in-class showmanship and an abundance of dining experiences, these are the places where you take your meeting from good to great—from “It was a successful experience” to “It was larger than life!”

This article appears in the May 2025 issue. Subscribe to the magazine here.