How The Venetian Resort Customizes Its Event Experiences for Audiences of All Sizes

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

With more than 2.5 million square feet of meeting and event space, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is a natural choice for large conventions. All that space also means that The Venetian Convention & Expo is extremely customizable for groups of any size.

With such a large footprint, creativity and customization reign supreme. Ballrooms are transformed into beer halls, theaters, silent discos, and other sensory experiences. Interactive art exhibits engage attendees and create lasting impressions. Two acres of pool deck offer indoor and outdoor experiences with Strip views. Want a snack break area or zen garden for attendees? Workout area or gaming arcade? The Venetian Meetings team knows how to make it happen — even when that means creating a working auto garage.

Raising the Bar and Setting New Standards

When auto repair industry attendees at the recent Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) walked onto the show floor at The Venetian Convention and Expo Center in Las Vegas, they were amazed to find themselves inside Joe’s Garage. 

Event organizers working in partnership with The Venetian Resort had transformed the showroom into something never before experienced at a convention facility: a fully functioning auto repair shop complete with eight service bays equipped with vehicle lifts and exhaust systems. Demonstrators could start the cars and, while they were running, show attendees exactly how their products work in a real-life setting.

“This was the year that AAPEX raised the bar and set a new standard for how demonstrations on the showroom floor can really showcase their goods and specifically how to use them,” said Chandra Allison, senior vice president of sales for The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Raising the bar at events is more crucial than ever, she added. “As the convention landscape continues to change, most recently by the pandemic, it has become more important to innovate and be willing to try things that haven’t been done before.” 

A Can-Do Attitude and Partnership Approach

Vendors and attendees alike were “beyond thrilled” with Joe’s Garage, according to Mark Bogdansky, vice president, meetings and events, for the Auto Care Association, which co-owns AAPEX.  

“They’d never seen anything like this,” he said. “One attendee said, ‘it’s like waking up on Christmas.’ It’s grown our attendance base just like we wanted it to. It’s been good for everybody.”

Presenting attendees with a functioning auto repair shop proved to be a vast improvement over the usual trade show environment. “Typically, you have a pop-up booth where you show video and demonstrate how things will work, but you have to almost make believe,” Bogdansky said. “The difference is that you don’t have to envision anything. The car is here, and here’s how it works. It’s up on a lift, you can look into the engine. You can see how the cleaner goes through the car. It’s a real-life setting.”  

“When AAPEX came to us with this request, we wanted to make it happen — and we did,” said Allison. 

The Venetian Resort understands that the partnership approach is essential for any successful meeting or event, according to Allison. “Once we determine exactly what the client would like to accomplish, we collaborate on ways to engage customers, create content, and showcase their brands in compelling ways,” she said. “We realize that events of this magnitude take time to prepare and execute, so when we begin working together, we are in for the entire journey.”

Endless Options for Next-Level Experiences

Allison noted that meeting and event planners working with The Venetian Resort have “endless options to choose from and can be as creative as their budgets allow.” 

Indeed, the size and diversity of group amenities available at The Venetian Resort stand out, even in a city like Las Vegas. The Venetian Resort boasts over 2.5 million square feet of meeting and event space, running the gamut from exhibition halls and an 85,000-square-foot pillarless ballroom, to The Stella Studio, a stunning new and flexible space for small meetings with natural light and a private bar and kitchen. Other signature experiences include The Grand Canal Shoppes — where visitors can enjoy live opera and drift along a canal in authentic gondolas — a Canyon Ranch spa, a five-acre pool deck, world-class restaurants, and towers of luxury suites. 

The Venetian Resort has even more new features in the works, including the MSG Sphere, a first-of-its kind venue with game-changing technologies for immersive experiences, expected to debut in 2023. New for spring 2022 will be Wakuda, a high-end Japanese restaurant, and TAO Beach Dayclub, a Balinese-inspired tropical oasis on the recently renovated pool deck at the original resort tower. 

New offerings such as these will keep The Venetian Resort at the top of its game, according to Allison. “A trend we continue to see is meeting professionals focused on providing unique experiences for their attendees and utilizing non-traditional spaces,” she said. “The team here at The Venetian Resort continues to reimagine and innovate what meetings and events can be, and truly gives meeting professionals, who want the world, the opportunity to have it.” 

This content was created collaboratively by The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.