The more than 3,000 members of the Professional Convention Management Association who descended upon Las Vegas’s MGM Grand for the group's annual meeting, from January 9 to 12, were invited to an opening reception designed to showcase a city the organization hadn’t returned to in more than three decades. Dubbed “Las Vegas... Then and Now at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino,” the event featured larger-than-life decor and entertainment, which began outside the MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom and continued through to every corner of the massive room.
“The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority and MGM Resorts International worked hard with P.C.M.A. to welcome back attendees with an experience truly showcasing how Las Vegas has evolved over the years,” said MGM Resorts Events executive director of event design King Dahl. “It seemed quite apropos to launch the conference with an event that featured what Las Vegas was—and what many still think of the city—and what it is now.”
Guests were greeted by a cherry-red vintage 1964 Cadillac convertible, where scores of association members stopped to have photos taken with the two Vegas showgirls stationed with it. Just inside the entry, a Liberace look-alike performed on a white baby grand piano with a full-scale mirrored piano spinning above, and a plethora of showgirls on stilts perched above the archway, welcoming guests into the main event space. Entertainment was provided by a team led by MGM Grand Productions.
The stage featured five massive LED screens so that guests throughout the ballroom could check out every aspect of the show. The video equivalent of wallpaper on the stage stairs and elevations featured colorful, gyrating, psychedelic designs that kept the stage constantly changing, and an LED-lined curved runway brought performers up close and personal to the audience. The modern Vegas aesthetic included clear, acrylic bubble chairs hanging from the ceiling, a "Twitter Tweet-Up" Lovers Lounge and buffet treatments that doubled as contemporary art.
Although it was large-scale by many standards, planning and managing the reception was just another day for MGM Resorts Events, said Dahl, whose organization oversaw more than 900 events in 2010. “To put things in perspective, the week prior to this, we designed and produced six New Year’s Eve events equally as large or larger, plus a stunning wedding, and a number of smaller events,” he said.
