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Planning a business meeting or group incentive trip? Make it Las Vegas. The entertainment capital of the world also is the meetings capital of the world with nearly 6 million convention visitors each year. Las Vegas has an amazing convergence of casino resorts, headliner entertainment, name brands, gourmet cuisine and great golf. Read on to find out why the decision to pick Las Vegas for your next company outing is a winner. Go for the sights Only in Las Vegas can you navigate the canals of Venice, sit in a Parisian sidewalk café, stroll through New York, shop a Mediterranean bazaar and run away to the circus — all in one day. Go for the shows From Broadway musicals and rock concerts to illusionist acts and chorus lines, Las Vegas has a show for nearly every taste, budget and style. It’s a sure bet that Las Vegas is the top destination in the world for the hottest brand-name nightclubs, top-headlining entertainment, world-class performers and best-selling stage acts. Go for the accommodations With more than 133,000 rooms (most within four miles of the convention center), Las Vegas offers a variety of options to fit all budgets and tastes, from affordable and elegant to one-of-a-kind and themed. Walk like an Egyptian? Do as the Romans did? Feeling royal? There’s a hotel for all that. Go for the convention and meeting facilities Some 22,000 meetings, conventions and incentive programs ranging in size from 10 to more than 100,000 attendees will take place in Las Vegas this year. With more than 9.5 million square feet of meeting, exhibit and trade show space, the city can handle meetings of any size and shape. The city is home to three of the country’s 10 largest convention venues: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Sands Expo and Convention Center and the Las Vegas Convention Center. The best part is you can leave the planning to convention professionals dedicated to providing all the services necessary for a successful event. It’s a sure thing. Go for the convenience Las Vegas provides accessible and economical flights from all major U.S. destinations. McCarran International Airport is just a mile from Las Vegas Boulevard and 3.5 miles from the Las Vegas Convention Center. The close proximity of hotels allows walking to many destinations. When transportation is required, options include buses, taxis, shuttles and the Las Vegas Monorail that links seven stations to eight resorts and the Las Vegas Convention Center. Go for the weather Talk about climate control. Does it get any better than 320 days of sunshine per year and an average temperature of 66.3 degrees? Go for the food The city that introduced the cheap, all-you-can-eat buffet now is considered one of the top fine-dining destinations. Gourmet buffets stocked with international cuisines abound, with many casino hotels taking the experience to the next level with hundreds of menu selections at one sitting. Special offerings are the norm, from hand-rolled sushi, churrasco (Brazilian barbecue) and live cooking stations. Themed restaurants also provide authenticity and entertainment, such as Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas, a replica of the Munich Hofbräuhaus that features German-Bavarian cuisine and imported Bavarian beer, meat and sausage. Go for the golf What’s a business trip without some swing therapy? More than 60 golf courses are available to play in the Las Vegas area. Top designers such as Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Tom Fazio, Tom Weiskopf, Ted Robinson, Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and others have all crafted layouts in the gorgeous desert terrain. Some courses to try: OB SPORTS Aliante Golf Club (702) 399-4888 • www.aliantegolf.com Angel Park (702) 254-4653 • www.angelpark.com The Legacy Golf Club (702) 897-2187 • www.thelegacygc.com The three courses managed by OB Sports Management benefit from one of the most professional golf management companies in the world. OB Sports Management was formed in 1972 and prides itself on superior customer service. The three-year-old Aliante Golf Club is one of the area’s newest courses, but already ranks among a favorite with locals and visitors. The Gary Panks-designed track stretches more than 7,000 yards from the championship tees and an arroyo comes into play on 14 holes. Combined with numerous water features and strategically placed trees, the course is both challenging for low handicappers and enjoyable for less skilled players. Angel Park is located in the northwestern part of the city limits, an area that has no shortage of golf courses. But few courses in the region, or the country, offer as much as this property: two 18-hole courses designed by Arnold Palmer, an 