Las Vegas is back in the large in-person convention business big time, with Informa Markets’ World of Concrete leading the way. Its June 8-10 convention serves as the first major event at the $1 billion West Hall expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
World of Concrete is the first major convention since Las Vegas reopened to 100% capacity June 1. The destination is expecting the floodgates for large events to open following the reopening of the West Hall and elimination of capacity restrictions.
The West Hall convention center expansion resulted in increasing the facility’s total amount of meetings and exhibition space to 1.4 million square feet. Other highlights of the West Hall expansion include the following:
- 600,000 square feet of exhibition space, including 328,000 square feet of column-free space, making it the largest column-free exhibition space in North America
- An open-air atrium that features a 10,000-square-foot digital screen developed by Samsung, which is the largest digital experience in a convention center in the U.S.
- A 14,000-square-foot terrace that can hold receptions of up to 2,000 attendees, offering views of the Las Vegas Strip
- Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR facility accreditation by ISSA, the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry and considered the gold standard for safe facilities
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“This convention reinvigorates our commitment to be bold in how we envision the future of infrastructure and recovery of our state, and this is only the beginning,” said Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “We are back in Las Vegas, and there is no better or safer place to come to have a convention than Las Vegas.”
Informa Markets plans to hold 10 additional events in Las Vegas before the end of 2021:
- Vegas Cosmetic Surgery (June 2021)
- The International Surface Event (June 2021)
- WasteExpo (June 2021)
- The Aesthetic Show (July 2021)
- Inside Self Storage World Expo (July 2021)
- MAGIC Fall (August 2021)
- International Roofing Expo (August 2021)
- Licensing Expo (August 2021)
- SupplySide West & Food Ingredients North America (October 2021)
- International Sanitary Supply Association Expo Show North America (November 2021)
“We are thrilled to be returning to the live event format, especially in the home of the exhibitions industry in the U.S., Las Vegas,” said Nan Walsh, president, North America, for Informa Markets. “There is an unparalleled magic about in-person connection—from sharing laughs with old friends, creating new ones, learning from industry experts, and seeing and feeling the latest products and innovations. We are so happy to be the first large-scale trade show to return to the show floor in the U.S., and the first to use the Las Vegas Convention Center’s incredible new West Hall, and through that partnership I believe we are signaling a return to business and connection that is needed now more than ever.”
[Related: Las Vegas Leaders Share Stories of Managing COVID-19 and Welcoming Meetings Back]
Elon Musk’s Convention Center Loop Activated
The convention center’s ambitious Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, which was constructed by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company and shuttles attendees throughout the 200-acre convention center campus on all-electric Tesla vehicles, also became fully operational.
Plans to expand the system throughout the resort corridor have been announced. The expanded system, which will be known as the Vegas Loop, would transport visitors from as far north as Downtown Las Vegas throughout the Strip to as far south as Allegiant Stadium.
To access Meetings Today’s dedicated Las Vegas microsite, visit https://meetingstoday.com/las-vegas.
This information was based on a press release from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
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