Prevue November/December 2010 - (Page 12)

planner’s pick tami beehner Meeting & Event Planner Carlson Wagonlit Travel Minnetonka, MN aria resort & Casino the biggest gamble ever on the las vegas strip pays off handsomely for planners There’s nothing quaint or shy about aria resort & Casino. In a city known for flashing neon, celebrity wattage and fortunes made with the toss of dice, ARIA debuted in December as perhaps the flashiest high-stakes gamble the city has ever seen. By now you know the story about CityCenter, the 67acre hotel complex operated by mgm resorts international. Celebrating world-class urban lifestyle, the sparkly cityscape houses numerous celeb restaurants, boutique shopping and Vegas’ first major permanent art collection integrated into a public space. At the heart of it all, the 61-story ARIA features 3,436 rooms and 568 suites in a towering, curvy glass and steel structure that forever changed the Las Vegas skyline. So what do planners think who’ve bought the space? “Everything was right there, nearby,” says Tami Beehner, Meeting & Event Planner for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, who chose ARIA for a Leadership Summit following a series of site visits with the las vegas Cva in February. Her group included 600 account managers and executives, who required 20 breakout rooms, lodging and support staff. ARIA’s quick response to her Starcite queries made the decision a no-brainer. “I’ve always found the MGM brand flexible to work with, so I was immediately intrigued by ARIA being so fresh, new and not a property I’d used with other clients.” What she also found was a futuristic design by renowned Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, who've created an iconic masterpiece on par with their other projects, like the World Financial Center in New York City and Miami Performing Arts Center. And even though this is the second largest casino in Las Vegas, Beehner appreciated how the design layout didn't force her attendees to walk for miles to get to their meetings. “You could take an elevator from your guestroom and be right there. Much less distracting...,” she says. “VIPs staying in the Sky Suites were escorted from the airport and brought into a private entrance. Their suites included a bar area with beer, wine, snacks and desserts like chocolate covered strawberries.” And how did it go feeding 600 people? “For our dine-around evening, we needed 12 fine dining restaurants that could each handle 50 to 75 attendees. No one had to walk more than 10 minutes to get to their restaurant,” says Beehner. Within ARIA, the 300,000 sf of meeting space in the tripletiered convention center is illuminated by natural light. Scenic rooftop gardens, lush foliage surrounding Viva ELVIS pools and a glass curtain wall spanning the entire north façade offer dramatic natural backdrops. And there are three large ballrooms ranging from 38,000 to 52,000-sf and 38 meeting rooms. The 80,000-sf Spa at ARIA includes a salon and fitness center, but for those ready to shake loose after sessions, Elvis lives at the 1,800-seat theater housing Viva ELVIS, a musical tribute from Cirque du Soleil. “My takeaway from our summit was that it was stress-free...,” says Beehner. “We’ve recommended ARIA so highly that other groups have already booked it.” —Karen Kuzsel arialasvegas.com; lvcva.com ”we’ve reCommended aria so highly that other groups have already booked it.” 12 | prevue magazine http://www.arialasvegas.com http://www.lvcva.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue November/December 2010

Dolce Hayes Mansion, CA
ARIA, Las Vegas
Anguilla
Starwood Lux, Merida
San Antonio/Philly/Vegas
Chattanooga
Crowne Plaza, Trinidad
Florida Faves
Gansevoort Miami Beach
Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo
HIlton Bonnet Creek, Orlando
Culture + Creativity
Bermuda
Singapore
La Cote D'Azur
Detroit
Culture 2011

Prevue November/December 2010