What sets Mandalay Bay and Delano apart from other convention and event venues?
There are very few venues in the world that have the flexibility to service a 20-person executive meeting, 100-person incentive trip, 5,000-person corporate meeting or 30,000-person trade show. We can.
In September, we opened Delano Las Vegas, which used to be TheHotel. Bringing the iconic South Beach brand to Las Vegas, Delano offers guests a personalized experience. Delano has 31 meeting rooms including the Sage Living Room, featuring plush love seats and oversized chairs. Delano is all suite, non-gaming.
Is Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino a meeting property or a gaming property?
We are a convention-dominant hotel. While we have a casino with a strong customer base, our convention segment is the strongest in the hotel, with the three other segments—transient, hotel, casino—layering in over convention. Mandalay Bay is not the norm, since conventions come first.
Mandalay Bay is expanding its convention center, adding more than 350,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, for a total of more than 2 million sq. ft. Why was the additional space needed and what do you hope to accomplish with it?
We want to be able to continue hosting many of our annual trade shows that are slowly outgrowing us, and have the opportunity for new trade shows that we have not had enough space for in the past. We are also restrategizing how we lay out groups within our space to be able to accommodate more business. Once the expansion is complete, we will have over 900,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space. Some of our groups are now split between two levels, so this will allow for a better flow for attendees. We are also converting some current cement space into a carpeted ballroom. The reason for this change is to open up for corporate business that we are turning away based on limited availability.
MGM Resorts International, your parent company, is building all its new facilities, including the Mandalay Bay expansion, to LEED Gold standards. Is MGM Resorts International seeking to set a standard for green meetings?
MGM Resorts International is the leader in environmental responsibility and sustainable meetings. Five of our hotels, including Mandalay Bay, have been awarded the 5 Green Key Award, which is the highest you can achieve from the Green Key Eco-Rating program. [The convention center] will have the largest solar array panel of any convention center in the world, covering 20 acres of the roof. This will supply nearly 20 percent of Mandalay Bay’s demand at peak production.
What other sustainable practices are in place at Mandalay Bay?
Eighty-one percent of all material in the convention center is recycled, we offer 100 percent sustainable/organic banquet menus upon request, and we have motion-sensitive and water-saving faucets throughout the facility. We are about to roll out our Green Meetings program, consisting of events in which environmental considerations are incorporated into all elements of planning and execution.
What are some examples of how Mandalay Bay customizes experiences for groups meeting at your property?
We allow groups to identify areas where they really want to see efforts made to conserve; we also offer different types of food and beverage programs, a master cicerone (master of beer) and VIP tastings of beer versus wine. Once we recreated an exhibit floor into a carnival with full-sized rides, beer and wine. It literally felt like the group was walking into a high-end amusement park. We worked with local vendors on rides, and food and beverage.
Of all the shows and entertainment at Mandalay Bay, which is your favorite and why?
Michael Jackson One, by Cirque du Soleil, is my favorite. Not only is it fun, high-energy dance and acrobatics, but its music makes you smile. The technology is also amazing!
Hometown: Rockport, Maine, a tiny fishing town northeast of Boston
Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing from Cox School of
Business at Southern Methodist University
Summary: Danced professionally with Ballet Theatre of Boston (43 performances of The Nutcracker every year) before injury turned her attention to hospitality industry; became vice president of sales at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in 2013 with a goal of providing strategic direction and leadership to Mandalay Bay and Delano Las Vegas convention sales team; previously worked in sales departments at Bellagio, The Mirage and Aria Resort & Casino. She is married to Timothy Glanzer, another executive with MGM Resorts; they have two children, Alex, 12, and Halen, 2; Timothy has two adult children from a previous marriage.
