Las Vegas Is Getting a Convention Facelift

Conventions and trade shows are big business in Las Vegas. Last year the city hosted around 5 million convention attendees, representing an economic impact of $7.5 billion. The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) alone hosted 56 conventions in 2022, with a combined attendance of nearly 900,000.

This will be a year for the books in Las Vegas as the MSG Sphere opens and the city hosts its first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix. The MSG Sphere will be the largest spherical structure in the world, capable of accommodating 17,500 seated guests with 23 VIP suites.

The Sphere will open around the same time as the inaugural F1 race hits the streets of Vegas on November 16-18, 2023. 

Convention Center Renovation

A $600 million renovation is underway at the 4.6 million-square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). This new project will extend the contemporary design and architecture of the LVCC’s 1.4 million square foot West Hall which opened in June of 2021. Many feel this project is long overdue as the rest of the center pales in comparison to the West Hall.

“The renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center supports our commitment to the tradeshow and convention industry to constantly evolve to meet the needs of our customers and hold our place as the number one convention destination in the world,” said Lisa Messina, chief sales officer, LVCVA.

Work will continue through 2025, with construction designed to accommodate and minimize disruption to scheduled conventions and tradeshows. Some shows may move to different halls, but all will continue as scheduled.

The renovation of the LVCC was set in motion in 2016 during the special session of the Nevada Legislature. Senate Bill No. 1 (SB1) was put in place, including an additional 0.5% hotel room tax, to help fund the reocreation of the West Hall and the renovation of the LVCC’s existing campus, along with Allegiant Stadium. While construction of the $1 billion West Hall moved forward, the renovation of the legacy campus was delayed due to the pandemic. 

“Moving from 1.9 million square feet of leasable space to 2.5 million square feet and doing so in spectacular fashion will just be an attraction for shows looking to relocate,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the LVCVA.

A newly designed parking lot includes a Vegas Loop station connecting convention goers to the Wynn and Encore.

New Hotel Offerings

Meeting and event planners will also have a new hotel to consider. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, across from the LVCC campus, will open in December. The property will offer 3,644 guestrooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space across five levels.

Caesars Entertainment recently unveiled plans to add a hotel tower to Paris Las Vegas named Versailles Tower. The more than $100 million renovation will integrate Horseshoe’s Jubilee Tower into Paris Las Vegas, offering.

When it opens late this year, the tower will include 756 luxury rooms with balconies overlooking The Strip. A pedestrian bridge, opening in early 2024, will connect it to the existing Paris resort. This brings Caesars Entertainment’s total room count in Vegas to more than 23,000.