Meeting News - February 2, 2009 - (Page 26)

Insider Report: Gaming Destinations Vegas, Intensely Cool The minus5 ice lounge is certainly one of the most unique venues in Las Vegas. Constructed entirely of ice—walls, seating, the bar, a whimsical sculpture gallery, and even the cocktail glasses— it has been well-received since opening in late September at Mandalay Place, next to Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, according to general manager Jason Ellis. Mammoth ice blocks are shipped from New Zealand or Canada to the venue.“The ice is flashfrozen, which means its surface has to be melted and refrozen three times to become sufficiently clear and pure. The ice glasses we use for cocktails also come from New Zealand, already frozen and wrapped in individual bags,”Ellis said. The minus5 experience originated in New Zealand, the brainchild of Craig Ling, greatgrandson of New Zealand explorer Buck Rockwell, who set out to circumnavigate the North Pole and wound up icebound in a remote arctic village for an entire winter. When he returned home, he had developed a fondness for vodka. There are two minus5s in New Zealand, two in Australia, and one in Portugal. The Las Vegas branch is the first one in the U.S. “We opened here because there’s no better mecca in the States for a venue as unique as this,” said Ellis. “Individual and group travelers from all over the world all come here, so Las Vegas seemed like the best place.” Ellis said event bookings at minus5 are heating up. The ice lounge can hold up to 80, but can serve as many as 300 for an event by providing open access to the minus5 Lodge. It has plenty of gloves, jackets, and boots available, including faux-fur versions for VIPs—white for ladies and black for men. The temperature in the bar is, appropriately, minus five degrees—but Celsius, not Fahrenheit. So, it’s actually 23 degrees and not too cold to linger and chill once attendees are bundled up. “We change out the ice sculptures every three weeks because we like to keep the look fresh and exciting,” said Ellis.“At Christmas, we had angels, nutcrackers, and snow-flakes. Right now, we’re adding a Pegasus coming out of a wall. Our function packages allow companies to have their logos or products in ice or even the face of a specific person. If a picture exists, we can sculpt it in ice.” After staying in the ice lounge, guests can warm up in the minus5 Lodge, which resembles an alpine ski lodge, with lots of leather, wooden beams, river stones, and faux fireplaces. F&B, from hors d’oeuvres to full buffets, is provided by Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood restaurant. —Joy Anderson Up to 80 people can chill in the minus5 ice lounge, which regularly installs new ice sculptures, like one of Elvis (top). 26 MeetingNews February 2, 2009 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - February 2, 2009

Meeting News - February 2, 2009 Contents What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com Inside the Industry People Making News Transportation Green Beat Ad Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - February 2, 2009

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.