Incentive - February 2008 - (Page 77)

TRAVEL Diamond Award: Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, Joël Robuchon, as well as Le Cirque and Picasso at Bellagio. In addition to its celebrity chefs, Vegas is now home to more Master Sommeliers than any other American city, which makes wine tastings a consistent option for incentive travelers. Bon Appétit magazine has begun hosting the annual “Vegas Uncork’d” culinary event on The Strip each May. Many planners are finding that these serve as alternatives to the traditional golf or spa options, since they bring together a broad range of demographics, both young and old, male and female. SEI Meetings and Incentives recently brought a group of 89 from a financial services company to Lake Las Vegas for a wine tasting. Since the group included winners from several different offices and the members were just getting to know each other, the company wanted a more social outing than a spa treatment or round of golf could provide, and they found the tasting to be a perfect solution. Besides a resort setting for a wine event, many of the restaurants can treat groups to extensive wine menus and arrange tastings. For those looking for something a little bit different, Noir Bar, a neospeakeasy hidden below the LAX nightclub in the Luxor, offers “designer cocktails” custom made to individual tastes. think there are any more that could. I think they’re pretty much all here now.” Besides the mini-cities and the Palazzo, several other major developments are in progress. Donald Trump is bringing his signature style of metropolitan luxury and New York pluck to Las Vegas with the opening of Trump International Hotel & Tower in May (a second tower is scheduled to open in 2010). Offering both hotel and condominium spaces, the property has eyecatching 24-carat-gold-tinted windows, but more emphasized is that the property brings Manhattanization and Its Discontents The Palazzo’s opening also marks the arrival of one of the most Madison Avenue of brands: Barneys New York, with only nine locations in the United States. The inclusion of Barneys at The Shoppes at The Palazzo completes Las Vegas’ collection of top-tier New York retailers, from Tiffany & Co. to Manolo Blahnik, that have arrived at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, Mandalay Place or one of the other Las Vegas shopping centers. Incentive travel visitors will find plenty of big city buys during leisure periods in the itinerary. Asked which other major retailers were slated to open on The Strip after Barneys, the LVCVA’s Handel paused and responded, “You know, I don’t Barneys New York at The Shoppes at The Palazzo Photo: Courtesy of the Palazzo “the comfort of home”—granted, a very upscale home—to visitors and residents. Steve Wynn is building Encore, the followup to Wynn Las Vegas, slated for early 2009. With over 2,000 suites and at 653 feet high, it will barely beat out both Trump and the Palazzo as the tallest building in Vegas (though with Encore’s later opening, each of those properties will also enjoy that title for at least a few months). This rise in building heights and densities is being referred to as Las Vegas’ “Manhattanization” and has raised some concerns that the drawbacks of urbanization, including traffic and pollution, will become worse in a city already known for its sprawl and heavy use of natural resources. Though a long-term answer to these questions is probably still a few years away, and specific solutions to these potential transportation issues have yet to come forward, there is clearly an awareness from developers that environmental responsibility must be placed as a higher priority than in past builds. CityCenter is leading the pack in this respect. It hopes to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, which would make it the largest property to receive this award for green design and construction. Eighty percent of the Boardwalk Hotel, which the property is replacing, has been recycled and sent elsewhere for reuse (bathroom fixtures went to other countries to be installed and used again, whole and broken glass will be used at CityCenter in months and years to come) and the design is also building in energyand water-saving measures. There is also the 180-acre Springs Preserve, about 10 minutes off The Strip. The Preserve is a monument to the oftenoverlooked natural life of Southern Nevada. But with desert botanical gardens, museum galleries and walking trails through the area’s wetland habitats, it also serves as an excellent half-day outing for incentive groups interested in experiencing the other side of Vegas. It includes a huge outdoor amphitheater where several thousand people can attend a concert (Jewel and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy recently performed there) or see a speaker. And, of course, the Preserve has its own Wolfgang Puck restaurant (the Springs Café, with a focus on organic and local ingredients). Using reclaimed water and local materials for its construction, the facility is in the final stages of receiving a Platinum LEED certification. “[The Springs Preserve] is so new that we’re only showing it to groups at this point,” says Linda Miyoshi, senior sales manager for PRA Destination Management. “We’re trying to put the message out to the world that Las Vegas’ green isn’t all about money.” One of the groups that they have interested is a perfume company from France. Harrah’s Entertainment has started energyand water-conservation projects across its incentivemag.com LAS VEGAS | February 2008 | Incentive | 77 http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - February 2008

Incentive Magazine - February 2008 Editor’s Note: Archie and the Boys In The News Cover Story: On The Ball Incentives Incentive Primer: How to Use Sporting Events Incentive Interview: Jim Avery on Doing the Right Thing Employee Empowerment Motivates and Pays Dividends Hospitals, Nurses Win With Flexible Scheduling Legal Ease: Safety Programs and Unions Case Study: The Weitz Company Retains Its Boomers Potentials: Here and Now Star Power in the Kitchen Awards: Gift Card Trends for the New Year Travel News The Manhattanization of Las Vegas Classics Renewed: Monaco and France Advertiser Index Off The Cuff: Tumi’s Mike Landry

Incentive - February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.