Las Vegas means business—and it all depends on people. The big wheels are the visionaries past and present who built, and continue to build, Vegas.

After attending the annual Glass Craft & Bead Expo in 2005, Richmond, Va.-based glass and fiber artist Lura Dillard wanted a lasting memory of her “unforgettable” first visit to Las Vegas. “Purchasing dice, poker chips and other materials from local shops, I created my mosaic-ed ‘Vegas Memory’ hubcap,” Dillard said. “It inspired a series of destination-based pieces, with gallery shows and sales.” Vegas is a marketplace for ideas and commerce like no other. Inaugurated in 1994, the three-day Expo has called South Point Hotel Casino and Spa home for 13 years. 

Port Aransas and Mustang Island (Texas), San Antonio, St. Louis, Richmond, Virginia, and Providence, Rhode Island, are boosting their branding and group appeal through culinary programming.

From attention-getting cultural scenes to major new convention centers, here are four destinations where major downtown investments are significantly reshaping and redefining the meetings scene.

Brandon Robinson, CAE is executive director with the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) in Richmond, Virginia. The group recently held its 2018 Annual Conference in Norfolk.

Encompassing the nine cities and six counties of the Hampton Roads region on southeastern Virginia’s Lower Peninsula, Coast Virginia opened the book on the American experience with the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 and has contributed major chapters ever since. At the forefront of inspiration and discovery, from land and sea to outer space, the area’s dynamic destinations inspire expanded thinking and new directions.

East Coast gaming resort's provide an abundance of extravagant group dining experiences.

The East Coast’s major players are increasingly looking to wine, dine and wow groups in this ever-expanding regional market.

From Miami’s storied Fontainebleau Hotel, appearing in the opening of the 1964 James Bond classic Goldfinger, to The Biltmore in Asheville, N.C., featured in Peter Sellers’ 1979 swan song Being There, movie appearances can be branding gold for properties.

Looking to produce stronger connections, derive deeper meaning and create lasting memories from your next meeting or event? Book a property with a famed hosting history, and your attendees will remember you well for it.