Graphic courtesy of Caesars Entertainment Corp.
The wait is over for Caesars Entertainment Corp. and its plans to build a convention center in Las Vegas.
Caesars Entertainment announced Monday that it will develop Caesars Forum, a 550,000-square-foot convention center in Las Vegas, at a cost of about US$375 million. The company plans to break ground early in the second quarter of 2018 and hopes to open the convention center in 2020.
“Consistent with our post [bankruptcy] restructuring plans, Caesars Forum is the first installment of our growth strategy for the benefit of Las Vegas and our employees, which will also help meet the increasing demand for group business meetings of all sizes,” said Mark Frissora, president and CEO of Caesars Entertainment.
The facility will be located on 20 acres east of the Las Vegas Strip with bridge connections to Harrah’s, LINQ and the LINQ Promenade. The facility will have direct access to about 8,500 hotel rooms at the Harrah’s, LINQ and Flamingo hotels, part of the 20,000 rooms at nine Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas.
The conference center will feature about 300,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, about the size of five football fields. Caesars Entertainment said the facility includes two 108,000-square-foot ballrooms, including the two largest pillar-less ballrooms in North America, two 40,000-square-foot ballrooms and state-of-the-art boardrooms. It is expected to be able to accommodate more than 10,000 attendees.
“Building the two largest ballrooms in the world demonstrates our continued commitment to the meetings industry,” said Chief Sales Officer Michael Massari. “We are excited to provide our customers with a new experience and look forward to building relationships with future clients.”
The facility will also include a 100,000-square-foot outdoor plaza, which can be used as flexible space ideal for an opening cocktail reception, wellness breaks or serving breakfast, lunch or dinner.
“We are excited to be investing in the meetings business in Las Vegas as we continue to see this industry as a strong driver for Caesars Entertainment and our city,” said Bob Morse, president of hospitality with Caesars Entertainment. “With its mid-Strip location and state-of-the-art design, the Caesars Forum will be the ideal location for anyone looking to host meetings and events in Las Vegas.”
Caesars Entertainment had recently announced its intention to acquire 18.4 acres of land as part of its plans to develop the new conference center in a series of transactions with VICI Properties. The deal included $1.14 billion in cash for the Harrah’s real estate. Caesars will continue to operate Harrah’s Las Vegas, including gaming, hotel operations and all other amenities.
