The long-awaited opening of CAESARS FORUM could not have taken on a more significant meaning for the meeting and event industry.
ConferenceDirect’s Annual Partner Meeting (APM) opened the doors this week to the first conference held at the $375 million, 550,000-square-foot conference center that had been shuttered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While a grand opening in March had to be canceled, the first event to take place at CAESARS FORUM sent two strong messages to the industry: face-to-face meetings are critical to the industry’s recovery and the new property will have a significant role in that recovery.
More than 130 partners and associates attended APM in-person, while ConferenceDirect also welcomed about 900 attendees to a virtual component.
Jerry Horan, president and COO at ConferenceDirect, said the opportunity to meet face to face was important.
“We felt at that point we had made accommodations for those that were concerned and made accommodations for those that felt strongly that the face to face was needed.”
“The laws were going to dictate our decision, so once the governor (of Nevada) said OK, we felt that those of our associates and partners that wanted to have the face to face would come and we gave the others the option of virtual,” he said. “We felt at that point we had made accommodations for those that were concerned and made accommodations for those that felt strongly that the face to face was needed. We felt good. We never looked back.”
Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment, said the organization was pleased to welcome APM for the first live event at CAESARS FORUM.
“We have always admired the work that (CEO) Brian Stevens and the team at ConferenceDirect do,” Massari said. “We enjoy a long-standing partnership and are pleased that we are hosting this important event, which will give us the opportunity to showcase the implemented protocols we have in place for COVID-19.”
Safety and health protocols were indeed the top priority for all involved in the live portion of the event. All attendees had to fill out a health screening document before entering the facility. Following a temperature check, attendees were required to wear a mask at all times except when eating and drinking.
When eating and drinking, attendees had to be seated at a table. Social distancing was incorporated into the room designs and receptions.
As part of the internal protocols, Stevens was not at the event, as he and Horan have decided not to travel to the same events in case of an outbreak.
The safety protocols were also top of mind for the team at Caesars Entertainment.
“This was a great opportunity for our team to learn from them, and vice versa,” said Don Ross, vice president of catering, conventions and events for Caesars Entertainment. “It’s even more exciting to have all their partners here and their associates here, who can take home a little bit of what we’ve done and talk to their customers about how to do a meeting safe, both here in Las Vegas or anywhere.
“That’s the goal. We want to get back to work. That’s been our focus.”
One of the attendees, Darren Green, senior vice president of sales for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, said he was impressed with the safety protocols.
“It was thoughtfully executed with temperature checks as you entered to get your badge,” he said. “The trade show was well spread out and distanced for one-on-one meetings. I liked that there was a separate work area distanced from the appointments.”
Green noted the food and beverage packaging and delivery to appointment tables worked well, and that the beverage and coffee stations were staffed by servers with masks and gloves who poured coffee and opened cold beverages as requested.
“The general session was set up effectively with separate tables for each attendee, bottled water on tables and more than six feet distanced between tables,” he added. “All in all, it’s a little weird with everyone wearing masks as we reconnect with our industry partners, but it looks like this will be the new norm.”
Coronavirus: Your Trusted Meeting & Event Resource.
APM began on Sunday evening with a conference managers reception and then launched into three days of education and awards recognition events, and concluded with a reception on the Forum Plaza, the 100,000-square-foot outdoor event space connected to CAESARS FORUM.
Horan gave attendees an assessment of the industry, telling them that there have been more than 5,700 cancelled bookings between 2020 and 2022. In showing the top 25 destinations, he pointed out that destinations such as Houma, La., have seen gains mainly due to state regulations regarding the size of meetings allowed.
Meeting industry professionals in Las Vegas are also hopeful the success of the APM event will help show not only the economic importance of meetings, but how they can be done safely. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced this week he is working on a plan to increase capacity to 50 percent for conventions beginning Jan. 1, 2021. MPI is scheduled to hold its World Education Congress at CAESARS FORUM in 2021.
“From a partner perspective, we are booking business today,” Horan said. “The partners wanted to have face-to-face time with our associates if they felt comfortable and they are here. The associates had some strong voice of ‘we need to meet, we need to have this meeting,’ not only for their business but for their mental health.
“We need to get back to some type of business, whether it’s a half a loaf, a quarter of a loaf or something. We need to start putting our foot in the water as long as it’s being done in a safe manner.”
