New Vegas Project to Replace Sands Expo Center
The developers of The Venetian and Palazzo resorts in Las Vegas have filed plans with Clark County, Nev., to build a 1.2-million-square-foot convention center just south of the existing Sands Expo and Convention Center.
Tentative plans call for the new center to open in 2010, said Brad Stone, executive vice president of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns the Sands as well as The Venetian and new Palazzo centers. He revealed the plans during a recent investors’ conference.
The proposed $680 million center would be built off of Sands Avenue and Koval Lane, just south of the existing convention center, and is intended to provide modernized upgrades to the existing facility. Plans call for higher 36-foot ceilings to accommodate large corporate booths. The new center will also provide easier access from Sands-owned facilities via a moving pedestrian walkway. Additional plans call for the construction of 7,000 new hotel rooms on the site of the Sands property.
The Sands/Venetian facility is a key venue within the apparel and accessories trade-show circuit. Last February, the Sands hosted the Project Global Trade Show and Off-Price Specialist Show while the connecting Venetian facility held several more shows, including MRket, ASAP and Global ECO.
The proposed facility calls for 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space, 1,800 parking spaces, and moving sidewalks connecting to The Venetian and the new Palazzo resort.
The existing Sands center opened in 1990, and demand quickly exceeded supply. About 10 years ago, the operators converted portions of the parking lot into convention space, but the always-competitive convention marketplace has dictated the need for upgraded facilities.
Stone said that there will also be an opportunity to build up to 500,000 square feet of retail space as well as space for condominiums. Las Vegas accounts for 25 percent of the country’s top 200 trade shows.
Don Browne, marketing director for the Off-Price show, said, “We’re excited about the opportunity to produce an event in a new state-of-the-art exposition center.”
—Robert McAllister
