Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak recently announced the easing of certain COVID-19 mitigation measures that could lead to events of up to 250 people by March 15.
“We are encouraged by the progress in easing Nevada’s capacity restrictions and will continue to follow Governor Sisolak’s directives, expanding capacity when and where it is possible,” says Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment and co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business coalition. (MPI’s WEC Vegas will take place June 15-17 at CAESARS FORUM.) “Our focus remains on the wellbeing of our team members, our guests and the communities we serve, and we are steadfast in our commitment to the best-in-class, enhanced health and safety protocols developed for all of our resorts nationwide. We are optimistic for the future and fully committed to assisting the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Nevada and every community in which we operate.”
Public gatherings and events featuring 100 individuals or 35 percent of fire code capacity, whichever is less, will now be possible in Nevada beginning March 1 as long as they adhere to strict social distancing requirements and are granted approval by state and local health authorities. If COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, gatherings of up to 250 individuals or 50 percent of the fire code, whichever is less, will be allowable beginning March 15.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority made the following statement in response to the governor’s actions: “The Las Vegas destination took an important step forward with the governor’s loosening of restrictions that will enable us to welcome back our valued and sorely missed business customers in the near future. It also provides our leisure visitors with the anticipation of knowing more amenities and offerings are on the horizon at all of our world-class resorts and venues. We appreciate the governor’s remarks for the need to help relaunch our missed and needed convention business including the World of Concrete convention taking place in Las Vegas this June. With health and safety measures in place as top priority, the destination’s ongoing ‘Vegas Smart’ efforts have become and will continue to be the gold standard, enabling visitors to enjoy all of the offerings that make Las Vegas the entertainment capital of the world.”
Annette Gregg, CMM, MBA, senior vice president, experience for MPI, is encouraged by this lessening of restrictions for meetings and gatherings as MPI continues planning WEC Vegas.
“The destination is vital to the overall health of the hospitality sector, and these moves bring hope to our struggling industry,” she says. “We are confident that by following the established safety protocols, Las Vegas will continue to open up as we get closer to holding WEC there in June.”
WEC 2020, held in November in Grapevine, Texas, included 600 paid in-person attendees.
Photo by David Lusvardi on Unsplash