18-hole putting course with hazards, and a lighted par-3 course. The Legacy Golf Club, a frequent host of U.S. Open qualifying rounds, is one of the toughest courses in Las Vegas, with a rating of 74.9 from the tips, which stretch 7,233 yards. The multi-tiered Scottish-style fairways, undulating greens and ubiquitous lava rock make this Arthur Hills-designed course a legitimate test of golf for the best players. Primm Valley Golf Club (702) 679-5510 • www.primmvalleyresorts.com If you’re driving from Southern California, these are the first two golf courses that you’ll encounter before you cross the state line. Located a mere four miles from the cluster of casinos that have sprouted up at the state line in recent years, these two Tom Fazio-designed tracks rank among the finest courses ever created by this world-renowned architect. What is most striking is that, while adjacent to each other, the courses are vastly different. The Desert Course offers elevation changes and stunning views and has a far different feel than the Lakes Course. It’s also longer and tighter and even with resort-style wide fairways there is plenty of trouble awaiting off the tee. While you are constantly reminded that you’re in the middle of a vast desert on that course, the Lakes Course features lush landscaping and pine trees, creating a much different visual and playing perspective. Siena Golf Club (888) 689-6469 • www.sienagolfclub.com Red Rock Country Club (866) 934-4653 • www.redrockcountryclub.com These sister facilities are very different from one another. Siena is a Tuscany-themed golf facility that, along with a stunning 18-hole Schmidt-Curley design, features one of the most acclaimed golf-attached restaurants in the state: the Siena Bistro. Red Rock features two Arnold Palmer-designed signature courses, the private Mountain Course and the public Arroyo Course. Waterfalls, lush greenery and a very relaxed feel make both courses a welcome respite from the high-octane energy and excitement that permeates this corner of the world. TROON GOLF The Revere (877) 2REVERE • www.reveregolf.com Badlands Golf Club (702) 363-0754 • www.badlandsgc.com As one of the premier golf management brands in the world, Troon Golf only affiliates itself with top-flight courses, combining its highly trained staff and commitment to superior service with fantastic courses. Its two Las Vegas-area facilities are no exception. The Revere at Anthem boasts two Billy Casper-Greg Nash-designed tracks that rank among the most fascinating in the region. Both traverse through rugged desert canyons and valleys with the 7,143-yard Lexington a shotmaker’s dream. The 7,034-yard Concord is more forgiving off the tee and has more generously sized greens. Golf legends Johnny Miller and Chi Chi Rodriguez are behind the 27 holes that comprise the Badlands Golf Club, which offers one of the most memorable experiences in the valley. Steep ravines and yawning gorges can play havoc with your score, but generous landing areas and large greens temper some of the bite on these fantastically scenic holes. The toughest combination of nines is the Desperado and Diablo, which stretch nearly 7,000 yards with a slope of 133 and a rating of 73.0. The Desperado-Outlaw combination is the shortest and least punitive combination. Rhodes Ranch Golf Club (702) 740-4114 • www.rhodesranch.com The prolific designer Ted Robinson, Sr. is behind this beautiful track, which is graced by one of the best sets of par 3s in his vast oeuvre. The course, located 15 minutes south of the Strip, opened in 1997 and offers some of the best conditions in the entire valley. Elevation changes, stunning views, numerous water features and a player-friendly design that doesn’t overly punish errant shots make Rhodes Ranch one of the region’s most popular courses. Adding to the playability is the lack of daunting canyons, which helps expedite a brisk pace of play since golfers aren’t continually searching for lost balls. Walters Golf (800) 427-6678 • www.waltersgolf.com Walters Golf invites you to play its top-notch tracks. Desert Pines Golf Club is a Dye-designed course that resembles the sandhills of North Carolina and is often referred to as the “Pinehurst” of Las Vegas. At Royal Links Golf Club, golfers can sample holes from 11 British Open courses, including the famous “Road Hole” at St. Andrews. It has been recognized as the “Best Course in Las Vegas” by the Las Vegas Review Journal. At Bali Hai Golf Club, players are transported to a tropical paradise at the only championship course on the Strip. VegasGolfer magazine called it the “Best high-end resort course in Las Vegas,” and Golf Digest included Bali Hai in its “Best Places to Play” category. |
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