In a two-day sales mission to Ontario marked by woodburning, mixology, cooking and breathwork bonding sessions, Las Vegas repledged its love for Canadian travellers.
“As you know Canada is the number one international market for Las Vegas and we are counting on everyone’s support more than ever, especially with what’s happening on the political issues front,” David Han, senior account representative, Canada for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), said 24MAR to launch Vegas Unplugged.
“We’ve created a very unique itinerary. It’s not just your typical event. So over the course of the next 24 hours, you’ll get a chance to engage with our partners on a very intimate basis. But also to share some ideas and brainstorm as we all navigate the turbulent times together.”
Nine Vegas resort and attraction partners gathered with a dozen tour operators and media at the Elora Mill Hotel & Spa.
“While we understand the uncertainty in the market at this time, we’re here to show Canada that Las Vegas is ready to welcome Canadians when the time is right,” said Brea Williams, LVCVA’s international market executive. She noted that “Canada is 96 per cent recovered from 2019 numbers, and that is all thanks to everyone in this room.”
The first Vegas Unplugged sales mission for Eastern Canada was last year in Muskoka. This one comes amid concerns about the exchange rate, trade wars and rhetoric about Canadian sovereignty.
These challenges were alluded to several times, as Williams said “when the time is right, we will make sure that we are all back united once again, so let’s just keep that consideration while we’re having our conversations today.”
Each partner got five minutes to address the gathering before one-on-one meetings.
“Vegas — there’s something different for everyone,” said Sarah Best Chensky, vice president of luxury and leisure sales for MGM Resorts International.
“Every customer that comes is looking for something different. So I think that pairing the guest up with the property that suits them, or the activities that suit them, is really going to be the difference maker as far as how they perceive Vegas, how they enjoy Vegas, and so we want to make sure that’s where we want to make you the expert in that and be able to recommend the right thing.”
Presentation highlights included:
- Several of MGM’s 13 properties have smoke-free options. Vdara, W Las Vegas and the Signature don’t have casinos and so are completely smoke-free. Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas is the Strip’s only smoke-free casino hotel.
- Cirque du Soleil says Michael Jackson ONE just got a multi-million renovation and is now the only show in North America where drones fly over the audience.
- JW Marriott Las Vegas The Resort at Summerlin has updated its name to reflect the fact it’s 15 minutes west of the Strip in an area that Nadine Agnant-Birdseye, business travel and leisure sales manager, calls the “Scottsdale of Las Vegas.”
- Caesars Entertainment’s 188-room Cromwell, the Strip’s first stand-alone boutique hotel, is being transformed into the Vanderpump Hotel with TV star Lisa Vanderpump. The Flamingo Las Vegas now has Pinky’s by Vanderpump.
- Sphere, the city’s newest entertainment venue, has a live venue and the Sphere Experience, an immersive and interactive two-part experience.
- With 392 rooms, the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas is centrally located near T-Mobile Arena and the Shops at Crystals. Five food-and-beverage options include two new 23rd-floor bars, Hard Shake and Peacock Alley.
- Fontainebleau Las Vegas opened in December 2023 on the northern end of the Strip, a spot Kalena Fernandez, manager of leisure sales, calls “the new luxury corridor.” Built vertically on 25 acres, it has 60 floors, 3,644 rooms, 24 restaurants and 12 bars and lounges.
- Wynn & Encore Las Vegas has its own golf course. For Yellowstone fans, the Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse, a pop-up dining experience inspired by the brand’s friendship with writer/director Taylor Sheridan and the famous Texas ranch. Zero Bond, a member-only social club, opens this year.
- Resorts World Las Vegas offers three products in one. The Hilton has rooms and the Conrad has rooms and suites, while the top six floors of each are Crockfords (with rooms, suites, villas and palaces). The Stubborn Seed, helmed by Top Chef winner chef Jeremy Ford, just opened.
In between branding wooden charcuterie boards with “Las Vegas,” having a cocktail competition, helping make Beef Wellington (Gordon Ramsay’s signature dish) and kicking off day two with a breathwork session, Open Jaw chatted with mission delegates.
Eva Ng, general manager of Taipan Tours and NGH Tours, said clients are concerned about “the state of the U.S.” and the exchange rate, but it’s too soon to tell how 2025 will unfold since their main season is late June to August and December to March.
Allan Sum, president of Sunbook.ca and Mandarin Holidays, used to sell nine group tours a year to Vegas before the pandemic and has only seen interest start bounce back recently. “I realized there’s a lot more to learn now,” he said. “I think putting Vegas back on the map, it’s a good step, especially with all that new stuff in Vegas right now. Vegas has always been a place where you can repeat easily.”
